The Essential Yoga Sutra is a book written by Patanjali in the 2nd century, outlining the eight disciplines of yoga and organizing 195 sutras into four chapters. The sutras are not considered sacred, but are used as a guide for spiritual perspective and discipline. The four chapters are Samadhi pada, Sadhana pada, Vibhuti pada, and Kaivalya pada, each with its own set of sutras. The eight disciplines focus on restraint, concentration, breath discipline, meditation, attention, observance, sublimation, and posture.
The yoga sutra is the foundation of the central beliefs and philosophies of yogis. The book, The Essential Yoga Sutra, is divided into four chapters that organize the 195 apothegms or sutras, which are considered one of the six views of reality. It also describes the eight disciplines that a yogi must follow. The book was first written by the Indian philosopher and master yogi Patanjali around the 2nd century. He wasn’t the first person to create the foundation for yoga; instead, they were passed down from teacher to student for years before.
Most people do not consider the yoga sutra to be sacred or based on any historical fact. Instead, most yoga practitioners use the teachings in the book as a way to gain perspective and learn how to approach the spiritual world. For many it serves as a guide on how to live and behave in society without giving in to the many temptations of the world. Without the yoga sutras, many believe that yoga would lose its focus and discipline that attracts many of its followers.
People who practice yoga must follow the eight disciplines or arts outlined within the yoga sutra. These are Samadhi, Dhyana, Dharana, Yama, Niyama, Pratyahara, Asana and Pranayama. These eight disciplines have many names, but the most common are royal yoga and raja. They focus on restraint, concentration, breath discipline, meditation, attention, observance, sublimation and posture. By following these disciplines, yoga practitioners learn to separate themselves from the material world and liberate themselves, which in turn enables them to attain true spiritual freedom.
The yoga sutra contains four sections, also known as pada, each with its own set of sutras. These chapters are Samadhi pada, Sadhana pada, Vibhuti pada and Kaivalya pada. Patanjali has organized the padas into these four sections to organize the aphorisms according to their purpose within yoga.
The Samadhi pada contains 54 sutras and describes how to be immersed in “The One” and how to achieve a blissful, spiritual state. The Sadhana pada has 55 sutras and describes the practice of yoga in all its forms, including lists of what cannot be done and what observations must be met. Vibhuti pada also contains 55 of the sutras and describes which techniques in yoga are used to reach the highest states of consciousness. The smallest chapter, the Kaivalya pada, contains 34 sutras and describes how a person achieves full liberation.
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