Samskara
The concept of samskara in Patanjali refers to the large store of impressions from the past (including attachments and reactions) that we have accumulated over time, and which form the basis of our beliefs, attitudes and personality. Our samskaras influence our perceptions and responses to everyday situations, as well as our reactions to people and places. Samskaras, or impressions, form the basis of how we think and act in the present; our current thoughts and actions determine who we shall become in the future.
We are born with a store of samskaras, very much like a wound up clock. Just as the unwinding of the clock makes it run, the unwinding or unfolding of the samskaras determines or defines what happens in our life.
The our practice offers a method whereby our samskaras are dissolved and removed, opening the way for inner expansion and freedom from the weight of these impressions. This cleaning process leaves us with a feeling of lightness, as if more space has been created inside us for the Divine.
"So, we have this immensely beneficial, effective system of cleaning in in our practice. When you remove the samskaras, there is that which is eternally present, a glorious light, which is the divine presence.
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