What are The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali?

There is so much more to Yoga than the physical practice of asana - Sanskrit for pose/posture. The Yoga Sutras tell us how to live a balanced Yogic lifestyle on and off the mat.

The Yoga Sutras are regarded as the authoritative text on Yoga, originally written in Sanskrit. It’s the collection of all the principles of Yoga. Collecting the ancient wisdom and offering guidelines for living a life full of meaning and purpose. Patañjali divided his Yoga Sutras into four chapters or books, containing 196 sutras.

The sutras were compiled by Patañjali, an ancient Indian sage, scholar and philosopher from c.150C.E. He put them all together, making it the most coherent and detailed philosophy of the practice of Yoga.

The Yoga Sutras are best known for information on Ashtanga Yoga and the eight elements, known as limbs. The eight limbs are:

Yama (abstinences)

Niyama (observances)

Asana (yoga posture)

Pranayama (breath control)

Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses)

Dharana (concentration of the mind)

Dhyana (meditation)

Samadhi (absorption or stillness)

Overall the eight limbs and sutras explain the philosophy, aims and goals of Yoga not just for the body but for the mind and soul.

If you wanted to deepen your understanding of the traditions and teaching of Yoga it’s a great place to start.