Yoga Practice is about a re-turning towards our inner life.

However, even without outer obstacles,
we can encounter inner feelings that arise
and manifest as if obstacles to that re-turning.

Here it might be helpful to reflect
on how to cultivate the four pillars of
Maitrī, Karuṇā, Muditā and Upekṣā and
the role they can have in helping to transform
the unhelpful aspects of these inner feelings.

“Bhāvana is a beneficial attitude
that is consciously cultivated
despite tendencies to the contrary”
– T Krishnamacharya commentary on
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 33

With the spirit of Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 33 in mind,
the cultivation of the four pillars is an inner practice
that can support a stepping, rather than stymieing,
onto our practice mat or seat through:

A postscript to yesterdays post around the three Niyama
within Kriyā Yoga on the uses of the terms ‘self’ or ‘Self’ within
the legs in the tripod supporting our efforts at nurturing a state of Yoga.

The first leg supporting the tripod refers to Citta
as the self in terms of nurturing self-Discipline.

“Tapas is to discipline our eating habits.”
– T Krishnamacharya

The second leg supporting the tripod refers to both Citta and Cit
as the self in terms of nurturing Self-Inquiry.

“Svādhyāya is an inquiry into one’s true nature.”
– T Krishnamacharya

The final leg supporting the tripod refers to Cit
as the Self in terms of nurturing Self-Awareness.

“Yoga is awareness, a type of knowing.”
– T Krishnamacharya

Pratyāhāra is not feeding the tendency of the Citta to automatically form a positive, negative, or neutral identification with whatever stimuli the senses present to it. From that we can begin to understand how their external gathering activities stimulate our conscious and especially, unconscious choices.

From this we can begin to understand how the impact of this sensory process can lead us to travel in different directions and trigger different levels of response, often without us being really conscious of how deeply their input stimulates our psychic activities.

From these responses there will be the inevitable re-actions, again quite possibly unconscious and multilevelled, according to our psychic history in terms of our memory, habit patternings and deeper memory processes.

From those initial insights we can begin to understand and interact in how we can resist unconsciously slipping into the trance states that can so often culminate with the Kleśa manifesting fully in the entrancing dance of Udārā Rāga, or Udārā Dveṣa, or Udārā Abhiniveśa, the profligate children of Avidyā.

– Commentary on Yoga Sūtra Chapter Two verse 54

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Chapter One Samādhi Pādaḥ

First Theme Nirodha or Containment verses 1-4

verse 1
Now,
Follow the Teachings of Yoga.

verse 2
Yoga arises from the containment of,
Our propensity to fluctuate.

verse 3
From this state,
Clarity of being,
As vision is from the source of perception.

verse 4
At all other times,
We identify with the fluctuations.

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The Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali Chapters One to Four

Samādhi Sādhana Vibhūti Kaivalya Pādaḥ

Romanised Saṃskṛta verse by verse word by word personal study support workbooks are listed below for all four chapters of the Yoga Sūtra. They are available for each individual chapter as well as a combined version.

For those wishing to use these workbooks as a personal study guide then exploring the online Yoga Sūtra verse by verse translation with its added individual word by word translation and cross verse reference index links may be helpful. These translations are also accumulating online verse by verse commentaries from T Krishnamacharya and TKV Desikachar.

The Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali Chapter Four Kaivalya Pādaḥ

A Romanised Saṃskṛta verse by verse word by word personal study support workbook for chapter four of the Yoga Sūtra. Further workbooks will be available for the remaining chapter as well as a combined version.

For those wishing to use this workbook as a self study guide exploring the online chapter four verse by verse translation with its added individual word by word translation and cross verse reference index links may be helpful. These translations are also accumulating online verse by verse commentaries from T Krishnamacharya and TKV Desikachar.

The Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali Chapter Three Vibhūti Pādaḥ

A Romanised Saṃskṛta verse by verse word by word personal study support workbook for chapter three of the Yoga Sūtra. Further workbooks will be available for the remaining chapter as well as a combined version.

For those wishing to use this workbook as a self study guide exploring the online chapter three verse by verse translation with its added individual word by word translation and cross verse reference index links may be helpful. These translations are also accumulating online verse by verse commentaries from T Krishnamacharya and TKV Desikachar.

