philosophy

Philosophy, at its core, encourages us to seek truth and challenge our assumptions, much like the ancient yogic inquiry into the nature of the self.

The Ashtanga community stands at a crossroads. After decades of enabling harm through silence, we face a choice: continue the patterns, or build something genuinely different.

Sutras 1.19–1.22 address what creates readiness for samadhi—past preparation, burning aspiration, and degree of effort. Some arrive quickly. For others, the path is slower but no less real.

He’d been nursing the shoulder injury for two years. A friend mentioned BPC-157. Within months, he was practicing fully again. When his teacher asked about his recovery, he said “patience and modifications.” It felt like he’d failed at tapas by not suffering long enough.

Karma Yoga is the Yoga of Action

How often have you heard me say that?

Sutra 1.17 maps four progressive stages within distinguished samadhi—from gross attention to subtle reflection to bliss to pure “I-ness.” A cartography of deepening.

Four years of sustained effort. Four years of showing up when the outcome remains uncertain. This is tapas in its purest form—and it might look like a picket line.

Patanjali describes two forms of samadhi in Sutras 1.17-1.18. One is blissful but leaves traces. The other is seedless, pointing toward liberation. Understanding the difference changes how we practice.