The Yoga Sutras Desk Reference: A Comprehensive Guide to the Core Concepts of Yoga

by Nicolai Bachman

Overview

Sanskrit and yoga scholar Nicolai Bachman offers yoga teachers and students an in-depth resource for accessing, understanding, and practicing the core spiritual teachings of Patañjali’s Yoga Sutras. Includes all the Sanskrit, color illustrations, and a full explanation of each concept.

Those who love the physical practice of yoga—its postures, movements, and breathwork—often find themselves seeking its deeper spiritual wisdom.

More than 2,000 years ago, the legendary master Patañjali illuminated the way with 195 pearls of insight known as the Yoga Sutras. With this indispensable and beautifully illustrated resource, Sanskrit and yoga philosophy teacher Nicolai Bachman brings us a modern, practical guide to Patañjali’s foundational masterpiece.

Why do we react the way we do in certain situations? How can suffering be an opportunity for growth? Why are nonviolence and truth so important to students and society? Patañjali’s sutras shine a timeless light on these questions and more.

To help us truly understand what yoga is, Bachman focuses on 51 key concepts, explains each one in great detail, and poses ways to contemplate and experience them in our own lives. This comprehensive work also includes a concise history of yoga and the sutras, a full translation of every sutra, several color illustrations of important process flows, a large glossary of Sanskrit terms, and many learning exercises.

Whether you’re a seasoned instructor or a student looking to go further in your practice, The Yoga Sutras Desk Reference offers a treasury of teachings to discover and connect with your inner awareness.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683648031
Publisher:	Sounds True, Incorporated
Publication date:	12/07/2021
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	654,505
Product dimensions:	9.90(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Nicolai Bachman grew up a very curious introvert whose father and grandfather both had a philosophical mindset. After studying hard-style, then soft-style martial arts, he began learning yoga postures, then meditation, and then encountered Ayurveda, which was not well-known in America in 1991. He followed his heart, quit his job, and spent the next several years studying Ayurveda, Sanskrit, chanting, and yoga philosophy with the best teachers he could find. Every science/practice from India that he was exposed to drew him deeper into the wonderful matrix of Vedic wisdom. Along the way, Nicolai earned formal credentials in the form of an MA in Eastern Philosophy, an MS in Nutrition, and an E-RYT 500 registration.

Nicolai studied extensively in mostly one-on-one or small-class environments at the American Sanskrit Institute, the Ayurvedic Institute, the American Institute of Vedic Studies, and the Vedic Chant Center. His education combines informal, traditional study with the academic rigor of university classes. He has a knack for synthesizing and organizing complex topics into simple and understandable presentations, expressed in the classes he teaches and in his publications which include The Language of Yoga, The Path of the Yoga Sutras, The Language of Ayurveda, The Language of Jyotisha, and 108 Sanskrit Flash Cards. Nicolai actively teaches to groups and individuals both virtually and in-person. Learn more at sanskritsounds.com.

