The Nature of Now, Undivided

Many years ago, when I was practicing and teaching yoga, I had the thought to write a contemporary interpretation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. This book is the seminal work regarding the yogic perspective. I managed to complete a rendition of the first chapter, but I then realized the first sentence was the entire book. In Sanskrit, the first line is Atha yoga anushasanam, which, loosely translated, means “Now we begin the study of yoga.”  If one looks more insightfully into the original language and intention, however, there is something much more profound.

The word “atha,” is a very auspicious word meaning “now.” It draws our attention to the fact that a profound teaching is about to be imparted—right here, right now, not in the distant past or some future time. This is very reassuring because when we open the Yoga Sutras and read that first word, yogic teachings immediately become relevant to us; they speak to our present life. “Atha” transforms yoga from an archaic study of the past into an invitation to apply the wisdom right now.

The word “anu” from “anushasanam” signifies “atom”—the minute, indivisible components that make up the entire universe. For someone who can fully immerse themselves in the present moment, all these atoms can be seen as interconnected and unified, forming the whole. “Shasanam” originates from the root word “shas,” which means “to instruct.” When combined with “anu,” it implies that the atoms will serve as our teachers; the inherent nature within all life will be our guide. In other words, the natural world will teach us—now. The wisdom we seek is all around us, manifesting in the very forms of nature.

Paradoxically, nature can both reveal and conceal. The atom, the innermost essence of life, is both particle and wave, form and emptiness. It calls the observer to penetrate its elusive secret and recognize the union (“yoga” can mean “yoking together”) of opposites. Buddha awoke in this realization when he saw the two truths, ultimate and relative, are one and the same. He taught that when we ignore this essential wholeness, we experience suffering—because we are going against the laws of nature.

So, in the moment of his awakening, Buddha touches the earth and that becomes the whole teaching— the yoga of awakening, now, to what nature teaches us. She reflects to us the original “nature” of our own minds, revealing pure undivided awareness. We have the opportunity to realize our part in the vast interconnected universe every time we quiet the mind and touch the earth.