Yoga sutra 2.17
draṣṭṛ-dṛśyayoḥ saṁyogaḥ heya-hetuḥ
The cause of what must be avoided is the association between “that which sees” and “that which is seen”.
In this sutra Patanjali reminds us, once again, about the basic philosophy that underpins Yoga: you are made of two things: (i) one that acts as an observer i.e., “that which sees”; and (ii) one that is continuously changing and is composed of the body. A human being is, then, a conjunction of these two which creates suffering. The relationship itself (saṁyoga) is not the issue; rather it is the way you connect to it and the responses you come up with. Thus, before you can achieve harmony (yoga), you make a separation to cut through any confusion.
Since saṁyoga is the conjunction of “the seer” and its field of observation (the body), Patanjali explains these two notions in further details next.
Damian Cadman-Jones is an authorised teacher of Prana Vashya Yoga™
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