The four locks and the four keys -- Yoga Sutra 1.33

I will meet with the client for four sessions, each session lasting for 15 minutes, beginning on April 17th. I will teach the client the concepts as presented in YS 1.33 and the commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda. I will ask the client to keep a brief daily log of his mental state regarding anger and envy so we can discuss and refine the teachings during the future sessions. I will end each session with a guided meditation on the sensations of body and breath.

Client is a 57-year-old male who states that he struggles with issues of anger and envy regarding other people he encounters.

I taught the client the concepts as presented in YS 1.33 and the commentaries by Sri Swami Satchidananda and Swami Vivekananda (Raja Yoga). I asked the client to keep a brief daily log of his mental state regarding anger and envy. We discussed and refined the teachings during each of the future sessions after reviewing important points from his log. I ended each session with a guided meditation on the sensations of body and breath. As the client learned to sense physical sensations during the guided meditation, he was able to apply this ability in daily life to notice when he was becoming angry or envious, then use this knowledge as a reminder to apply the teachings of Sutra 1.33. For example, he noticed that anger makes him feel physically hot with increased heart rate.

Raja Yoga - the four locks and the four keys of Sutra 1.33
Jnana Yoga - the knowledge of oneself, the ability to witness, the knowledge/skill to remain in peace
Japa Yoga - "peace is in me" mantra
All of these branches support the client's desire to learn and apply the teachings of Sutra 1.33 in his daily encounters with people.

The client was prepared for our sessions and engaged in the discussion and guided meditation at each session. He showed good self-knowledge and insight into his situation, and a genuine desire to make progress. For example, in the second session, he asked questions about his next-door neighbors, his anger, and his habit of calling the police due to their barking dog. In the third and fourth sessions, the client was visibly more relaxed and centered during the guided meditation on body and breath.

The client will continue with the daily log on his own for at least another month, until he feels confident in his ability to come back to the teaching of Sutra 1.33 in his daily encounters. The client will also use the "peace is in me" mantra at various times during the day - for example, when driving and when doing household chores - to remind him that his true nature is peace and he has the ability to connect to that inner peace at all times. I informed the client that he is welcome to contact me if he decides he would like another session with me on this topic.

Yes, I applied the intended plan and it seemed to work well for 15-minute sessions. The client was able to ask questions, and we were able to discuss his journal entries during the final three sessions. For example, we talked about the fact that it can be helpful to think of people's actions as "wicked" rather than the people themselves being wicked. The client also grew in his awareness of body/breath during the guided meditations. Our sessions taught the client that he has the ability to preserve his own peace of mind. This tells me the client met his goal at this point.

Yes, at first the client had some trouble relaxing enough to focus on physical sensations during the guided meditation. I adapted by using the three-part deep breathing practice for the first meditation session and for part of the second session. This taught me that I have many skills in my toolbox, and I can trust myself to draw on my knowledge/skills to meet clients where they are (rather than where I think they are or they "should" be). Also, I decided to teach the client a simple mantra during the third session - "peace is in me" - for times when he can feel himself becoming angry or envious, and as a reminder to apply the keys of disregard (toward the wicked) and friendliness (toward the happy).

If I faced the same situation again with a client, I could see myself using a similar strategy with the person. At the same time, I would want to remain open to how the new client is a unique person with unique ways of encountering the world. Therefore, it would be important for me to avoid assuming the new client is experiencing the teaching in the same ways as the previous client. For example, a future client could be helped by adding asana and/or pranayama to our sessions. Or the client might be open to a daily meditation practice at home in addition to or instead of the daily log.