Pratipaksha Bhavana: A Sacred Practice for Energy and Life Mastery
Patanjali Yoga Sutra, a scripture of about 2000 years old, offers us highly empowering teachings with enormous relevance for our modern day.. Yoga Sutra speaks about the liberation of our human struggle through the light of our own heart and consciousness. Sutra 2.33 Pratipaksha Bhavana, offers an invitation for energy management as a means to transform our inner battles into a source of sustainable strength. As many creatures in the natural world co-create with the natural force to transform, so do our own struggles and doubts offer a platform for sustainable growth.
Patanjali’s Sutra 2.33, chapter 2 ‘the path of the study or Sadhana Pada’ translates as: when unpleasant sensations arise, cultivate the opposite. This teaching offers a powerful tool for shifting our internal world, especially in moments of discomfort. As the yogic path and practice anchors us into the observer seat, we shed awareness on the (subconscious) conditioning or Samskaras arising from within. Through energy conversion, we no longer need to fight these patterns, but rather alchemize them through heart awareness. This way sources of attachment, pain and judgement, can be transmuted into compassion and love—qualities that uplift our daily reality far beyond the mat. As B.K.S. Iyengar stated so beautifully ‘ yoga does not just transform the way we see things, but it transforms the person that sees.
Our energy and time are so precious on earth and the skill of appreciation allows us to step into the day with deepening satisfaction and presence within. It sets us free from the tendency to control and instead ignites trust in life and increased surrender to its intelligence and natural flow. Our human experience does not rely just on what happens, but equally on our own feelings and attachments connected to it. Rather than trying to control the world around us, Pratipaksha Bhavana invites us to take personal ownership through the cultivation of new internal sensation. By breaking free from attachments ingrained in our body, mind, and nervous system, you re-write your life story and destiny.
This is where true freedom lies. When we practice yoga poses—or any activity of our day—with awareness of the heart and the present moment, we begin to liberate ourselves with every single step. Poses or Asana, therefore can be a means for entanglement or liberation, it’s all about the intention you show up with… and the commitment to make changes happen. And as new beliefs take form, you see the world around you transform. You’re the one making it all possible … through the courage to show up.
Let 2025 be your year and an invitation to awaken your inner fire & commitment from within. Will you give yourself permission to make 2025 your most beautiful year starting now already? No need to wait for anybody or anything outside. The practice of Pratipaksha Bhavana allows us to redirect our energy, consciously creating the life we desire to step into this world from the powerful place of heart alignment.
Written by Ann Schreppers
Practice On
Close out 2024 with presence and inner calm. Join yoga teacher Ann Schreppers for a guided meditation, designed to help you release the old and welcome the new with an open heart. Together, we’ll explore the art of shifting energy, creating space for clarity, love, and growth as we step into 2025.
Take this moment to reconnect with your inner guide and set intentions for the year ahead. Your next chapter begins here. ✨
Practice makes presence.
Connect
- Instagram: @ann.schreppers
- Website: consciouscorner.be
- Upcoming retreats:
- Shakti & Bhakti retreat - February 9-14th in Watamu, Kenya (more information here)
- Sacred Sequence Yoga Teacher Training - 28th of March to the 21st of April in Polhena Beach, Sri Lanka (more information here)
- Learn more about Ann in her Teacher Spotlight with Manduka here.
