Ever heard of Chitta Prasadanam? Sage Patanjali described it in his Yoga Sutras. Chitta Prasadanam is a timeless wisdom that helps you maintain a peaceful state of mind. It has two parts.
The word Chitta here refers to your mind while Prasadanam refers to the act of making something pure. It is the the best way to rid your mind of all impurities by developing the four mental virtues.
What are the Four Virtues?
The four virtues include Friendliness, Compassion, Joyfulness and Indifference. Practicing these helps you develop a more peaceful and loving relationship with others. Join a certified YTT school to learn these from learned yoga experts.
The concept of Chitta Prasadanam is explained by Sage Patanjali in great details in 33rd sutra of the first chapter of Yoga Sutra. Sage Patanjali prescribes the 4 virtues you should cultivate towards people in different situations.
Chitta Prasadanam is a yogic concept that helps you overcome all obstacles and counter the endless wave of thoughts.
4 Yogic Virtues to Attain Mental Peace
It is time we understand the four virtues that can help you experience inner peace.
1. Maitri (Friendliness)
The Sanskrit word for Friendliness is Maitri. You can think of it as a feeling of loving-kindness. Maitri requires you to develop kind and friendly thoughts towards the happiness of others.
We all know someone who is more wealthy, healthy, and wise than us. Unfortunately, many of us get lost in the game of comparison. This rids you of the inner mental peace and bliss. Sage Patanjali teaches that to regain that lost peace of mind you must have friendly thoughts towards others. Do not let your mind become insecure because of what the other person has.
Swami Viveknanand also propogated the idea of having friendly thoughts towards fellow human beings. Join a certified yoga school to become a yoga instructor and help others inculcate this yogic secret into their lives.
2. Karuna (Compassion)
Compassion is known as Karuna in the Sanskrit language. To practice Karuna you have to develop an attitude of compassion towards those in pain or suffering.
Your mind has a habit of remaining indifferent towards the pain and suffering of others. But you also have the choice to feel for those less fortunate than us. Train your mind to feel genuine compassion and concern towards others. This helps you evolve on a mental and spiritual level.
3. Mudita (Joy)
Mudita is the Sanskrit word for Joy. This virtue teaches you to develop happiness over good deeds and achievement of other people. You have to stop your mind from being envious of the success of others.
Jealousy is a vice that should never overtake the mind of a yogi. Unfortunately your mind has a bad habit of finding mistakes in even the most virtuous individuals.
Although you do not feel happiness over the achievements of your neighbor. But it does happen when a loved one achieves something. The difference is that you feel happy only for those connected to you and not others.
As a yoga practitioner you have to accept that you are connected to the whole world on a deeper level. So, feeling genuinely happy for others allows the divine peace to flow within you. The Yoga Alliance certification can teach you everything there is to know about this virtue of mental peace.
4. Upeksha (Indifference)
The word Upeksha refers to displaying indifference towards negative behavior of others. It is also the toughest yogic secret to practice.
It takes a lot of effort in not being judgmental towards others. Your mind has a habit of clinging on to the mistakes of others and look for a chance to correct them.
But, Sage Patanjali propogated that you do the exact opposite of this. Become more acceptable of the wrong actions of others.
You can instill this into daily life by reminding yourself that everyone makes mistakes. We should understand that overlooking other’s mistakes is the only way to true mental peace.
It all sounds good, doesn’t it? But for you to experience true mental peace you have to be determined to inculcate these 4 virtues in your daily life. Join a certified yoga school to learn and understand these from experienced yoga teachers.
Conclusion
To become a true yogi is not only about knowing asanas and Pranayama. You need to inculcate the virtues that govern the life of a yoga practitioner. Join a certified YTT school to learn about the 4 virtues that can help you become a yogi in the true sense.
