Yoga Sutra Study

For years, I've been planning to study the Yoga Sutras.  In fact I have studied the Yoga Sutras.  I've been studying Iyengar Yoga with Patricia Walden (www.yoganow.net) for over two years and we spend thirty to forty-five minutes before each weekly class studying the Sutras.  I've also attended two full weekend workshops with Edwin Bryant (http://www.edwinbryant.org/), a scholar of the Sutras in the past six months. 

But yet, I still find the Sutras intimidating and daunting.  Studying with Edwin has opened them up a bit for me, made them more real to my life in 2009.  But I still resist.  Why?  One reason is I'm not good with foreign languages.  I studied Japanese for years and it nearly killed me.  The Sanskrit is beautiful but foreign.  It doesn't roll off my tongue.  It hurts to pronounce the phrases. 

So to get over my samskara (subliminal impression) of studying the Sutras, I will now embark on a weekly blog entry about the Yoga Sutras.  I will write about Sutras 1:1-1:4, all of 2 and maybe some of 3.   Pada 2 or Book 2 is mostly about yoga.  If I survive I will study all of the Sutras. 

I hope that readers of this blog will comment along with me.  I will be ready three commentaries: 

BKS Iyengar,  Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
IK Taimni, The Science of Yoga
Jaganath Carrera, Inside the Yoga Sutras
 
These books were recommended to me by Patricia Walden.  I hope other readers of this blog will bring other interpretations to this study and comment on it. 

Patricia Walden recently shared an interesting story about the Yoga Sutras.  She said that Guruji Iyengar started out with a very physical yoga practice when he was younger and he continued into his fifties (at least) with this very strong practice.  His teacher, Krishnamacharya, came to him sometime during this period and told him to stop practicing, that he was too old, and he should focus on meditation.  But Guruji became sad and depressed without practice for three months and so returned.  But it was also during this time period that he became interested in the Yoga Sutras.  He grew his hair long and began studying the Sutras.  In 1993, he published Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. 

Next week - 1:1  atha yoganusasanam

Comments

[Dave]

I am very happy to find your blog posts about the Yoga Sutras! Thank you.

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[zeanetg]

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[Michael]

I like what Chip Hartranft writes in his introduction to The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali . . .

The Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali is one of the most enlightening spiritual documents of all time.

Nearly two thousand years old, this collection of 196 compact observations on the nature of consciousness and liberation remains unrivaled for its penetrating insight.

Though brief, the Yoga-Sutra manages to cut to the heart of the human dilemma.

With uncommon directness, Patanjali analyzes how we know what we know and why we suffer. He then provides a meditative program through which each of us can fulfill the primary purposes of consciousness:

To see things as they are and to achieve freedom from suffering.

With Patanjali's Yoga Sutra as a guiding light, I have tacked a yoga notebook online for everyone to add their own notes, questions, thoughts, musings, insights and inspirations.

Enjoy,

Michael
http://www.ayoganotebook.com

[Jenni]

Dear fellow traveller in the sutra world - I would just love to walk a bit together :-) I've been writing and relating to the sutras for a couple of years now - welcome by... http://yoganu.blogspot.com/

[Luna]

Found yr blog whilst looking for study material on sutras thanks. I enjoy it