The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali

The four books of Patanjali's Yoga Sutra contain 196 sutras (aphorisms) that many believe to be the theoretical and philosophical basis of modern-day yoga. However, White (Yoga in Practice) shows how the work in its original form is not the basis of today's teachings. White explores its development, from Patanjali's esoteric Sanskrit text through its innumerable interpretations and translations. He clearly demonstrates the evolution of the works through a long line of commentaries and manipulations. In fact, the original text only has four verbs and is virtually incomprehensible to those who do not know Sanskrit. White discusses renowned and lesser-known progenitors, gurus, and disciples who made the ancient work accessible. Key figures covered include British orientalist Henry Thomas, who "discovered" the sutras in the early 1800s and made them palatable to Western civilization; Swami Vivekananda, whose English-language commentaries and book Raja Yoga (1896) ignited a U.S. passion for yoga; and Tirumalai Krishnamachrya, the "father of modern yoga."