What is mudita in yoga?

Mudita is sympathetic joy: genuine gladness at someone else's good fortune. It is the third of the four attitudes Patanjali names in Yoga Sutra 1.33 (alongside friendliness, compassion, and equanimity), and it is the direct antidote to comparison and envy. Practicing it expands your own capacity for happiness.

What does Yoga Sutra 1.33 say?

Yoga Sutra 1.33 offers four attitudes for keeping the mind clear and undisturbed around other people: friendliness toward those who are happy, compassion for those who are suffering, delight (mudita) in those who are doing good, and equanimity toward those who are not. Cultivating these steadies the mind.

Mudita: being happy for other people, on purpose

Mudita is the third of the four attitudes Patanjali names in Yoga Sutra 1.33: friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the suffering, delight (mudita) in those doing good, and equanimity toward those who are not. It is the opposite of schadenfreude, genuine joy at another person's good fortune.

Mudita is a practice you do for yourself. It expands your own capacity for happiness, deepens your relationships, and crowds out comparison and envy. For teachers it is essentially the job: standing at the front of the room glad for other people's progress.

Visit Cue Craft to access all features.