Reflections from a Yogini
The First 4 Yoga Sutras and What They’re Teaching Me Right Now
A flame similar to the ones we have in our hearts
By Jowana Marshall (Yogini Jo)
If you’ve been following us on Instagram, you’ll notice that we’ve been diving into the Yoga Sutras week by week.
Yoga isn't just something I do on a mat. It's the way I listen to myself when the world gets loud. It's how I return to my breath when I'm spinning in doubt. It's the moment I remember that I am not my pain, my past, or my overthinking mind.
The first four sutras of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras are the foundation of this ancient path, but they’re also deeply relevant to our modern lives, especially when we’re healing, rebuilding, or simply trying to stay rooted in truth.
Here’s what they are and what they mean to me.
1.1 Atha yoga anushasanam
“Now, the exposition of yoga begins.” Sri Swami Satchidananda
“With humility and an open heart, we embrace the sacred study of yoga.” Nischala Joy Devi
“Now begins the instruction on the path of yoga.” Chip Hartranft
I love that the first word in the entire Yoga Sutras is now. Not tomorrow. Not when I’ve healed everything or figured it all out. Now.
This sutra reminds me that yoga doesn’t begin when life is perfect. It begins in the moment I choose presence. Even if I’m overwhelmed, even if I’m triggered, even if I feel like a mess… I can begin again. I can come back to the breath, to the body, to this moment.
This is a practice of unraveling. And that’s what makes it sacred. We always have a chance for redemption.
1.2 Yogash chitta vritti nirodhah
“Yoga is the restraint of the fluctuations of consciousness.” Edwin Bryant
“Yoga is the stilling of the changing states of the mind.” Chip Hartranft
“Yoga is the uniting of consciousness in the heart.” Nischala Joy Devi
This one hits home. Because truthfully, my mind doesn’t always feel still. Sometimes it feels like a storm, spinning with old stories, future fears, and heartache I thought I had already worked through.
But this sutra doesn’t say we have to get rid of our thoughts. It invites us to become aware of them, to recognize they’re not who we are.
Yoga is the practice of not getting swept away.
I’m learning to sit beside my thoughts instead of inside them. To witness the waves instead of drowning in them. That’s a huge shift.
1.3 Tada drashtuh svarupe avasthanam
“Then the Seer abides in its own nature.” Satchidananda
“United in the heart, consciousness is steadied, then we abide in our true nature: joy.” Nischala Joy Devi
“Then the witness is established in its own essential being.” Hartranft
When the mind becomes quiet, we can finally see ourselves clearly, not through the lens of our trauma, our roles, or our to-do lists, but through the soul.
This sutra is an invitation to come home to yourself.
For me, this looks like walking barefoot on the earth. Sitting with cacao in the early morning. Allowing my breath to lead me back into my body. That’s when I feel like the Seer, that inner witness who is beyond the drama, the identity, the pressure.
And from that place… everything softens.
1.4 Vritti sarupyam itaratra
“At other times, the Self appears to assume the forms of the mental modifications.” Satchidananda
“At other times, we identify with the rays of consciousness, which fluctuate and encourage our perceived suffering.” Nischala Joy Devi
“At other times, the Seer identifies with the fluctuations.” Hartranft
This sutra is the reminder. The caution. The mirror. I take it as preventative medicine
When we’re not practicing, when we’re not anchored, we get caught in this web of false beliefs . We think we are the anger. We think we are the anxiety. We think we are the version of us someone projected onto us. And from that place, we lose ourselves.
This happens to all of us. And that’s okay. The medicine is in noticing it.
I’ve learned that I don’t have to shame myself for forgetting. I just have to return.
A Living Reflection
These four sutras continue to open something in me. They show me that yoga is not just a practice but a living pathway directly back to your true self.
This month, as I sit with Satya (truth) as our guiding Yama, these sutras feel like the perfect foundation.
They ask me:
Are you here, now?
Are you willing to notice your thoughts without becoming them?
Are you ready to return to who you really are?
Every time I say yes, I take one step closer to liberation and an open heart.
And I believe that’s what yoga has always been about.
In love and service,
Jowana
If you want to dive deeper into your yoga journey, come and visit us here at the Sanctuary
