The Yoga Sutras are a practical textbook to guide your spiritual journey of

remembering who you really are. Here are some important takeaways that every
Yogi should know.

The true meaning of Yoga is the union of body, mind, soul, and spirit. According to
Yoga, we suffer because of the illusion of separation between our individual
consciousness from Universal Consciousness or Brahman. The Yoga Sutras are a
practical to guide your spiritual journey of remembering that union.

The Yoga Sutras

The Yoga Sutras contain 196 Sutras, divided between four chapters, discussing the
aims and practice of yoga, the development of yogic powers and finally, liberation.
Like a gentle guiding hand, the Yoga Sutras warn you of the pitfalls on your spiritual
journey and offer the means to overcome them. While there is a teaching in each
Sutra, we’ll look at a few here and leave the remainder for future exploration.

In Vedic texts, it is common to encapsulate the whole teaching early in the

discourse. Patanjali does this in the first few sutras, giving you the essence of
what’s to come:

“Yoga is the progressive settling of the mind into silence.

When the mind is settled, we are established in our own essential state, which is
unbounded consciousness.

Our essential nature is usually overshadowed by the activity of the mind”

This means: Your spiritual practice should be to look within. Your true Self lies
hidden in the silence between your thoughts, beyond all limitations. However, the
doubts, chaos, and confusion of your thoughts cause you to forget who you really
are.

The obstacle to spiritual progress is stress, which creates fatigue, leading to doubts
and causing laziness, which brings sensory attachments manifesting as delusions,
which causes you to forget who you are. By being committed to your practices, you
can overcome all of these.

To have a peaceful mind, you should cultivate attitudes of friendliness without

jealousy toward those who are joyful; have compassion toward those who are
unhappy and less fortunate; delight in and support the acts of the virtuous; and be
impartial to and avoid the dramas of the impure.

The fruit of wrong action is sorrow, the fruit of right action is joy. You must take
responsibility for your thoughts, words, and actions by living consciously. The Yoga
Sutras are a path of purification, refinement, and surrender.

The causes of your suffering are the following:

  Forgetting who you really are
 Living from the ego
 Clinging to pleasure and pain
 Fearing death

All of these are resolved through meditation when you remember your essential
nature of unbounded consciousness.

The 8 Limbs of Yoga

The Yoga Sutras contain a set of observances and practices to guide your spiritual
journey. These are known as the Eight Limbs of Yoga.

1. Yama: Correct behavior toward others.

 Nonviolence
 Truthfulness
 Not stealing
 Not wasting energy
 Abstaining from greed

2. Niyama: The principles by which you should live your own life

 Purity
 Contentment
 Spiritual observances
 Study
 Devotion

3. Asana: The seat of consciousness; the yogi’s seat and postures to prepare the
body.

4. Pranayama: Expanding the life force through breathing exercises.

5. Pratyahara: Turning the senses inward to explore the inner universe.

6. Dharana: Effortless focused attention; training the mind to meditate.

7. Dhyana: A continuous flow, meditation perfected.

8. Samadhi: Lost or found in the Divine; unity.

The first four yamas prepare the body for the next three, which take you to the
doorway of the eighth.

Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi practiced together is known as Sanyama. Settling

the mind, having a subtle intention, and releasing it into the field of Infinite
Organizing Power gives you knowledge of the laws of nature of an object and Yogic
Powers (Siddhis).

The Practice of Samadhi

The practice of Samadhi is only possible when meditation is

perfected. Samadhi has several levels:

Savikalpa Samadhi

 You gain knowledge of physical objects.

 You have an understanding the abstract nature of things.
 You move beyond objects until you are only aware of bliss.
 Only the I-ness remains.

Nirvikalpa Samadhi

 You become one with the Soul—no mind—only infinite peace and bliss.
 The heart feels bigger than the universe.

Sahaja Samadhi

 The constant experience of Nirvikalpa along with daily activity.

Dharma Megha Samadhi

 The highest Samadhi, the state of Unclouded Truth (Cloud of Virtue)—“All

beautiful qualities are there.”
 All desires, even the desire to know God, have dissolved.
 All that affects the mind, the causes of suffering, and the bondage of action
disappear.

We will all eventually reach the state where Pure Unbounded Consciousness
remains forever established in its own Absolute nature.