 This post introduces a verse by verse interpretation of Chapter One of the Yoga Sūtra.

I see this presentation as a Yoga Mālā or a thread of pearls on Yoga from Patañjali’s Sūtra eventually arranged over four chapters. I am endeavouring to stay close to my studies, but allow a little more freedom of expression in terms of choice of rendering to facilitate a more cohesive teachings thread for the reader.

For a fuller word by word Saṃskṛta study of the Yoga Sūtra readers are advised to follow the full online edition of the Yoga Sūtra wherein every word is translated and cross-linked along with a verse translation. This online Yoga Sūtra resource is also gradually accumulating commentaries from Krishnamacharya, Desikachar, Ramaswami from my own study notes along with personal reflections.

The Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali Chapter Two Sādhana Pādaḥ

A Romanised Saṃskṛta verse by verse word by word personal study support workbook for chapter two of the Yoga Sūtra. Further workbooks will be available for the remaining chapters as well as a combined version.

For those wishing to use this workbook as a self study guide exploring the online chapter two verse by verse translation with its added individual word by word translation and cross verse reference index links may be helpful. These translations are also accumulating online verse by verse commentaries from T Krishnamacharya and TKV Desikachar.

The Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali Chapter One Samādhi Pādaḥ

A Romanised Saṃskṛta verse by verse word by word personal study support workbook for chapter one of the Yoga Sūtra. Further workbooks will be available for the remaining chapters as well as a combined version.

For those wishing to use this workbook as a self study guide exploring the online chapter one verse by verse translation with its added individual word by word translation and cross verse reference index links may be helpful. These translations are also accumulating online verse by verse commentaries from T Krishnamacharya and TKV Desikachar.

With appreciation for many years of personal teaching in India with my root Yoga teacher TKV Desikachar, along with further word by word studies of the Yoga Sūtra through personal lessons with S Ramaswami.

This Sūtra study Workbook is offered in the spirit of Paramparā. It is not © and is available online, as a PDF in both A4 and US Letter versions, in the spirit of open source community commons.

May it support those who use it in their journey towards Viveka and Svatantra.

View or Download Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali Chapter Two Workbook A4 version

View or Download Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali Chapter Two Workbook US Letter version

View or Download Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali Chapter One Workbook A4 version

View or Download Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali Chapter One Workbook US letter version

A recent surge of questions from Yoga teachers around the notion of Śraddhā.
Collating and ordering the range of questions being asked we arrive at:
– What is Śraddhā?
– How do we offer a relevant meaning for Śraddhā to a group class?
– How do we teach Śraddhā to a group of students?
– How do we plan a practice with Śraddhā as the focus for a group class?
Before responding more in a future post I wanted to let the questions sit as reflections for all interested in this topic.
Meanwhile helpful reference points could be:
– The Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 20
– The Bhagavad Gītā Chapter Six verse 37
– The Bhagavad Gītā Chapter Seventeen verse 2

Yoga Teachings on Emotions, Mind, Body and Energy

Chapter One has 51 Sūtra and is called SAMĀDHI PĀDAḤ or the Path to Integrating the Psyche.

This first chapter introduces the psyche, its activities, practices required for change and the possibilities for practice according to the inherent abilities of the practitioner. This chapter is for a student who already has a quality of a Samāhīta Citta or a stable psyche.

– Primary concepts in the Yoga Sūtra Chapter One

Theme One verses 1-11 – Cit and Citta

• v1-4 – Definition and Purpose of Yoga
• v5 – 11 – Activities of the Citta or Psyche

Theme Two verses 12-22 – Jñāna and Śraddhā

• v12 – 19 – Meditation or Dhyānam as Jñāna Yoga
• v20 – 22 – The role of Śraddhā

Theme Three verses 23-39 – Bhakti and Eka Tattva

• v23 – 31 – Meditation or Dhyānam as Bhakti Yoga
• v32 – 39 – Short Term Meditational Strategies

Theme Four verses 40-51 – Sabīja and Nirbīja Samādhi

• v40 – 46 – Refinement of Dhyānam
• v47 – 51 – Final Steps