247. Are you acting from Clarity or Conditioning?

Welcome back to My Daily Thread, where we continue to explore the richness of the Yoga Sūtras and how they offer deep, practical insight into our everyday lives—especially our relationships. Today, we reflect on how our connections with others can be powerful mirrors and teachers, ultimately strengthening all aspects of our health and well-being. Yoga isn’t just about what happens on the mat—it’s about how we live, love, and show up for ourselves and each other.

Lately, I’ve been realizing that I need to bring more of this yogic wisdom—particularly from the Yoga Sūtras—into my relationships. There’s a sincere longing to move beyond reactivity, to soften the ways I project fear, discomfort, and old patterns into my interactions, and to cultivate a way of listening that comes from steadiness and presence. Yesterday, we posed the question: “How are you showing up in your relationships?” That reflection opened the door to something important.

Today, we take one small step further. We explore the idea of adding one simple shift—a shift that comes from our practice. Through yoga, we learn to create space in the body, which in turn creates space in the mind. This inner spaciousness gives us the clarity to see what’s really there, rather than reacting or projecting from our conditioned mind. This theme arises directly from Yoga Sūtra 2.20, which states:

dṛṣṭā dṛśimātraḥ śuddho ‘pi pratyayānupaśyaḥ

Translation: The Seer (dṛṣṭā) is nothing but pure seeing (dṛśi-mātraḥ); although pure (śuddhaḥ), it appears to take on the forms of the mind (pratyaya) that it observes.

This verse is central to our exploration. It tells us that the essence of who we are—the Seer, or Puruṣa—is untouched, pure awareness. But because this awareness looks through the lens of the mind, we start to believe that we are the thoughts, feelings, or emotional patterns that arise. This misidentification is the heart of our suffering, especially in relationships, where emotional triggers often hit the deepest nerves.

Relationships can be triggering for me. And when I get triggered, the reaction is often immediate, powerful, and deeply familiar. From a yogic perspective, these are the kleśas—the mental afflictions outlined in Sūtra 2.3: avidyā (ignorance), asmitā (egoism), rāga (attachment), dveṣa (aversion), and abhiniveśa (fear of death or loss). In relationship conflict, it’s often rāga and dveṣa—attachment to being seen a certain way, or aversion to feeling uncomfortable—that steer our reactions. These kleśas are the deep emotional patterns and conditionings that drive our actions when we are not conscious.

But Sūtra 2.20 reminds us—we are not the patterns. We are not the thoughts. We are the Seer. When we remember this, we gain the capacity to witness without becoming entangled. So today, consider this one simple reflection:

“Is this action coming from clarity, or from my conditioning?”

This question, simple as it may seem, can open a profound doorway. It brings us back to the dṛṣṭā—the witness within. It asks us to pause, breathe, and connect to the purity of awareness that lives underneath our habits, stories, and knee-jerk responses.

So as you move through your day, and as you move through your relationships, stay curious. Stay gentle. Practice creating space in your body and mind, and see what begins to shift when you act from clarity rather than conditioning.