Avoiding Suffering
A close up picture of someone putting a band-aid on an elbow
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is not only one of our ancient guiding texts for the practice of yoga, but it’s also chock full of timeless wisdom that applies even to life today. No matter how many times I read it, I come to new understandings about the inner workings of my mind, and my life as a human. Like so many other guiding texts, its messages meet you where you are. When you are ready for a particular message, your understanding is there, but not before you are ready.
One of the simplest messages that everyone can relate to happens to also be one of my favorites. It is Sutra 2.16, and says, “Heyam duhkham anagatam”. This roughly translates as, “The pain that has not yet come should be avoided.” It sounds so simple in theory. Obviously, none of us want to cause pain to ourselves or others. But in practice, most of us are guilty of causing pain in a variety of ways.
In the Sutras, pain is more likened to suffering. We know suffering comes as part of the human condition, and we also can think of ways we suffer. For example, maybe every time you watch the news you have an overwhelming sense of dread, despair, or even anxiety. So, this sutra would suggest you stop watching the news. Read about it (if you must), and see if that causes less suffering. Or maybe you create suffering by over-indulging in sweets which leads to indigestion. Another example is staying up too late even though you know it will make you feel terrible for at least the whole next day. There are an infinite number of things that can cause suffering.
I invite you to have a discovery session with yourself. Sit down with a pen and paper, and allow yourself to become calm through breathing deeply. Then, when you’re ready, begin to answer the few questions below. Just write down the first things that come to your mind. Trust that you already know exactly what to do to eliminate suffering.
- What things am I doing that cause me pain and/or suffering?
- Are there different choices I could make to alleviate or eliminate the pain/suffering? What are they?
- What is holding me back from making a change? What or why?
After answering these questions ask yourself if you are ready to make changes around the thing(s) that came up. If you’re not quite ready to make a change, it’s OK! Change is difficult. Just by recognizing the causes of your suffering, you may start noticing the negative residue left after each suffer-affirming decision. Recognition might help in making the change in the future, or prevent future pain, just like the sutra says!