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The Yoga Sutras were written by Patanjali. Yoga means to unite the individual self (Atman) with the supreme universal self (Paramatman). Sutra means "thread." So the Yoga Sutras are a guide book.. full of the threads we weave that will lead us to a balanced, healthy life through mind, body, and spirit.

The Yoga Sutras have four "books" or sections. They are Contemplation, Practice, Accomplishments, and Absoluteness. Each section is broken down into many thoughts and ideas on how we live as humans and how the world around us clutters our mind and causes stress. The final thread of the last portion is the entrance into the state of Samadhi. Samadhi is basically the sense of enlightenment and union within oneself; a great internal peace full of understanding. A terrific translation was written by Sri Swami Satchidananda. A website to help understand these is Swamij.com . We will discuss these in our posts and relate them to our everyday life. It is eye opening and fascinating.

Yoga as a whole has several systems; Hatha (body), Raja (mind), Jnana (knowing), Bhakti (feeling), and Karma (willing). The Raja Yoga has an eightfold path. The eight limbs are Yama and Niyama (the 10 commandments), Asana (movement and posture), Pranayama (breathing and control of energy), Pratyahara (control of senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation), and Samadhi (the ultimate goal). This sounds very complex, but it really breaks down our needs into a simple way.

Please feel free to elaborate and expand on any ideas on these Sutras. You will see how the philosophies and ideas are not too far from personal experiences.

This is what yoga is all about.. personal experiences and becoming a stronger individual inside and out.

Mkat