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Kriya Yoga According to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Sutra 1 of Book Two of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Sutra 1. Austerity [tapas], self-study [swadhyaya] and resignation to Ishwara [Ishwarapranidhana] constitute Kriya Yoga. First let us define Kriya Yoga as Patanjali means it. Because many have read Yogananda’s autobiography they assume Patanjali means the … Continue reading

The Final Stages of Samadhi

Sutras 49 through 51 of Book One of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Sutra 49. The knowledge based on inference or testimony is different from direct knowledge obtained in the higher states of consciousness (I-48) because it is confined to a particular object (or aspect). That is, such … Continue reading

Dawning of the Spiritual Light

Sutras 47 and 48 of Book One of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 47. On attaining the utmost purity of the Nirvichara stage (of Samadhi) there is the dawning of the spiritual light [adhyatma prasadah]. In contrast to the samadhi spoken of in the prior … Continue reading

Is Meditation Dumbo’s Magic Feather?

Q: Will meditation alone improve ones moral sensibility? Will one naturally move toward the good as one meditates? If meditation alone would improve one’s moral sense or automatically move us toward the good, Patanjali would not have outlined the ten principles of yama and niyama … Continue reading

Seven Ways to Purify the Mind, Part 2

Sutras 36 through 39 of Book One of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Sutra 1:36. Also (through) serene [vishoka] or luminous [jyotishmati] (states experienced within). Vishoka means “blissful; serene; free of grief, suffering or sorrow.” Jyotishmati means “effulgence; full of light.” Inner experience of a higher … Continue reading