From Triggered to Tranquil: Yoga’s Guide to Inner Calm
Yoga isn’t only about the poses—it’s also about how we meet the world and ourselves with clarity and compassion. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra 1.33 offers timeless guidance for emotional intelligence and equanimity. Known as the “locks and keys,” this teaching invites us to respond to life’s challenges with wisdom instead of reactivity.
By cultivating friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the suffering, delight in the virtuous, and equanimity toward the non-virtuous, the mind retains its undisturbed calm.
The Four Locks and Keys
Friendliness Toward the Happy
When others are joyful or successful, it’s natural to feel comparison or jealousy arise. Yoga invites us to choose another path: friendliness. By celebrating others’ joy, we shift from scarcity to abundance, reminding ourselves that there is enough for everyone. On the mat, this might mean resisting comparison in postures and instead celebrating another student’s growth.
Compassion for the Suffering
Our instinct when witnessing suffering is sometimes avoidance or overwhelm. The yogic response is compassion—being present with both sorrow and love without pity or saviorhood. This can take the form of small acts of service, sending loving-kindness, or simply offering presence. On the mat, it often means meeting our own limitations with tenderness rather than force.
Delight in the Virtuous
When we encounter people who embody integrity, our response may be skepticism or inferiority. Yoga asks us to delight in their goodness, seeing them as inspiration rather than threat. By admiring others’ virtues, we recognize our own capacity for integrity and truth.
Equanimity Toward the Non-Virtuous
Perhaps the hardest lock to meet. When we face dishonesty, cruelty, or injustice, anger and judgment arise easily. The yogic response is equanimity—a balance of discernment and detachment. This doesn’t mean ignoring harmful behavior, but rather refusing to be consumed by it. From this place of calm, we can set boundaries, take clear action, and protect our own energy.
Why This Practice Matters
These locks and keys cultivate emotional intelligence, prevent burnout, and deepen resilience. They root us in yoga’s ethical principles: ahimsa (non-harming), svadhyaya (self-study), and Ishvara pranidhana (surrender).
As the Bhagavad Gita reminds us: Yoga is skill in action. These teachings show us how to bring that skill into everyday relationships and challenges.
Reflection Prompts
Which of the four locks is hardest for you to meet with its key?
How might you pause and respond differently next time?
What would shift if you practiced friendliness, compassion, delight, or equanimity more intentionally?
Try journaling on these questions or holding this affirmation in your heart:
May I meet joy with friendliness, pain with compassion, virtue with delight, and negativity with equanimity.
Yoga philosophy comes alive when we practice it in daily life—not just on the mat. By choosing to respond skillfully rather than reactively, we move from triggered to tranquil, cultivating inner calm that ripples out into the world.
For yoga teachers ready to embody these teachings more deeply, the True Love Yoga 300-Hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training dives into philosophy, energetics, and authentic leadership.
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