Living Your Practice

Atha Yoga Anusasanam (Now begins the disposition of yoga) ~ Yoga Sutra 1.1

There are many layers to what it means to live your practice. This reflection offers a kind of blueprint shaped by the teachings of Sage Patanjali, author of the Yoga Sutras, one of yoga’s most essential texts.

The Yoga Sutras provide a guide for living your yoga and contain no instruction on asana. They offer insight into the internal workings of the mind and take us on a journey through the evolution of our practice, from foundational truths to the distractions that often hinder growth. 

This text offers both challenge and support. If you’re open to sitting with it and, even more so, living it, you’ll find that its lessons continue to meet you where you are. Over the years, I’ve returned to certain passages again and again, and I’ll be sharing the ones that have stayed with me the most. 

We begin with the first sutra: atha yoga anusasanam, translated as “now begins the disposition of yoga.” 

It’s a call to begin, to return to what matters, and to start from where you are. One of the gifts of the Sutras is that each student finds their own understanding. There is no single interpretation, and that’s part of what makes this journey so personal. This first sutra is an invitation to start, to cultivate a beginner’s mind, and to do the work with joy and consistency. 

Why begin with a beginner’s mind? 

The beginner’s mind is open, receptive, and curious. It clears space for discovery. Even if we’ve read these teachings before or have practiced asana for years, we benefit from letting go of what we think we already know. I’ve read the Sutras many times and learn something new each time I revisit the teachings. 

The first word, atha, means “now” and signifies full presence. It reminds us to withdraw from worries about the future and the weight of the past, knowing that what we do now shapes both. Yoga means union and is the integration of the mind, body, and spirit. It is a practice of remembering wholeness. The practice brings us back into harmony by reconnecting our thoughts, actions, and emotions. Anusasanam means instruction or discipline. It is not about rigid rules but about integrating the principles of yoga into the way we live. 

When we live our practice, we begin to notice the patterns that show up both on and off the mat. The way we move through a challenging pose can mirror how we move through life. The patience we cultivate in stillness, the breath we return to when distracted—these are all reminders that our yoga practice doesn’t end when class is over. 

This reflection is an invitation to consider: what does it mean to truly live your practice? Where in your life are you being called to return to the present and recommit to the path? Ask yourself: are you willing to start, to start again, and be at peace with what may feel like wasted or lost time?

Know that the first step is the agreement to take the first step. Then, the practice begins.

With love and gratitude,
Dana Andrea