Applying Raja yoga to look at another faith to make these universal truths more accessible to a Roman Catholic.

Three 1 hour sessions
1. Discuss yoga according to the Sutra's of Patanjali and how the philosophy aligns with religion. Sutra 1: 1, 2 & 31.
2. Discuss the Yamas and Niyamas and how they compare to the 10 Commandments.
3. Examine the 8 Limbs of Yoga and compare to the messages in the 8 Beatitudes. We focused on Blessed are the Pure of Heart and Pratyahara and Dharana.

The Yamas and Nyamas were compared to the 10 Commandments, and as they both guiding principles for life. We compared Satya, truthfulness with "You shall not bear witness against your neighbor." Understanding that if we are untruthful about others, ourselves, or God it will disturb our peace. We compared Samtosha, contentment with "You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or possessions." The idea of keeping these commandments can bring you contentment made sense to her.
We used Hatha and Pranayama to help us prepare physically and mentally for our discussions.
I explained Pratyahara and Dharana and how they aligned with the Sixth Beatitude. Practicing Pratyahara also helped my client relate more to Sutra Two, and the goal of yoga. Practicing Dharana was helpful to the client because it was a tool to help her deepen her meditation

My client became interested in Raja Yoga when we had discussions at the end of a Hatha Class about the 4 Locks and Keys. I brought it up because there was dissention in the community, and she was frustrated on how to deal with it. She was impressed by the simplicity of the 4 locks and keys and wished the Catholic Church could be so simple. We discussed that organizations can get lost but if the beliefs are true and you have faith you can separate the two. My client was concerned about the disconnect with the church and her need to feel connected spiritually. She feels this stress is impacting her health. This is a valid concern. A published study (Magyar-Russell et al., 2020*), found that experiencing sacred moments was linked to "higher levels of positive emotions and a greater presence of meaning, as well as lower levels of perceived stress, and anxious distress."

We agreed that my client would read The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Swami Satchidananda and she would ask for more sessions when she had questions. She will meditate and practice Pratyahara and Dharana on a daily basis. She will continue to work on being at peace with her faith, and how to deal with the shortcomings of the Institution. She will continue to use the 4 Locks and Keys as a tool to deal with people in her life in a way that helps her keep her own peace.

I did apply my intended plan and the goal was achieved. I also believe this is the beginning of a journey for my client as she really engaged with the discussions and is eager to learn and understand more yoga philosophy. Our first topic of looking at why people seek religion helped broaden her thinking beyond Catholicism and focus on what she is looking for; and that it is to be happy, lead a good life and have peace. Sutra 1:2 is complex but after discussion she understood. We revisited 1:31. The 4 Locks and Keys were her first exposure to the Sutras and she has used them since I first explained them to her. Then comparing the second commandment to the Yamas, and the 9th and 10th commandment to Samtosha also really made sense to her and the comparisons reassured her and allowed her to broaden her thinking to "its about what we do not where we go for our spirituality."

I had intended on discussing two of the beatitudes but we only had time for one. As a teacher my timing could have been better in some cases. When I presented the material and we had good discussions I did not move on quickly. I sometimes got stuck and did not transition well.
I also had to take time to absorb my client's thoughts and opinions before responding. The lesson plan had to sometimes be adapted based on her reactions to the material. When we discussed was Satya, truthfulness, and how it aligns with the 9th Commandment, "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" it struck a nerve and led to longer discussion than I had planned. After the first session I did some additional research to refresh my mind and to get several different commentaries on the sutras and the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes to help me with my confidence discussing the material.

I had lesson plans for each session but I did not time them effectively. I need to get more experienced in allotting time for conversation and controlling the conversations from a time perspective.

Sources:
*Gina Magyar-Russell, Kenneth I. Pargament, Joshua B. Grubbs, Joshua A. Wilt, Julie J. Exline. "The Experience of Sacred Moments and Mental Health Benefits Over Time." Psychology of Religion and Spirituality (Advance online publication: September 17, 2020) DOI: 10.1037/rel0000394
The New King James Bible - Exodus 20: 3,4,7,8,12-17
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Translation and Commentary by Sir Swami Satchidananda
The New Testament - Gospel of Matthew, the first Book of the New Testament of the Bible.
Inside the Yoga Sutras Jaganath Carrera