The yoga sutra is a manual for experiencing our intrinsic divinity and becoming firmly established in it. The text opens with the indisputable truth - Practice is the key to success as it leads to our inherent grandeur. How successful we will be depends on the quality of our mind. A clear, one-pointed and confident mind will accelerate our quest and enable us to fulfill our life's purpose whereas a confused and self-doubting mind will block and subvert that purpose.
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The sutras are a road map for how to navigate through the challenges of human life. They contain lessons on how to deal with loss, pain, dissatisfaction and alienation. They also provide guidance on how to cultivate joy and lead a healthy, happy and fulfilling life.
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If our time on the mat is an opportunity to feel where we are in our body and in our physical life, then this is a chance to take our practice off the mat and to learn where are in our mind and spirit. Through the sutras, we interact with the ancient philosophy in a modern and relevant way.
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YOGA IS A WORK IN, NOT JUST A WORKOUT
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Twenty two hundred years ago, the great sage and yogi Patanjali gathered the essence of yoga philosophy and the vast range of yogic practices, distilling them into 196 concise sentences, which is known as the Yoga Sutra. The text is divided into four chapters :
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Samadhi Pada (on contemplation)
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Sadhana Pada (on practice)
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Vibhuti Pada (on properties and powers)
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Kaivalya Pada (on emancipation and freedom
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The message in the yoga sutra is very simple and the goal of Yoga is nothing less than this -
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'Remove the veil of darkness and allow your intrinsic luminosity to illuminate both your inner and outer worlds.'
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