During 47 visits to the former USSR during the Cold War, yoga teacher Rama Jyoti Vernon developed a conflict resolution technique based on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Combining yoga philosophy with deep listening (also taught in Nonviolent Communication), Vernon guided dialogues between Soviets and Americans to build understanding and trust. Vernon believes that the dynamics of conflict are similar, whether they are between countries, among family members, or within one’s self, and that yoga offers universal tools for creating peace.
Patanjali’s second sutra (“Yogas chitta vritti nirodha”) defines yoga as calming the mental fluctuations or, in Sanskrit, vritti. Vritti is related to the English word “revolve,” and we’ve all experienced how the mind can turn things around. Conflict often begins when we turn things around by mis-identifying with the ego self, a klesha or obstacle that the sage Patanjali called asmita. Yoga teaches us discernment, so that we are able to step outside asmita or “I-ness” and gain perspective on the true self. In other words, as the ego begins to recognize its patterns, we realize: “I am not my ego.”
This realization strengthens our ability to listen to others, to bear witness even when their words dent the ego structure. This equanimity or serenity is, as Sri Krishna teaches Arjuna (Bhagavad Gita 2:15), being alike in pleasure and pain. In a state of serenity, we do not crave approval or fear rejection. We remain serene even when faced with troublesome vrittis or mind waves, such as incorrect perception, imagination, and memory.
According to sutra 1:12 (“Abhyasa vairagya bhyam tan nirodha”), the ability to calm the vrittis comes through detachment and practice. (For guided practice, Rama Vernon, Ruth Hartung, and others teach yoga-based conflict resolution workshops around the U.S.) The yamas and niyamas are a brilliant foundation for developing discernment and equanimity, but each of yoga’s eight limbs supports and strengthens the practitioner’s evolution toward wholeness and peace. (Yes, even asana.)
So the next time Uncle Bob tries to push your buttons over the cranberry sauce, draw on your yogic skills to listen for the underlying vrittis. (But maybe don't say to him "It’s all about the yoga!")
What are some ways you have resolved inner or outer conflict through yoga?