योगश्चितशचशृतोति ॥१.२॥

योग: , शिच , ितशच , शृतोति ॥

chitta means mind,

vritti means modifications of mind
nirodhah means to control
Yoga is to control the modifications of mind or functioning of the mind.
 (Yoga is cessation of the distractions of mind)

(In ancient times study of shastra was done under guru pupil tradition. Prior to study
of Shastras the pupil was taught fundamental education so that he could very well
understand the subject. The learning happened through a dialogue between the
guru and the pupil where a pupil would have queries and the guru would answer
those queries as and when required and a balance would be maintained throughout
the learning process. On studying the first sutra of Yoga darshan ‘Atha
Yogaanushasnam’ one wants to know ‘What is Yoga?’ The sentence “Now let us
begin the Discipline of Yoga” gives rise to the query ‘what is yoga?’ Maharshi
Patanjali defines Yoga as stilling the fluctuations of mind. This is complete, brief and
meaningful definition. To understand Yoga in entirety one must know what is mind,
vritti and nirudh. The original and the actual meaning of Yoga cannot be understood
without understanding this.

Let us first know what is mind- in simple words mind refers to the land where our
thoughts are born, formed and remain firm as sacraments. This mind land is of five
types.
 1. Kshipt- restless state
 2. Vikshipt- distracted state
 3. Mudha-confused state
 4. Ekagra-one-pointed state
 5. Niruddh- restrained state
It is important to note here that Yoga is possible only in one mindedness and
restrained state of mind.

Now let us understand fluctuations of mind. Vritti is used as plural instead of singular
because fluctuation is not one but many. Since Maharshi Patanjali has talked about
fluctuations in the following sutras, so at this point it is enough to realize that waves
of ideas growing inside us or the activities of mind are fluctuations which are divided
into five categories.

Now comes the last and important part which is nirudh. Without proper
understanding of nirudh (restriction) Yoga cannot be understood.

Prefixes and suffixes are important in Sanskrit because when they are added before
or after a word, they forcefully change its meaning completely. Actually heir purpose
is to change the meaning. There are 22 prefixes in Sanskrit and if all 22 are added
before the same word then the same word will have different meanings. Maharshi
Patanjali was an accomplished grammarian also alongside the being the author of
Yoga Darshan. If he has added ‘ni’ pre fix before ‘rudh’ metal then it is not without
any reason and certainly not in context to Yoga. When on one hand the most difficult
word is being defined then in ordinary meaning prefix cannot be used. The literal
meaning of nirudh given by many is ‘to stop’. ‘Yoga is stopping the fluctuations of
mind’. If you are short of efforts to completely stop the fluctuations of mind then
Yoga has not happened. And the definition will remain incomplete. Yoga happens in
a situation where mind stops fluctuating on its own. Here it is important to
understand that Yoga happens only when the fluctuations stop completely, but that
cannot happen without putting in efforts. It is difficult to understand. Unless you
practically enter Yoga subject and until your efforts become normal then gradually it
brings mind to a condition where it stops fluctuating on its own. Then without
realizing efforts, free from arrogance and sense of duty the practitioner of Yoga
reaches the stage of controlling mind. This stage is called Yoga by Maharshi Patanjali.

स तु दीर्घकाृनतरतय्स्घकतकसाशितो दतढभूशिि ॥१.१४॥

सि , तु , दीर् , घका , ृनतरतय् , स्घकत , आसाशित: , दतढ , भूशिि॥

In response to ‘how will this practice, full of power/strength and enthusiasm, make a
man respectable in Yoga?’ Maharshi said, ‘Nothing will happen with one practice’,
Perfection in practice comes when one continues to practice with sincerity and
respect for a long period of time without any interruption.

Abhyasa/practice becomes a firm resting place with a stable foundation only when
constantly observed with reverence, endowed with celibacy, devotion, knowledge
and faith over a period of time. Even if the meditator has both the power and
enthusiasm but interrupted Yoga practice, then this type of practice cannot let him
make much headway in Yoga. Therefore, only continuous practice over a long period
with devotion, meditation, celibacy and knowledge is fruitful.

Very often we see that people give up hope after some time, break their resolutions
and then regret. Many youngsters come to me to admit that they try to observe
celibacy but suddenly due to some life situation their power gets destroyed leaving
them in regret feeling guilty. The only reason for this is weak foundation of their
practice/abhyasa which cannot stand steadfast in the times of inversion.

Abhyasa, observed with reverence, endowed with celibacy, devotion, knowledge and
faith, establishes the meditator’s position strongly in disjointed sanskaras. I ask the
youth to make a strong foundation by getting up with equal determination even if
 they fall repeatedly and to organize themselves by trying again to find their real
position. This does not hold good only for observing celibacy but in every situation
wherever we have taken resolutions.

