1.50. The habitual pattern of thought stands in the way of other impressions.

1.51. With the suppression of even that through the suspension of all modifications of the mind, contemplation without seed is attained.

Here we are, the final two Sutras of Book One. These two sutras sum up the rest in a very simple way, one which I have spoken about in many of my posts: you are not the sum of all your thoughts. In Sutra 1.50, the key work is habitual. Our bodes do thing out of habit, and that is a good thing. If we had to consciously make a decisions about every move we made, life would be impossible. Habit gives us the efficiency to live a life beyond a physical existence.

Yoga gives us a powerful tool to change these patterns using our own will. In my opinion, Karma will end up changing these patterns one way or another through circumstance or cognitive dissonance. Through the study of this first book, we have learned that the ultimate goal of our existence it to connect with pure consciousness, or that little part of it that lies in all of us.

Sutra 1.51 states that once we are able to suppress all these thought patterns, we reach that level of purity. Once we can hold that level indefinably, we are free. I do not like the translation in the sutra, specifically the word suppression. It gives the connotation that we are trying to push down something. That is not the case. We are trying to let go of something: every habitual thought we have in our mind. Going back to my post on "Losing Your Marbles" we become the jar in the analogy: clear of all attachments and able to see things clearly.

So, now on to Book 2. I'm going to approach that a little differently then these posts. I will be using some of my favorite books and website as direct references to suggested practices that accompany each Sutra, if applicable.