Yoga Sutra 2.33
When the mind is disturbed by negative thoughts, contemplate the opposite.
– translation Kofi Busia
I used to think this statement meant that if we want to avoid a negative outlook, we should practice positive thoughts. After all, positive visualization is a common, science-backed method used in many settings – from people working toward career goals, to those creating vision boards and New Year’s resolutions, to the mental rehearsal practiced by professional athletes.
But to understand the full meaning of yoga sutra 2.33, it helps to know a bit of context.
This sutra immediately follows the unveiling of the niyamas, one half of the ethical guidelines described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. It appears as a suggestion for cultivating the mindset needed to practice the niyamas. (The niyamas are: cleanliness, contentment, discipline, refraining from indulgence, and honoring spiritual endeavors.)
Of the ten ethical guidelines described in the text, the five niyamas require conscious cultivation; people are not born already possessing these habits or attitudes. Patanjali recognized that the human mind does not naturally enjoy discipline or sustained effort. Therefore, in Sutra 2.33 he offers a method for those moments when the mind is strongly tempted away from the path of yoga.
Essentially, his method is not to remind ourselves of the positive qualities we hope to develop, but rather to contemplate the negative consequences of abandoning a trusted path. In that sense, the sutra functions as a warning to “look before you leap,” encouraging us to remain committed to the practices that lead toward yoga, and ultimately toward spiritual liberation.
For this kind of contemplation to be effective, however, it helps to believe that those negative consequences are inevitable, not merely possible.
This is where a belief in karma and reincarnation plays an important role.
From the perspective of yoga philosophy, karma is inevitable. A negative action does not merely risk producing a negative consequence; a negative action guarantees a negative consequence. And if the karma is not played out in this lifetime, reincarnation teaches that it will unfold in the next.
There is no escaping karma.
If one holds these beliefs, it’s easy to see how contemplating negative outcomes could be a powerful motivator. However, many people reading this article (myself included) were not raised believing in reincarnation or in this particular understanding of karma. So perhaps we need a way to translate the spirit of this yoga sutra into our own understanding of how the world works.
Perhaps visualization can still help us.
The path of yoga leads toward realization of the “Self,” the part of us that doesn’t change with time or circumstance, and the part that is shared by all living beings. As we move along that path, we naturally begin to feel more connected to other people, our communities, society as a whole, and even Nature. We become more capable of meeting life with steadiness, regardless of what happens – pleasant or unpleasant.
So perhaps, instead of visualizing the negative consequences of straying from the path, we can visualize the positive state toward which the path is leading us…
Imagine what it would be like if your mind was no longer disturbed by the events of your day – by things you didn’t enjoy, didn’t approve of, or that even caused you pain.
Can you imagine it?