We have such profound sanskaras of defeat in us that whenever a meditator starts

his abhyasa with determination, then the samskaras of previous defeat and anti-
resolution habits together try to shake his faith. And if the meditator is not
passionate to accomplish his goal, then everything gets blown away with the wind.

‘Satkar’ is a beautiful word that appears in Sutra. You welcome a guest who comes to
your house. You will ask him to sit and offer him a good seat, refreshment, arrange
for a good vegetarian meal, make appropriate arrangements for his rest and see to it
that he is not uncomfortable in your house. To the extent that you will provide your
guest with a borrowed luxury that you do not have.

You will not pay much attention to the hospitality to your guest if you are not happy
on his arrival. You will show hospitality only if you have respect for the guest and his
arrival makes you happy. If your mind is free and guileless, you will wish to entertain
the guest at the cost of your own discomfort.

We will give first priority to abhyasa only if we have the same kind of respect for it
and we are determined to meditate for its safety. We can protect abhyasa only if we
know the importance of its glory. And such meditation observed with reverence can
only protect us.

तपिसिकायकयायतशशवतकृकशृ क्यकयोगि॥२.१॥

तपि, सिकायकय, ईयत-शशवतकृकशृ, क्यक-योग: ॥

 tapah - austerity
 svadhyaya - study of scared literature
 Ishvara - God
 pranidhanani - dedication, surrender of fruits of work
 kriya - action
 Yogah - union
Austerity, study of scared literature and surrendering fruits of work to God are called
Kriya-Yoga (Yoga in the form of action).
 यिशृयिकसृशकवकयकिश्यकरकततकतवकायकृसिकतयोसमकियगकशृ॥२.२९॥

यि , शृयि , आसृ , शकवकयकि , श्यकरकत , तकतवक , ायकृ , सिकतय: , अम् , अयगकशृ॥

 yama - abstinence
 niyama - observance
 asana - posture
 pranayama - breath control
 pratyahara - sense withdrawal
 dharana - concentration
 dhyana - meditation
 samadhay - meditation in its higher state
 ashtava - eight
 anggani - limbs, parts.
Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi; are the
eight limbs of Yoga.

शसथतसुुिम आसृिम ॥२.४६॥

शसथत-सुुिम आसृिम

 sthira - steady, firm

 sukham - pleasant
 asanam - posture
Posture(asana) is that which is steady and pleasant
What is āsana? Sthira sukham āsanam. That which is steady and which is
comfortable is āsana. When we are comfortable we are not steady. We are not
sitting erect. But when we are erect, we are so stiff. We are not comfortable. Do you
get it? You are erect, steady and, at the same time, comfortable. Sthira sukham
āsanam.

You know, when you are happy, you are so up and when you are unhappy, you are
so down. Your mind swings up and down, up and down. You are too excited or you
put yourself down. This is called dwandwa or duality. Āsana is that which enables us
to maintain equanimity. Āsana is not just doing exercise. Whichever posture brings
you comfort and stability that is āsana. Now what is comfort? You have to define this.
This is a very delicate issue. What is comfort is very different for different people.
The smaller your comfort zone, the more miserable you are. This is because life is
vast. But you are comfortable only in a limited sphere. Then, your life becomes
miserable.

Your happiness depends on the extent of your comfort zone. So āsana is something
that depends on your comfort zone. If you are comfortable sitting on a chair, then
 that is your comfort zone. If you have to squat on the floor, it is a little different.
Now, if you practice sitting on the floor, if you practice bending your limbs, using
every part of your body, then your comfort zone increases.

शयरयनशथशयकृरतसिकपशचसयकिम ॥ २.४७॥

शयर-यनशथशय-अृरत-सिकपशचसयकिम ॥

 prayatna - effort
 shaithilya - relaxation
 ananta - infinite
 samapattibhyam - by focusing, coalescence, by meditating.
By relaxation of effort and meditating on the infinite, posture becomes firm and
pleasant.

ततो दरदकृशभरकति ॥ २.४८॥

तत:,दरद:,अृशभरकत: ॥

 tatah - then
 dvandvah - the dualities
 anabhighatah - being beyond disturbance.
 French
Seat being conquered, one is undisturbed by the dualities.

Patañjali makes a third statement on āsana that flows out of the first two. From that
(tataḥ), meaning from āsana, he says, the practitioner is un-afflicted (anabhighātah)
by the dualities (dvandva). The dualities could refer to any pair of opposites:
up/down, hot/cold, pleasure/pain, good/bad, success/failure.