Links to Related Resources & Longer Articles:

• T Krishnamacharya Yoga Sūtra Study Quotes Collected and Collated
• TKV Desikachar Yoga Sūtra Study Quotes Collected and Collated
• Paul’s Yoga Mālā – A Thread of Pearls from Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra
• Paul’s Yoga Sūtra Study Keywords – Collected & Collated into Chapters
• Paul’s Yoga Sūtra Study Questions – Collected & Collated into Chapters
• Sound – A Means Beyond Āsana and Prāṇāyāma……
• Design a Practice to experience the application of Sound in Āsana…

Collated Related Short Posts & Quotes:

“The first type of Pramāṇa, Pratyakṣa, arises from the continuous active link,
through the mind and senses, between Jīva and the object it perceives.
The second type, Anumāna, is when present perception is
based on what has been seen in other situations in the past.
For instance, when I see dark clouds, I think that it may rain.
With the third type, Āgamā, undistorted words from
a reliable source are the basis for perception.
The Veda are Pramāṇa by virtue of their source.
The sage Āpastamba proclaimed that the Veda are Pramāṇa for Dharma.”
– T Krishnamacharya on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 7

“Vikalpa is a particular kind of Citta Vṛtti in which understanding
arises from the spoken word. Is this kind of understanding valid or not?
Patañjali, in the definitive Mahābhāṣya commentary on Saṃskṛta grammar,
states that the essence of the spoken word is not separate from the fact
or object it refers to. Objects themselves cannot express their various aspects;
only Śabda can present them to us. Śabda can convey nuances
of meaning that only a special faculty of the mind can grasp.
Such an ability to comprehend is not given to everyone.
The essence of this Sūtra is that Vikalpa is the mental activity by
which what is spoken is understood to mean what it represents,
even when the actual thing is not present.
Thus when we hear the word Sarpa we know it means snake
even though there is no snake present at the moment.”
– T Krishnamacharya on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 9

“Imagination is knowledge
that comes from words
empty of substance.”
– Paul Harvey on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 9

“In Sūtra 1.9 Patañjali defines Vikalpa as an
understanding arising from the spoken word.
How do we discern whether Vikalpa is actually what arises
from the spoken word from what was said to us, or what
arises from the spoken word in how what was said is heard?
In other words how to discern if there is any difference
between what is said to us and what we imagine we hear?”
– Paul Harvey on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 9

“OM represents every understanding
which can be expressed by words.
Plus, everything that cannot be expressed by words.
Here, this is Īśvara, ‘that’ which knows everything.
Thus, to relate with Īśvara you start Japa using Praṇava.”
– TKV Desikachar on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 28

“There are stages to this coming together.
The first stage in meditational unity
is deliberation on a gross object,
intermixed with words, purpose,
knowledge and imagination around
the object. This is called Savitarkā,
or unrefined gross deliberation.”
– Paul Harvey on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 42

“The mind can have two types of Saṃskāra,
Vyutthāna or Nirodha Saṃskāra.
Vyutthāna is an earlier state
within the three levels of Citta.
Here, the Citta is like a ball.
It is not by you, it is in spite of you.
This applies also to the body and speech energies.”
– TKV Desikachar on Yoga Sūtra Chapter Three verse 9

“The Lord cannot be described in words.
But appears here for our aid.
The devotee can recognise this.”
– TKV Desikachar on Gītārtha Saṃgraha of Śrī Yāmunācārya Śloka Thirteen
(Yāmunācārya commentary on Bhagavad Gītā Chapter Nine)

“Krishnamacharya’s understanding of Cikitsā
or Yoga therapy and the arrangement and
sequencing of postures, along with modifying
the posture and using different breathing
patterns, plus the use of sound and different
Bhāvana or mental foci was profound.
This allowed for many possibilities to be
offered, for a great number of students
with problems, from a range of relatively
few postures and breathing techniques.”
– TKV Desikachar Madras 1996

“Sound is something that takes you in the direction of its origin.”
– TKV Desikachar speaking with his senior Western students London 1998

“In Āsana, the Antar Kumbhaka is easier to
attempt and is usually more attainable than
the same count within the Bāhya Kumbhaka.
Although, one of the hallmarks for the uniqueness
of T Krishnamacharya’s insights into the theory
underpinning the Viniyoga of Haṭha Yoga centred
around the importance of the Bāhya Kumbhaka.
However, both the Antar Kumbhaka and the
Bāhya Kumbhaka should be approached very
gradually and in some cases are contra-indicated.
By contrast, extending the exhale by the use of
sound in Āsana will produce particular effects,
as well as being less exacting on the practitioner.”
– 108 Postural Practice Pointers

“In the beginning, Ujjāyī is experienced more as a sound.
As we refine its relationship with the breath, through
increasing the Length and deepening the Subtlety,
Ujjāyī is felt more as a sensation within the body
and less as a sound and vibration in the throat.”
– 108 Prāṇāyāma Practice Pointers

“The inquiry into the nature, purpose
and potential within the long term
practice of Prāṇāyāma has at least
five initial progressions such as in:
Firstly, looking at choosing
accessible and appropriate
techniques and breath ratios.
Secondly, progressing through
both the length of a breath,
and slowing down the number
of breaths needed per minute.
Thirdly, in cultivating experiential
skills to access a range of variable
ratio choices, according to short
term daily needs within broader
longer term developmental steps.
Fourthly, the ongoing refinement
of the subtlety within the external
vibrational sound, enhancing the
inner sense of flow, within the
overall experience of the breath.
Fifthly, the integration of Prāṇāyāma into
our personal Sādhana, its role as a primary
means towards Dhāraṇā, and its place as a
priority choice within our Yoga practice.”
– 108 Prāṇāyāma Practice Pointers