Table of Contents

Preface xiii

Part 1 Overview and Foundational Concepts 1

What Is Yoga? 3

A Brief History of Yoga 4

Six Views 5

Sankhya-Darsana 6

The Guna-s 7

Yoga-Darsana 10

Overview of the Yoga Sutra-s 11

Prana 13

The Power of Attention 15

The Process of Learning 16

Part 2 The Concepts 19

Key Principles 23

Atha: Readiness for Yoga 25

Citta: Heart-Mind Field of Consciousness 28

Purusa: Pure Inner Light of Awareness 33

Drastr and Drsya: Seer and Seen 36

Viveka-Khyati: Discriminating Perception 39

Abhyasa: Diligent, Focused Practice 42

Vairagya: Nonattachment to Sensory Objects 44

Yoga As Nirodha: Silencing the Heart-Mind 47

Isvara: Source of Knowledge 50

Karma and Samskara: Action and Its Imprint 53

Parinama: Change 59

Duhkha: Suffering as Opportunity 63

Samyoga: False Identification of Seer with Seen 66

Vrtti-s: Chatter in the Citta 68

Pramana (Vrtti #1): Correct Evaluation 70

Viparyaya (Vrtti #2): Misperception 72

Vikalpa (Vrtti #3): Imagination 74

Nidra (Vrtti #4): Sleep 76

Smrti (Vrtti #5): The Act of Memory 78

Antaraya-s: Obstacles That Distract 80

Klesa-s: Causes of Suffering 84

Avidya (Klesa #1): Lack of Awareness 87

Asmita (Klesa #2): Distorted Sense of Self 90

Raga (Klesa #3): Clinging to Past Pleasure 93

Dvesa (Klesa #4): Clinging to Past Suffering 95

Abhinivesa (Klesa #5): Fear of Death 97

Astariga: Eight Limbs of Yoga 100

Yama-s (Limb #1): Ethical Practices 104

Ahimsa (Yama #1): Nonviolence and Compassion 106

Satya (Yama #2): Truthfulness and Sincerity 109

Asteya (Yama #3): Not Taking from Others 112

Brahmacarya (Yama #4): Conservation of Vital Energy 114

Aparigraha (Yama #5): Non-Hoarding 116

Pratipaksa-Bhavana: Cultivating the Opposite 118

Niyama-s (Limb #2): Personal Practices 121

Sauca (Niyama #1): Cleanliness 123

Santosa (Niyama #2): Contentment and Gratitude 125

Kriya-Yoga: Practice in Action 127

Tapas (Niyama #3): Practice Causing Positive Change 130

Svadhyaya (Niyama #4): Study by and of Oneself 133

Isvara-Pranidhana (Niyama #5): Humility and Faith 135

Asana (Limb #3): Refinement of the Body 138

Pranayama (Limb #4): Regulation of Prana 140

Pratyahara (Limb #5): Tuning Out Sensory Input 143

Citta-Prasadana: Clarifying the Heart-Mind 145

Dharana (Limb #6): Choosing a Focus 148

Dhyana (Limb #7): Continuous Meditation 150

Samadhi (Limb #8): Complete Attention 152

Samyama: Focusing Inward 158

Pratiprasava: Returning to the Source 161

Kaivalya: Permanent Oneness 163

Part 3 The Yoga Sutras in Translation 167

Part 4 The Yoga Sutras for Chanting 245

Acknowledgments 259

Appendix A The Yoga Sutra-s: Translation Outline 261

Appendix B The Yoga Sutra-s: English Alphabetical Order 269

Appendix C The Yoga Sutra-s: Original Sanskrit Script 273

Appendix D The Vibhuti-s: Powers from Practicing Samyama 277

Appendix E Sanskrit Pronunciation Key and Grammar Basics 281

Appendix F Figures 285

Figure 1 Sarikhya: Process of Manifestation 286

Figure 2 Kosa-s: Sheaths of Life 288

Figure 3 Citta: The Heart-Mind Field of Consciousness 290

Figure 4 The Process of Perception (Input) 292

Figure 5 The Process of Action (Output) 294

Figure 6 Clarification of the Heart-Mind (Citta) 296

Figure 7 The Process of Nirodha: Silencing the Heart-Mind 298

Figure 8 Vrtti-s: Distracting Thoughts and Feelings 298

Figure 9 Antaraya-s: Obstacles That Distract 299

Figure 10 Klesa-s: Causes of Suffering 299

Figure 11 Outer Limbs of Yoga (Bahirangani) 300

Figure 12 Inkier Limbs of Yoga (Samyama) 301

Figure 13 Pathways of Yoga: Moving from Negative to Positive 302

Glossary of Terms 305

Bibliography 313

About the Author 315

Editorial Reviews

This is an extremely helpful guide to decoding the intricacies of the Yoga Sutras. Nicolai has a remarkable way of elucidating this elaborate, hard-to-crack text in a way that makes the Sanskrit, the verses, the philosophy, and the practices accessible. I use it all the time for my research, writing and teaching.” —Tias Little, author of Yoga of the Subtle Body

“Nicolai Bachman’s Yoga Sutras Desk Reference is a wonderful opportunity for all yoga practitioners to really learn this profound art. It will keep drawing us into the interwoven fabric of different traditional schools, interpretations, languages, cultures, and even agendas in such a way that, as the sun releases its radiance, we can joyously release them all.” —Richard Freeman, yoga teacher and coauthor of When Love Comes to Light

From the Publisher