05/09/2025
We are frequently heedless of the clutter of thoughts and feelings that crowd our minds from one moment to the next. Of the thousand thoughts that flit through our minds every hour, we are aware only of some, we act on a few, and we drift with the rest.
Many find it difficult to discipline the unhealthy longings of body. To eat less or exercise more, for instance, requires a feat of will. And even for those of strong will and consistent discipline, mastering the mind is a harder quest by far. The goal of classical yoga is to discipline this scattered mind, to turn it from wayward rambling to focused concentration.
The authoritative work on classical yoga—the Yogasutras of Patanjali, along with its traditional commentaries—explains the practice of meditation and the psychology of yoga in detail. Patanjali’s yoga is sometimes called raja (“king”) yoga: it is the “king,” or highest, among the practices of yoga—the “royal path.” The title is well-deserved.
The yoga described by Patanjali is a systematic method for making the transition from the distracted mind that rules our decisions to a steady and peaceful mind that waits upon our command. As a logical necessity and to be deemed “classical” or “traditional,” any method of yoga must be concordant with the greater path described by Patanjali.
⭐️ Book link: Krishnamacharya: His Life and Teachings. See more at: https://geni.us/Z9FZe.
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