Introduction

'Yoga is the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind.' So the Yoga Sutras begin, and in a hundred and ninety-six extremely concise aphorisms they set out the philosophy and practice of classical yoga. There are four chapters: on concentration, the aim of yoga and the nature of the mind; on practice, with the famous 'eight limbs', restraint, observance, posture, breath control, withdrawal of the senses, concentration, meditation and absorption; on the powers that practice brings and their dangers; and on the final liberation of the spirit from matter in a state of isolation. Of the hundreds of millions who practise yoga today, most know only the postures; this book is the true source of yoga.