The Present Moment
'Yoga begins in the present moment, and the present moment begins in silence. From that silence, words are born. In the Yoga-Sutra attributed to Patañjali (third century b.c.e), considered to be one of the core texts of yoga psychology, we being with a simple sentence: ‘Atha yogānuśāsanam.’ This is translated as ‘in the present moment is the teaching of yoga.'. . .
'The first word in the Yoga-Sutra - atha - literally means ‘now,’ ‘what is here in this moment.’ Yoga begins in the present moment. Yoga is the present moment. We could more concisely translate this opening line as: ‘Yoga beings now.’ The teachings of yoga orient us toward this very moment, rendering the future invisible and the past no longer in reach…'
- Michael Stone, 'The Inner Tradition of Yoga.
'The first word in the Yoga-Sutra - atha - literally means ‘now,’ ‘what is here in this moment.’ Yoga begins in the present moment. Yoga is the present moment. We could more concisely translate this opening line as: ‘Yoga beings now.’ The teachings of yoga orient us toward this very moment, rendering the future invisible and the past no longer in reach…'
- Michael Stone, 'The Inner Tradition of Yoga.
