बलेषु हस्तिबलादीनि॥२४॥

baleṣu hastibalādīnī 

[samyama on] the strength (bala) of an elephant (hasti), allows one to feel this strength, as well as other (ādīnī) attributes.

PRACTICAL LIVING There is a common saying that states “Where attention goes, energy flows”. Though much simpler than the profound concept of samyama, we are being told here that when one deeply focuses and merges with an elephant’s strength (or other characteristics), we are able to feel that. To make this helpful for our daily lives, I think of the numerous examples I know of people going through extremely difficult situations and overcoming them – in other words, folks finding inconceivable strength to go through something extraordinarily hard.

How does a housewife who has dedicated herself to her children and has followed society’s gender rules decide to divorce her husband and go through the scrutiny of his wounded behaviors? How does a child who was a victim of sexual abuse end up working with victims of sexual violence as an adult? How does a child who went through devastating neglect become an adult who parents with love, attunement and compassion? I compare these examples to the strength of an elephant. Resilience is the emotional equivalent to an elephant’s strength.

Like Yoda from Star Wars once said “Do or do not. There is no try.” The attitude of going through something wholeheartedly and whole-mindedly can help us experience what we are looking for. The Guinness Book of Records shows us extreme examples of people spending thousands of hours training for a very specific goal. The Olympics, the Grammy’s, the Oscar’s and other events that include people who have put thousands of hours into refining their skills are examples of how we can attain incredible characteristics when we focus ardently on something.

IN THE YOGA WORLD The word “ādīnī” (or others) makes this sūtra applicable to many circumstances. It points towards extending ourselves beyond what is normally required of us in our daily lives. The mystical spiritual gathering Kumbh Mela that happens every 4 or 12 years in India brings together many yogis who portray the results of their samyama on specific attributes. We can focus our energy into marvelous things. Some focus on science, others on the arts, healing, sports, food or many other things. We could also focus this energy towards kindness, Love, courage or anything else we wish.

INSPIRATIONAL PERSON Intelligent, wise, deep, silly, hilarious and loving are some of the ways I would describe the glowing Ana Lucia. She definitely has the strength of an elephant and her life story demonstrates that. She also has the persistence and determination of an elephant: she fights for what she believes. Her wish for freedom, love and ease inspires me. And she must meditate on monkeys because she is insanely funny and gifts me with the beautiful medicine of laughter. Gracias Lu, amiga de alma, por tu amistad, amor y sabiduria! Te quiero mucho!