What do you think?
Rate this book
Inside the Yoga Sutras: A Comprehensive Sourcebook for the Study and Practice of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras
Reverend Jaganath Carrera has shared the joy and wisdom of the Yoga Sutras with thousands of students for over three decades. A long-time disciple of Sri Swami Satchidananda, he has taught all facets of Yoga at universities, prisons, Yoga centers, and interfaith programs. He established the Integral Yoga Ministry and is a spiritual advisor and visiting lecturer on Hinduism for the One Spirit Seminary in New York City. He is a former chief administrator of Satchidananda Ashram--Yogaville and founded the Integral Yoga Institute of New Brunswick, NJ, where he was director for fourteen years. He served as Dean of Academics at the Eastern School of Acupuncture and is a member of its Govern ing Board. A senior member of the Integral Yoga Teachers Council, he co-developed the highly regarded Integral Yoga Meditation and Raja Yoga Teacher Training Certification programs.
406 pages, Paperback
First published November 3, 2005
295 people are currently reading
582 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 6, 2015
I required this book for a 200 hour yoga teacher training; I teach yoga philosophy. What I found, is that though the book is a wealth of information and offers deep insight on the sutras, it is not necessarily a book for first time readers of the sutras. My students "got through" it but were left perplexed often. I actually would recommend this book more for a 300 hour training as further study into the depths of the sutras. The book as a whole, however, is very well done. The commentary is fitting and understandable. For those who have read the sutras and want a deeper immersion - this book is for you. I believe newcomers to the writings of Patanjali would be better suited with a different version.
February 5, 2017
Breezed through and going through again slowly in class.
Its an interesting version of the yoga sutras. There is no Sanskrit so you don't see the actual words that are being translated. You only get the translated parts. The verses that are translated are sometimes differently translated than other more traditional yoga sutra translations.
It's good to have different translations because it may speak more to what you need or a different light can help you understand something more fully. Even something that you thought you understood before, this may help you understand it deeper.
Each passage has an explanation along with the translation that's pretty good.
If you've read the Sutras and want to read another translation that may give you a deeper or wider understanding, I absolutely recommend this book.
---------------
Its an excellent study book. I'm going through it slowly in conjunction with 2 other yoga sutra books making study notes.
Its an interesting version of the yoga sutras. There is no Sanskrit so you don't see the actual words that are being translated. You only get the translated parts. The verses that are translated are sometimes differently translated than other more traditional yoga sutra translations.
It's good to have different translations because it may speak more to what you need or a different light can help you understand something more fully. Even something that you thought you understood before, this may help you understand it deeper.
Each passage has an explanation along with the translation that's pretty good.
If you've read the Sutras and want to read another translation that may give you a deeper or wider understanding, I absolutely recommend this book.
---------------
Its an excellent study book. I'm going through it slowly in conjunction with 2 other yoga sutra books making study notes.
September 26, 2011
Reading this as my selection for yoga teacher training. It's written like a hand-book or reference piece, so a little dry. But its easy to digest and im sure will come in handy for years to come.
September 10, 2023
I took a course this summer offered by the University of Minnesota's Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality https://csh.umn.edu/ The title of the course was"Yoga: Ethics, Spirituality, and Healing" and here is a description: "This course will introduce students to ethics, spirituality, and healing from the perspective of Yoga, an ancient Indian discipline. Students will examine the claim that systematic Yoga practice leads to optimal health. Using critical thinking, students will evaluate philosophical knowledge, scientific evidence, and practical application, and propose research-based programs for integrating Yoga into personal and professional life."
I found "Inside the Yoga Sutras" powerful, approachable, and very human. It presented each of the Sutras from Patanjali using straightforward language and provided context using day-to-day examples for application - often with humor.
I highly, highly recommend this text.
Here are just a few quotes from the book.
"Everything beings in the mind. If you want to see clearly, you need clear vision." Sri Swami Satchidananda (A great way to start the book for it addresses the bottom line goal of yoga which is "The restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff" (Sutra 1.2).
“When fears remain untouched, innate capacities remain undiscovered.”
“We need to live fully in the moment and to develop attentive focus on whatever task is at hand.”
“The practices presented in the Yoga Sutras fall into the following categories: The physical practices of asana and pranayama Meditation (dharana, dhyana, samadhi) Devotion to God or self-surrender (Ishwara Pranidhana) Understanding and accepting suffering as a help for purification (tapas) Discriminative discernment (viveka) Study (svadhyaya).”
“Once you realize that something cannot be attained, then forget it. It’s not for you, at least at this point in time.”
“Suffering is not caused by forces outside of us but by a faulty and limited perception of life and of who we are. Our basic misperception gives rise to endless cravings for sense satisfaction. Since everything in the universe is constantly changing, nothing in Nature is capable of bringing lasting fulfillment.”
“Things in Nature are neutral. It is our approach that determines whether sense objects are experienced as sources of pain or pleasure.”
“To maintain a clear, balanced mind; to perceive things as they are, without bias; and to act without prejudging, constitute the core of nonattachment.”
"Virtues can be developed through study and contemplation or, as this sutra suggests, through recognizing their presence in others. In other words, we should cultivate the habit of celebrating virtues wherever we recognize them. The more we rejoice in them, the sooner they will be ours."
