The Essential Yoga Sutra: Ancient Wisdom for Your Yoga - Paperback

by Geshe Michael Roach (Author)

The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali is a classic Sanskrit treatise consisting of 195 "threads," or aphorisms, describing the process of liberation through yoga. Although little is known about Patanjali (most scholars estimate that he lived in India circa 200-300 B.C.), his writings have long been recognized as a vital contribution to the philosophy and practice of yoga. This new, expert translation of the original Sanskrit text of Patanjali's best-known work presents his seminal ideas and methods in accessible, plain-language English.

Patanjali organized the sutra into four parts: Samadhi (absorption), Sadhana (practice), Vibhuti (supernatural powers), and Kaivalya (liberation). Each represents a step in breaking free of our limited definition of consciousness and training the mind to achieve oneness with the universe. Geshe Michael Roach, one of the most respected teachers of Tibetan Buddhism in America and a renowned scholar of Sanskrit, provides authoritative commentary on each of the sutras. His notes and clarification are straightforward and highly readable, untainted by obscure, academic terminology or New Age jargon. The first edition of the Yoga Sutra to present a Buddhist perspective, this paperback original will be welcomed by students and spiritual seekers alike.

Author Biography

GESHE MICHAEL ROACH graduated with honors from Princeton University and received the Presidential Scholar Medallion from the president of the

United States. He is the first westerner in the 600-year history of

Sera Mey Tibetan Monastic University to be awarded the degree of Geshe,

or "Master of Philosophy."

Michael is the founder of the Asian Classics Input Project, which has digitally preserved thousands of ancient Asian books by training and equipping poor people in many countries during the past 30 years.

To pay for this work, he helped found Andin International

Diamond Corporation of New York, which reached US$250 million in

sales and was sold to super-investor Warren Buffett in 2009. The Diamond

Cutter, his international business bestseller, tells the story of how he

used ancient Asian principles for success.

Michael founded the Diamond Cutter Management Training Institute for spreading this message to over 100,000 people each year, in more than 30 countries around the world.