In the closing prayer of the Ashtanga practice, we chant: svasti prajābhyaḥ pari-pālayantāṁ, nyāyena mārgena mahīṁ mahīśāḥ, gobrāhmaṇebhyaḥ śubham astu nityaṁ, lokāḥ samastāḥ sukhino bhavantu. These ancient words are an offering — a prayer for all beings to be protected, for the rulers of the earth to walk the path of righteousness, for all sacred beings to be blessed, and for every living soul across all worlds to experience happiness and freedom. The final invocation, Oṁ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ, repeats the call for peace three times — for peace in the outer world, peace within ourselves, and peace in the unseen cosmic realms.
This spirit of universal love is the very heart of yoga. In Sanskrit, the word for this love is prema — drawn from the root pri, meaning "to love" or "to gladden." Prema is not an ordinary affection tied to desires; it is a pure, selfless love that flows naturally into service — seva. In the Bhakti Sūtras, it is said: sa tu prema-rūpā — "True devotion takes the form of pure love." When we step onto our mats each morning, struggling and surrendering through the rhythm of breath and movement, we are invited into this deeper practice: not merely to perfect poses, but to offer every breath, every effort, as an act of prema — love — and seva — service — to all life.
Thus, Ashtanga yoga becomes more than personal discipline; it becomes a ritual of the heart. Every vinyāsa is an offering. Every challenge faced with patience is a prayer. Every fall and every rise is an act of love made visible. Through this spirit, we fulfill the timeless prayer: lokāḥ samastāḥ sukhino bhavantu — "May all beings everywhere be happy and free."
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