‘According to various schools of Indian philosophy, samskaras are the subtle mental impressions left by all thoughts, intentions and actions that an individual has ever experienced.’
Think of samskaras as deep ruts or grooves, patterns or paths that we subconsciously follow that affect us both mentally and physically. They are the roots of our physical, mental, and emotional conditioning and habit patterns.
Samskaras originate when a thought wave, arises in the mind. Once this thought wave has left the conscious mind, it sinks down into the subconscious or unconscious mind, where it remains in the form of a samskara. We all have them, sneaking into how we react today and originating from any experience we may have had. Often these samskaras are formed in childhood where our initial understanding of the world and our place in it was deeply affected by the nature of our upbringing and the self image or self esteem this created.
Samskaras come back to the level of the conscious mind in waves of recollection but even unconsciously each time a samskara is repeated, the groove gets deeper and the impression gets stronger, ultimately leading to the formation of habits. Containing hidden expectations and unconscious ideas or self- judgements these patterns can be strong enough to alter our thought processes.
Not all samskaras are bad, but since they can colour our perceptions of ourselves and others, in either a positive or negative way, our aim in the practice of yoga is to strengthen certain samskaras while eliminating those which do not align with, for want of a better explanation – our true selves and our ability to perceive the reality of our lives.
So how do we release these unhelpful Samskaras?
Releasing any pattern involves bringing it into conscious awareness and allowing it to release through non-reaction.
Slowing down helps to increase awareness so that we can shift from reaction to response. Taking a step back in order to practice svadyaya (self study or self reflection) and acting with guided intent and intuition rather then impulse may be challenging at first but its a perfect first step in moving forward.
A little note here on self study – its important that when we take the time to truly practice svadyaya we understand and apply non-judgement. (Without this we simply give ourselves a rather large stick with which to hit ourselves or others!) When we understand that what we find in our reactions are often patterns which may have been learned to protect us and are no longer needed, or that we have been taught and that were not, nor are they now, a truthful refection of who we are or were- we are not looking to accredit blame, we are working on the Self – purely the Self. We are attempting to change patterns to find honesty and peace not fuel the samskara by carrying anger – we cannot change the past but we can choose our present.
Its difficult resisting the urge to fall back into old patterns that feel comforting in the short term and being able to look past emotion to the truth can be both courageous and to be honest, scary. Sometimes a reaction will come too quickly but from that moment of perceived failure, we can learn and move forward with more understanding and strength.
How do we learn to control the thought waves of the mind – our reactions?
We could get deep into neuroplasticity and changing how the brain works in technical ways here but this is neuroplasticity in action:
We can practice bringing a new routine into our day-to-day life in a tangible way. Its about staying committed to the small rituals that create change. Understanding our triggers and consciously moving away from old habits. Triggers are simply triggers they are not who we are.
A gratitude diary and the space and time it offers in a day for internal dialogue – for svadyaya – is a wonderful way to connect to yourself. But remember there is a difference between a ‘gratitude’ diary and a ‘reflection’ diary. In practicing self study and gratitude we are not spilling onto paper all the things that simply frustrate us. (probably not going to make things better) We are doing the internal work to remind ourselves of our true nature and to connect with it. To learn…
A regular yoga practice brings awareness and time to explore ourself, our reactions to poses and to practice pranayama. Our reactions to challenging poses on the mat can reveal much about how we react to stressful situations off the mat. A long held savasana or a Yin hip opener and our reaction to stillness can say as much as how we react to the most complex balance or full on vinyasa series.
This post comes as a result of a discussion this week with a wonderful student where we discussed briefly the nature of samskaras. When spending time with my own diary this morning I opened a random page from a diary written some years ago on the 13th of February. The entry reminded me of changing the nature of thought waves, of self study and of learning that third way of yoga – neither fight nor flight, but of allowing ourselves to sit with discomfort, to face it with calm and ease and to realise it will dissipate. The more we do this in asana, the more our mind understands the concept of letting go both mentally and emotionally :
If a pose makes you physically uncomfortable to the point of danger or pain – move gently away from it. If it makes you mentally or emotionally uncomfortable, without judgement, practice svadyaya. Learn the difference between physical, emotional and mental discomfort.
The issue is probably not the pose itself but your reaction to it. Stay with it – learn something about yourself. Yoga is about noticing your patterns, your samskaras, changing the ones that no longer serve you and embracing and growing those which do. It is simply being able to recognise yourself – beneath that which you have been told is you and shifting to your own way of thinking. To see and become what you are supposed to be – balanced, peaceful and yourself. It begins by noticing – it never ends .
‘Thanks to Yogapedia’
