Faust Arp

"Truly, every part of our lives is suffering" says Sutra ii 15c. We glimpse into the suffering of both the Captain and the Sergeant in this section. The Captain lost both his wife and his daughter and his hope in the Yoga that his Uncle taught him became hidden from him. The Sergeant's child meanwhile suffered a severe burn from a fire and the Sergeant turned once again to alcohol. Yoga becomes a means for both of these men to overcome the suffering that permeates their lives. To quote Matthew Sanford in his book Waking "Death and trauma reach through one's life with stunning swiftness." Both of these fictional men's lives are testament to that. 

The sutras however do not just explain life but further explain how to deal with it. In this latest reading assignment from How Yoga Works we see the Captain and Sergeant struggling with detachment from desires.  We also see the Captain seeking to restrain the fluctuations of his mind through practice as Sutras 1.12-1.16 suggest. The characters of How Yoga Works find ways to apply the words of the Master's short book. Reading about their application of the sutras allows me as a reader to seek out ways to apply them to my own life. Regardless of how ridiculous or dramatized the actions of the characters may be (think drunken Sergeant at night) their ability to use the Sutras and the physical practice of yoga to create and restore balance and harmony in their own lives provides me with a feeling of hope.