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Yoga Sutras
Yoga Sūtraयोगसूत्र· YOH-gah SOO-trahthreads/aphorisms on yoga
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are a foundational text of yoga philosophy — 196 short aphorisms that set out the eight-limbed path and the workings of the mind.
The Yoga Sūtras (योगसूत्र) of Patañjali take their name from sūtra, literally 'thread', the term for a terse aphorism meant to be memorised and unpacked with commentary. The title thus means the 'threads' or aphorisms on yoga: a compact, systematic statement of yoga philosophy and the discipline of the mind.
The text comprises around 196 short sūtras arranged in four pādas, or chapters, treating meditative absorption, the means of practice, subtler attainments, and liberation. Early on it defines yoga as 'yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ', the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind, and it sets out the eightfold path, aṣṭāṅga yoga.
Patañjali is traditionally credited as compiler rather than sole inventor, drawing existing ideas into a coherent system. The Sūtras are usually said to have been compiled in the early centuries of the common era, though their precise dating is debated among scholars, with proposals ranging over several centuries. They belong to the broader Sāṃkhya-Yoga tradition.
The Yoga Sūtras remain a foundational reference for understanding what classical yoga is: primarily a discipline of stilling and clarifying the mind. The eight limbs, from ethical restraints through posture and breath to meditation and absorption, give a map still used to frame contemporary practice and to situate posture within a larger whole.
A common misconception is that the Yoga Sūtras are a manual of physical postures. Āsana receives only a few brief sūtras, describing a steady, comfortable seat for meditation rather than a system of shapes. The text's real subject is the mind, its patterns, and the path toward stillness and freedom.
Frequently asked questions
- Do the Yoga Sutras describe the physical poses I do in class?
- Hardly at all. Only a few sūtras address āsana, and they describe a steady, comfortable seat for meditation rather than a range of postures. The text is chiefly concerned with the mind, meditation and liberation, not the physical practice most classes emphasise.
- How old are the Yoga Sutras?
- They are traditionally dated to the early centuries of the common era, though scholars debate the exact period and proposals span several centuries. Patañjali is regarded as the compiler who gathered and systematised existing yogic ideas rather than inventing them from nothing.
References
- Classical textPatanjali, Yoga Sutras 1.2 — yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ— The definition of yoga as stilling the mind.