There are 196 verses in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. The verses are divided into four sections, and it’s not until we are close to halfway through these verses that we encounter the eight limbs of yoga. The second second of the Yoga Sutras is about the spiritual discipline. In sutra 2.28, Patanjali tells us to practice yoga! […]
The purpose of yoga is to yoke the mind. Put simply, the goal is to lasso the beast and gain control over its nonsense. This requires focus, or concentration as a spiritual practice. That is yoga. The Modifications of the Mind Early in the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali describes the five “modifications” of the mind. They […]
If you’re a student of classical yoga, no doubt you’ve heard of Patanjali and the classic text, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Who was Patanjali? It’s a good question that may not have a simple answer. When I first learned about the sutras, my yoga teacher described Patanjali as a sage who collected the teachings of […]