How to Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali

This book was recommended to me by a master yoga teacher, she swears by it. It's easy to follow, makes perfect sense and is a great addition to the other yoga books I have.It allows you to understand yoga "better" in simple terms, it may be helpful as some of the books get very technical, this one does not. It is very enjoyable.

This books makes it so much easier to understand how to reach the highest states of human consciousness.

This is a classic work, both the aphorisms of Patanjali and the commentary of Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood. This is a science on the connection between the mind and consciousness becomes the spiritual, the religious, the bhaki - devotional.Five kinds of thought waves, which are, controlled the practice of non-attachment, which is self-mastery. Non attachment is not indifference or quietistic escapism, but the ability to be conscious of the objective self witnessing and controlling the thought waves rather than being pulled in and blinded by them and disturbing mental equanimity.Ways of equanimity practice contain concentration on an object, which may take on four stages. Here we have the paradox of the Atman and Brahman, immanent and transcendent, God both within and without in the play of Prakiti or force of nature which contains the various combinations of the three gunas Tamas - inertia laziness, despair, Rajas - action, competiveness and satwic, the pure, knowledge/intellectual. What causes Brahman to fragment comes from the great cause or mahat, which is mentally categorized by Buddhi which evolves the individual ego or shamkar which produce the recording facilities five perceptions and five subtle tanmatras which produce the five earth elements - Pure consciousness covered by layers of ignorance and fragmentation. Meditation is the attempt to reverse this evolution process - devolution. The quiet mind of equanimity through concentration, producing the conditions for psychic abilities and the temptation to misuse them.Also is concentration on thought waves through non attachment, to concentrate on consciousness itself, to observe our samskaras or internal habitual tendencies of attachments and aversions, our addictions and repetitive ways and bondage of reactions - all in which we attempt to be root out and destroy, which is perfect yoga, liberation from samskaras and karmas, our past motivations of actions of clinging and averting.There is much more to this, but you will have to read the book to find out. This really is a fascinating study of the science of the connection between the mind and consciousness through the thoughts of the paradigm of Patanjali. For myself, a highly significant book. I can't really comment on the translation itself, I don't read Sanskrit, and I do have another translation to be read by Georg Feuerstein.

1. Best book on spiritual growth via Yoga philosophy that I have ever read, by far, out of many dozens. I would give it 20 stars if I could. This book is spot on. Brief, to the point, and powerful. No new Age fru fru stuff in here - this is for someone who really wants to start a disciplined spiritual practice that really will lead them somewhere. Amazing. There are many commentaries on the Yoga Sutras that are extremely tedious and long winded. Esp. the ones by Patabi Jois and B.K. Iyengar. Yuck! No wonder so few of their students bother to study Patanjali in depth, lol. THIS commentary is the exact opposite. Easy to read and not at all academic.2. Those of you who still think putting your foot behind your head and holding perfect mula banda makes you an advanced Yogi need to read this book. Yoga has little to do with postures, and Patanjali, the patron saint of Yoga, makes that clear. Patanjali is to Yoga what Lao Tsu is to Taoism. There are only two references to asanas in the entire body of sutras (186 of them) and both of those refer only to a sitting position. Asanas are great, I do them too, but there are many Yogis in India who do none at all; most of the members of the 10 branches of Shankara's ancient monastic order, for example. These are truly the torch bearers of the Yoga tradition, and a several of them are friends of mine from from my many trips there. They are remarkable men (and women!) and I hope to slowly become more like them. This book explains the basics of their philosophy.3. In India, this book is sold by the Ramakrishna Math as "Patanjali Yoga Sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, and then it mentions Christopher Isherwood as a co-author. So its unclear to me who actually wrote the commentary. If you happen to be going to India, you can probably find it in any of the Ramakrishna Maths scattered over the country.

This book provides good words of wisdom. Things to think about. I got alot out of it.

This book teaches yoga in its true form. Yoga in America is not the same; it is Hatha Yoga that is used solely to have a healthier body. It is godless yoga. The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali reminds us the goal of yoga. How did the Western world forget that yoga means union with God instead of extensive stretching and standing on your head? When people talk to me about yoga, they don't see it as union with God. Yoga is a way of life, and can be applied in all areas. Hatha Yoga is body preparation, Bhakti Yoga is devotion, Karma Yoga is dedicated work, Jnana Yoga is spiritual discrimination, and even though it is not talked about in this book much, Tantra Yoga is using sex to reach this union! As you can see how yoga falls into so many categories and different aspects, of our life, Patanjali has created his own yoga: Raja (or Royal) Yoga, which incorporates all other yogas. When reading this book, you will see how, through yoga, anything can be accomplished. The power of God is omnipotent, ans through this union with Him, you will also have this omnipotence. This book is the manual to true yoga.