Today, we arrive at the final thread in the tapestry of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
Sutra 4.34—Purusartha sunyanam gunanam pratiprasavah kaivalyam svarupa pratishtha va citisaktir iti—ends with a single word: “Iti.”
“That is all.”
Thus ends the teaching of Patanjali.
Sutra 4.34—Purusartha sunyanam gunanam pratiprasavah kaivalyam svarupa pratishtha va citisaktir iti—ends with a single word: “Iti.”
“That is all.”
Thus ends the teaching of Patanjali.
But as with the final bead on a mala, this is not an end, but a turning.
A return to the beginning.
For where there is Iti, there is always Atha.
Now begins the practice of Yoga—again, and again, and again.
A return to the beginning.
For where there is Iti, there is always Atha.
Now begins the practice of Yoga—again, and again, and again.
It is tradition—especially in Iyengar and classical lineages—to begin our study of the Yoga Sutras with the Invocation to Patanjali.
Chanted before asana, before study, before speech—it is a way to honor the one who gave us tools for the body, clarity for the voice, and serenity for the mind.
We began our journey with that invocation… and today, we come full circle.
Chanted before asana, before study, before speech—it is a way to honor the one who gave us tools for the body, clarity for the voice, and serenity for the mind.
We began our journey with that invocation… and today, we come full circle.
Sutra 4.34 speaks of liberation—kaivalya—as the moment when the forces of nature, the gunas, have fulfilled their purpose and dissolve back into their source.
What remains is citi shakti—pure awareness—established in its own nature.
What remains is citi shakti—pure awareness—established in its own nature.
And yet, even in liberation, the journey continues—not as striving, but as offering.
As presence.
As the willingness to return to the beginning, to walk the path again, not for ourselves alone, but for the world that still aches.
As presence.
As the willingness to return to the beginning, to walk the path again, not for ourselves alone, but for the world that still aches.
Speaking of presence and purpose—I was honored to be invited to the opening of the 19th ETHNOCINECA International Documentary Film Festival Vienna 2025, which runs through Wednesday next week.
The keynote, “HAUNTINGS: The Unfinished Business of Colonialism,” was a powerful reminder of history’s lingering threads—an invitation to listen more deeply, to reckon with memory.
The keynote, “HAUNTINGS: The Unfinished Business of Colonialism,” was a powerful reminder of history’s lingering threads—an invitation to listen more deeply, to reckon with memory.
The opening film, „Home Game“, moved the room with its honesty and complexity.
joined for a thoughtful Q&A and will be present again this Saturday when the film screens once more.
Documentary film, like yoga, holds a mirror to truth—sometimes uncomfortable, always necessary.
If you can, go. Listen. Watch. Witness. Mingle. Let the stories move you.
If you can, go. Listen. Watch. Witness. Mingle. Let the stories move you.
And now… as we close this sacred circle, let us study together, let us join in circle. Let us show up for one another, let us listen, and let us remember:
We are Yoga. May we continue to practice together.
We are Yoga. May we continue to practice together.
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