Interruption
Written by Randy Just
Talking recently with a friend who’s a psychoanalyst, she described something she does with clients called an “interruption.” Interruption is a deliberate pause, a jolt, a moment when the client stops mid-pattern, right at the edge of an ingrained belief or reaction. That pause creates space and, in that space, something new can emerge—another way of thinking, seeing, or responding.
That concept reminds me of what we attempt to do in yoga. In practice, we interrupt unconscious habits (samskaras). We pause. We observe. We cultivate awareness and sensitivity. We try something different.
In yoga, the element of space, or akasha, extends to all facets of what we do. We create space in the body so that we can be more aware and sensitive to subtle aspects of movement. When we pause before reacting or judging, we create space to see in a new way. We stop, or “interrupt,” old unconscious patterns. That space allows us to reflect and opens the possibility for a new response.
Samskaras are mental imprints. They run deeper than memory (smriti). Vasanas are tendencies—habits that grow out of those imprints. The cycle is constant: we act to maximize pleasure or minimize pain, those actions create more samskaras, and the cycle reinforces itself. Karma yoga is the interruption of this cycle—acting without desire, without attachment to results. The old samskaras remain stored; they surface and activate when conditions are ripe. On the path of yoga, we attempt to interrupt this activation. Patanjali makes this clear in Sutra 3.9: we replace the outgoing samskaras with restraining ones.
When a familiar pattern rises—tension, fear, or doubt—we learn to refocus on the breath or on the intricacies presented in Iyengar yoga to interrupt these patterns. That’s the real work. Not just stretching or strengthening but making space for a new response.
This kind of interruption isn’t just therapeutic. It’s foundational. It’s how we grow. It’s how we begin to live more consciously—in the body, in the mind, in our choices.
Students often ask what level of class they should attend. They usually think it depends on flexibility or how far they can stretch. But those aren’t the real measures. What matters is awareness—the willingness to explore, to question, to interrupt assumptions and open to something new.
A new student might arrive with fear, convinced they “can’t do anything,” even something as simple as lifting their arms. But with practice, awareness grows. That same student might one day hear: “Turn the upper arm out. Roll the forearm in.” And in that simple action, they discover steadiness and clarity. A healthy way to straighten the arm. That’s not just technique. That’s a shift in perception. That’s learning to respond differently.
The Yoga Sutras are a guide for this process. They show us how to use awareness and discernment to interrupt deep-seated samskaras. Sutras 1.12 and 1.14 emphasize abhyāsa (steady practice) and vairāgya(detachment). These are the tools for redirecting the mind away from unconscious habits. Writers like Rohit Mehta and Ravi Ravindra remind us: change begins with observing inner reactions clearly. Just as a therapist interrupts a client, yoga interrupts us from within. That moment of awareness clarifies motives, reduces reactivity, and creates space for choice.
B.K.S. Iyengar often said that asana is a vehicle to interrupt the vrttisand break old patterns. This is why he emphasized working with what is actually felt in the present, rather than moving from habit or memory. The Trikonasana you practice today should not be the same as the one you practiced yesterday.
Core Sutras that address interruption
1.12 – Abhyāsa-vairāgyābhyāṁ tan-nirodhaḥ
“Cessation of the fluctuations of consciousness is brought about by practice and dispassion.”
Iyengar: Abhyāsa is persistent, disciplined effort. Vairāgya is detachment from outcomes and cravings. Together they weaken old samskaras and create clarity.
Ravindra: Abhyāsa directs the mind. Vairāgya loosens attachments. Together they recondition the mind.
1.14 – Sa tu dīrgha-kāla-nairantarya-satkārāsevito dṛḍha-bhūmiḥ
“Practice becomes firmly grounded when continued for a long time without interruption and with sincere devotion.”
Iyengar: Only long, unbroken practice erodes deep patterns. Without constancy, samskaras return.
Ravindra: A steady inner fire transforms the subconscious.
1.15 – Dṛṣṭānuśravika-viṣaya-vitṛṣṇasya vaśīkāra-saṁjñā vairāgyam
“Dispassion is the mastery of consciousness where thirst for objects seen or heard of is absent.”
Iyengar: True vairāgya means freedom from craving, even when objects of desire are present.
Ravindra: Dispassion interrupts the mind’s outward movement and loosens the grip of attraction to what has been seen or promised.
Dispassion is also an interruption—of the mind and senses running outward to latch onto objects, pleasures, or power, even when available (Vyasa’s commentary).
At the highest level, yoga is even the interruption of purusha’sentanglement with prakriti. When purusha is freed, it abides in its true state. While yoga means “union,” the Bhagavad Gita also calls it the dissolution of union with pain (6.23). That union is broken when purusha disentangles from prakriti.
2.2 – Samādhi-bhāvanārthaḥ kleśa-tanū-karaṇārthaś ca
“The practice of yoga reduces afflictions and leads to absorption.”
Ravindra: The kleshas—ignorance, ego, attachment, aversion, fear—generate samskaras. Yoga weakens these roots.
Rohit Mehta’s insights
Observation before control. Don’t rush to fix behavior. First, watch how thought patterns form and repeat.
Awareness of subtle reactions. Transformation begins not by forcing change, but by clearly seeing the reflexes beneath your actions.
Live the Sutras. Practice isn’t separate from life. It’s in how you relate to thought, speech, and sensation moment by moment.
Practical tools for interrupting samskaras
Daily abhyāsa: consistent asana, pranayama, meditation carve new grooves of awareness.
Cultivate vairāgya: notice when you grasp for results or comfort. Pause. Release.
Track your patterns: journal, reflect, catch yourself mid-loop. Ask: What am I avoiding?
Use the moment: interruption happens now, in small repeated choices, not dramatic gestures.
Abhyāsa and vairāgya are more than methods. They are ways of living.
Ravindra asks: Where are you putting your energy?
Mehta asks: Can you observe before acting?
Iyengar asks: How long, and how sincerely, are you willing to try?
Edited by Chris Saudek; with commentary by B.K.S. Iyengar, Ravi Ravindra, and Rohit Mehta
More about Randy click here.
