Yoga Sūtras Online Course: Pādas I + II

Recorded for Self-Study

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This 10-hour course is for Yoga teachers and practitioners seeking a deep dive into Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras, an invaluable sacred text of the Yoga tradition.

We begin by discussing the text’s history, cultural context, and mythology. Then we break down over 100 sūtras one by one, translating key Sanskrit terminology and contemplating each sūtra individually and as part of the bigger story.

Sūtra means thread, and its root means to sew. Each sūtra is a short aphorism, a thread of spiritual wisdom that invites commentary, discussion, and weaving. It’s a concise text that offers expansive teachings on the nature of the mind, the root of suffering, and the path to liberation.

The text contains 196 sūtras divided into four pādas (chapters). This course focuses on the first two: Samādhi Pāda (chapter on absorption) and Sādhana Pāda (chapter on practice). These contain the foundations of Yoga philosophy, and remain very relevant to modern life.

This course was recorded with a live cohort in January 2026. By enrolling, you’ll have two years of access to the video recordings, allowing you to revisit the material at your own pace.

Tuition: $200

    • Why study the Yoga Sūtras?

    • Intro to Sāmkhya Philosophy: Purusha + Prakriti, the Gunas, and the Citta.

    • Biography of Patañjali, and the mythological story of Patañjali as Ādiśesha.

    • The importance of the Bhāshya; the original commentary written by the Sage Vyāsa.

    • The purpose and definition of Yoga.

    • The types of Vrittis (movements of the mind).

    • The importance of practice + non-attachment.

    • The two main types of Samādhi.

    • Exploring Īśvara and the sacred syllable OM.

    • The distractions of the mind that lead to suffering; and how to overcome them through meditation.

    • The four Brahmavihāras (divine states of mind).

    • Further exploring Samādhi and Samāpatti: the various states of meditative absorption that one may experience through Yoga practice.

    • Introducing Kriyā Yoga: Yoga in Action.

    • Kriyā Yoga; consisting of Tapas (discipline), Svādhyāya (self-study), and Īśvara-pranidhāna (devotion to the divine).

    • The Five Kleśas as the root cause of all mental suffering.

    • Further dialogue on Karma (action) and Duhkha (suffering)

    • The Drashtā (Seer), the Driśya (Seen), Samyoga (Union), and Kaivayla (Independence)

    • Introduction to Ashtāngayoga: The Eight Limbs of Yoga.

    • The Yamas as the mahāvratam (great vows) of Yoga: Ahimsā, Satya, Asteya, Aparigraha, and Brahmacharya.

    • The Niyamas, the ethical observances of Yoga: Śauca, Santosha, Tapas, Svādhyāya, and Īśvara-pranidhāna

    • The transformative fruits of being firmly established in Yama and Niyama.

    • Āsana as defined by the Yoga Sūtras and Vyāsa’s original commentary.

    • Prānāyāma and Pratyāhāra to regulate one’s Prāna in preparation for meditation.

    • The inner limbs of Dhāranā (concentration), Dhyāna (meditation), and Samādhi (absorption).

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