Kundalini Yoga Glossary
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
195 aphorisms from the classical yoga period, offering a map of the discipline's philosophy and structure.
Meaning
What Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Means
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali come from the classical yoga period, between 200 and 800 AD. They are written in short, dense phrases, traditionally studied under the guidance of a teacher rather than read alone. The text offers an overview of the objectives, philosophy and structure of yoga: a map of the effort the practice requires and the progress a student should expect from it.
The 195 aphorisms are organized into four chapters. Samadhi Pada covers absorption and higher states of awareness. Sadhana Pada covers discipline and practices. Vibhuti Pada covers the powers and capabilities of the possible human. Kaivalya Pada covers the nature of liberation.
In Practice
How It’s Used
Patanjali identified eight interrelated aspects of yoga practice, called limbs rather than steps to stress that they grow in relation to each other rather than in sequence. These Eight Limbs, Yamas, Niyamas, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi, are introduced in the manual as the structure behind the philosophy module of training.
Where classical yoga philosophy tends to treat the body and the material world as something to move beyond, the manual notes that Kundalini Yoga instead treats the body as a temple, capable of influencing the mind through breath and the glandular system, so a student can build awareness in both the inner and outer world at once.
