If you are looking to deepen your relationship to yoga, one of the natural steps is to take a dip into its rich history. But how do you wrap your mind around 10,000+ years?
Yoga is often examined in different eras. You have the Pre-Classical Era, around 2700 BCE, where fundamental Vedic scriptures came through.
Then, the Classical Era, 500BCE-8900 BCE, which is often considered one of the “ripest” eras for yoga as far as history and development. In this blog post, we’ll explore why.
Prior to this era, knowledge of yoga was vast and scattered. There were many different “schools” of yoga, handling many different aspects.
Patanjali, often referred to as the “Father of Yoga,” was the one who changed that—systematizing yoga through what are known as The Yoga Sutras.
Who was Patanjali?
Patanjali is most widely understood as an enlightened sage who lived around the 4th or 5th century BCE. We know him for organizing the Yoga Sutras, though he was an individual with many talents. He was far more than the “author” of the Yoga Sutras.
In fact, though he was a real human figure thousands of years ago, many traditions honor Patanjali as a mythical character. He is often depicted as a half-man, half-snake, and is known to be an incarnation of Vishnu, the Maintenance Operator. This is because his wisdom helps us access Kundalini—or, our infinite potential of being.
Patanjali was an enlightened being. Before understanding the Yoga Sutras, it is essential to realize that the consciousness state of Patanjali was incredibly expansive. He was living in a state of great unity. Because of this, the Yoga Sutras aren’t simply about yoga. The Sutras are of yoga; they were written in a state of Yoga. If you can understand what that means, the true nature of the Yoga Sutras can be explored.
What are the Yoga Sutras?
On the surface, the Yoga Sutras appear as stanzas (or lessons) of yogic wisdom, and there are 196 of them. The Sutras are divided into four groups:
- Samadhi Pada (what yoga is)
- Sadhana Pada (how to gain a yogic state)
- Vibhuti Pada (benefits of practicing yoga regularly)
- Kaivalya Pada (liberation or freedom from suffering)
Sutra is a Sanskrit word meaning “stitch” or in other interpretations, “thread.” In fact, we get the English word “suture” from this root. The question is, what are the Sutras stitching?
As we know, yoga means union. In this sense, we can think of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras as a tool for one to “stitch” their individuality to universality. When you stitch things together, they become one. And in that oneness, they grow together. This is the realization that deepens with studying the Yoga Sutras.
How to work with the Yoga Sutras
You can go to most bookstores and pick up a copy of the Yoga Sutras. But reading the Sutras from start to finish is not how they were intended to be utilized. They are not functions of logic for the intellect to grasp.
Again, Patanjali was an individual in a state of yoga. The Sutras are not a how-to manual, or anything static. Rather, they are dynamic. The Sutras are meant to be experienced, contemplated, and lived.
In many ways, this is why the Yoga Sutras are still so powerful, despite being cognized thousands of years ago. Because they are dynamic, they adapt to the times. They do not expire.
The Yoga Sutras capture the essence of Yoga, which means oneness. Yoga is all things, and all times. In other words, Yoga is timeless. The fact that the Yoga Sutras are as relevant now as they ever were—is living proof of this.
What are the most important Yoga Sutras?
Of course, all of the Yoga Sutras are important aspects of an integrated system. But some Yoga Sutras are noted more than others in a modern context.
Sutra 1, for example: “…and now, Yoga.” Interestingly, the entire work of the Yoga Sutras begins with an incomplete sentence. We can read this Sutra and glean something on the surface, we can register the words as information, or we can experience the Sutra as a practice.
The first question is, how do you experience this Sutra? What does “and now” imply, to you?
In some interpretations, the “and now” implies that the individual has tried everything else. They’ve reached the end of what they think they know, with nowhere else to go. The only thing left is now. Once the individual reaches this point, it’s time for Yoga.
Another interpretation is that the time for Yoga is now, is always. It’s not when we roll out the mat, it’s the inherent invitation of every moment.
We are not here as scholars of Yoga; there are plenty of phenomenal resources for engaging with the Sutras on a deeper level. The point of this piece is to bring home one point.
If you remember one thing…
As you dive into the history of yoga, it’s only a matter of time before you encounter the Yoga Sutras. If there’s one thing you can remember: the Yoga Sutras are not static, they are dynamic.
Yes, the Yoga Sutras will teach you about the nature of Yoga. They are the origin of the Eight Limbs of Yoga. They are packed with wisdom.
But they aren’t something you read and cross off of a list. Instead, we can think about the Sutras as a living and breathing thing, which came from an individual with a very expanded consciousness state.
Abstract? Definitely. But this is Yoga we’re talking about, after all.
Note: We do not claim to be experts of yoga, only very devoted students of it. We do our best to practice appreciation of yoga, and to help guide ourselves and others away from appropriation. We acknowledge that we won’t always get it right. We won’t ever know “everything” about yoga, and we won’t ever claim to. We remain open to feedback and growth. We also do not tolerate trolling or hate. Thank you for participating in our content.