Product Description

BKS Iyengar's translation and commentary on these ancient yoga sutras has been described as the "bible" of yoga. This new edition of the classic text contains a new introduction by BKS Iyengar, as well as a foreword by Godfrey Devereux, author of Dynamic Yoga. Patanjali wrote this collection of yoga wisdom over 2,000 years ago. They are amongst the world's most revered and ancient teachings and are the earliest, most holy yoga reference. The Sutras are short and to the point -- each being only a line or two long. BKS Iyengar has translated each one, and provided his own insightful commentary and explanation for modern readers. The Sutras show the reader how we can transform ourselves through the practice of yoga, gradually developing the mind, body and emotions, so we can become spiritually evolved. The Sutras are also a wonderful introduction to the spiritual philosophy that is the foundation of yoga practise. The book is thoroughly cross-referenced, and indexed, resulting in an accessible and helpful book that is of immense value both to students of Indian philosophy and practitioners of yoga.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #66108 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Review
"Patanjali's Yoga Sutras is the bible of yoga!" Godfrey Devereux "BKS Iyengar is renowned throughout the world! his inspired commentary on the ageless treatise by the ancient sage speaks to the soul of every dedicated yogi." Phil Catalfo, Yoga Journal

About the Author
B.K.S. Iyengar is the world's most revered living teacher of Yoga. He was the first person to bring Yoga to the West and his teaching has been hugely influential over the past three decades. He now lives and teaches in Pune, India.

Customer Reviews

If you wish to understand Patanjali...
Your first obstacle will be to find a faithful translation of his Yoga Sutras.
The Yoga Sutras were written in an extremely terse form so that the words do not even form complete sentances, and they can be interpreted in numerous ways. Consequently numerous translations have arisen which fail to convey the original meaning of the work.
For instance, when describing the siddhis (supernatural powers which can be attained through certain meditative states), some translations interpret these as being simply metaphors. The translators may be learned scholars and doing their absolute best to offer their books in a spirit of devotion, but they simply do not understand the reality of what Patanjali was saying.
BKS Iyengar has spent his life studying and teaching yoga.
He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the subject and this shines through in every page of his work.
This book is a masterpiece!

Tough Going
Ok, I'm a mad fan of yoga and bought this book as I have another book written by the same author which is great, and I wanted to learn more and deepen my knowledge about the sutras. Now, I'm by no means stupid, but this book is so complicated I can't make any headway with it at all. I think it would be useful if I had a teacher to go through the sutras and explain in a clear way what they mean, and how to think about their application. Maybe I will try to pick this book up again in the future but for now I've given up!