Who was Patanjali?
Pat means "person to whom it is done" and Anjali , "the gesture of namaste".
Also known as Gonardiya or Gonikaputra , he was a Hindu author, mystic, and philosopher. Very little is known about his life, although it is estimated that he lived between the 5th and 2nd centuries BCE.
Traditionally and holistically, Patanjali is recognized as the " Father of Yoga " and author of the Yoga Sutras , ancient foundational texts of yoga in Sanskrit that still support this experiential science: the art of observing and living our beloved yoga.
"Patanjali was an evolved soul, incarnated of his own free will to help humanity. He assumed human form, experienced our sorrows and joys, and learned to transcend them."
(BKS Iyengar, 1918-2014)
Yoga contains immense wisdom. That's why it was necessary to compile this philosophy of life into words that reflect its essence: true, experiential, and divine knowledge.
👉 Click on the image and discover the "Elephant - Symbol of Protection" design. 🥰
What are the Yoga Sutras?
The Yoga Sutras not only offer yoga a coherent and complete philosophical foundation, but also illuminate many profound and esoteric concepts. Within them lies a truth that does not impose, but rather accompanies and soothes .
Patanjali's treatise is called Darsana , which means "vision of the soul": the ability to see the highest reality through practice.
It is a system for achieving spiritual growth and self-realization through meditation, breathing, and other disciplines.
How is it structured?
The text consists of approximately 1200 words distributed in 196 aphorisms, divided into four sections (padas), which represent stages of the path and levels of spiritual evolution:
- Samadhi pada(contemplation)
- Sadhana pada(practice)
- Vibhuti pada(powers)
- Kaivalya pada(liberation)
"Patanjali is like an Einstein in the world of Buddhas. His approach is that of a rigorous, scientific mind. He has gone so far as to deduce absolute laws of human nature. Simply do what he says and the result will occur."
(Osho, Chandra Mohan Jain, 1931-1990)
Classical Yoga:
Patanjali's classical yoga is a path, a method , not a religion.
In the second chapter of the Yoga Sutras (Sadhana Pada), the fundamental structure of the practice is presented, divided into eight parts : the famous Ashtanga Yoga (ashta: eight; anga: limbs).
- Yama (Ethical conduct)
- Niyama (Personal Discipline)
- Asana (Posture)
- Pranayama (Breath Control)
- Pratyahara (Withdrawal of the senses)
- Dharana (Concentration)
- Dhyana (Meditation)
- Samadhi (Union or enlightenment)
(We'll see them in detail in thenext blog post ✨!)
CONCLUSION:
Patanjali did not invent yoga, but he was the key person who gave it shape and structure .
He did not create the postures or the meditation (they already existed thousands of years before), but he compiled all the wisdom of his time into a masterful work: the Yoga Sutras.
In them, he brought together the integral development of the human being: thought, word, and action.
"It presents a systematic and comprehensive understanding of the psychological, emotional, and physical transformations that occur when an individual develops enlightenment."
(Maharishi Sadashiva Isham, 1949-1997)
Namaste! 🧘