"The mind is a mirror in which we perceive ourselves."
I found "Inside the Yoga Sutras" powerful, approachable, and very human. It presented each of the Sutras from Patanjali using straightforward language and provided context using day-to-day examples for application - often with humor.
I highly, highly recommend this text.
Here are just a few quotes from the book.
"Everything beings in the mind. If you want to see clearly, you need clear vision." Sri Swami Satchidananda (A great way to start the book for it addresses the bottom line goal of yoga which is "The restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff" (Sutra 1.2).
“When fears remain untouched, innate capacities remain undiscovered.”
“We need to live fully in the moment and to develop attentive focus on whatever task is at hand.”
“The practices presented in the Yoga Sutras fall into the following categories: The physical practices of asana and pranayama Meditation (dharana, dhyana, samadhi) Devotion to God or self-surrender (Ishwara Pranidhana) Understanding and accepting suffering as a help for purification (tapas) Discriminative discernment (viveka) Study (svadhyaya).”
“Once you realize that something cannot be attained, then forget it. It’s not for you, at least at this point in time.”
“Suffering is not caused by forces outside of us but by a faulty and limited perception of life and of who we are. Our basic misperception gives rise to endless cravings for sense satisfaction. Since everything in the universe is constantly changing, nothing in Nature is capable of bringing lasting fulfillment.”
“Things in Nature are neutral. It is our approach that determines whether sense objects are experienced as sources of pain or pleasure.”
“To maintain a clear, balanced mind; to perceive things as they are, without bias; and to act without prejudging, constitute the core of nonattachment.”
"Virtues can be developed through study and contemplation or, as this sutra suggests, through recognizing their presence in others. In other words, we should cultivate the habit of celebrating virtues wherever we recognize them. The more we rejoice in them, the sooner they will be ours."
"The mind is a mirror in which we perceive ourselves."
January 17, 2026
I'm giving this a neutral rating because the pros and cons cancel each other out.
Pros: it's a thorough and detailed study of the Yoga Sutras. Anyone interested in a deeper understanding of yoga can gain something from this book. For Westerners like me who don't know a blessed thing about Eastern philosophies, it has a glossary, index, and study guide to help, and the author even references Judeo-Christian philosophy that is really helpful for anyone coming from that background.
Cons: it's rife with concepts so abstract that it's meaningless on your first, second, and third read. It doesn't help that Sanskrit is an incredibly difficult language to memorize, which means LOTS of page turns to the back of the book to see the glossary. There are references to revered practicioners, either contemporary or ancient, that don't register at all to us Westerners. Some of the Sutras that claim ridiculous superpowers are icing on the cake, like being able to turn invisible or fly.
This is a book you don't read just once; you have it on hand to come back to over and over again, just like any other book of scripture. With that said, I'm glad I read it and will probably come back to it in my yoga practice, but it requires a lot of work to really understand it.
Pros: it's a thorough and detailed study of the Yoga Sutras. Anyone interested in a deeper understanding of yoga can gain something from this book. For Westerners like me who don't know a blessed thing about Eastern philosophies, it has a glossary, index, and study guide to help, and the author even references Judeo-Christian philosophy that is really helpful for anyone coming from that background.
Cons: it's rife with concepts so abstract that it's meaningless on your first, second, and third read. It doesn't help that Sanskrit is an incredibly difficult language to memorize, which means LOTS of page turns to the back of the book to see the glossary. There are references to revered practicioners, either contemporary or ancient, that don't register at all to us Westerners. Some of the Sutras that claim ridiculous superpowers are icing on the cake, like being able to turn invisible or fly.
This is a book you don't read just once; you have it on hand to come back to over and over again, just like any other book of scripture. With that said, I'm glad I read it and will probably come back to it in my yoga practice, but it requires a lot of work to really understand it.
November 3, 2019
Aaaaand let's take it from the top.
(I just mean I'm going to read this again and again forever, until I find a better translation/interpretation. This is the first I've read, and intensely. Seems pretty good.)
(I just mean I'm going to read this again and again forever, until I find a better translation/interpretation. This is the first I've read, and intensely. Seems pretty good.)
September 6, 2020
WELCOME
FATHER AMON & MAMA SPIRITUAL HEALER.
With Spiritual healing and the ability to heal, read and provide spiritual prayers” +27718273254 love spells, bring back lover based in Sandton ,Gauteng visit us https;//www.mamaandfatheramon.co.za
FATHER AMON & MAMA SPIRITUAL HEALER.
With Spiritual healing and the ability to heal, read and provide spiritual prayers” +27718273254 love spells, bring back lover based in Sandton ,Gauteng visit us https;//www.mamaandfatheramon.co.za
December 15, 2020
Started a couple of months ago and read a bit every evening. Initially it was daunting but by the end I was looking forward to it. Will be revisiting it regularly.
Succinct, clear, unbelievably logical but astonishing.
Would recommend it to anyone practicing yoga.
Succinct, clear, unbelievably logical but astonishing.
Would recommend it to anyone practicing yoga.
October 28, 2025
to read again following the study guide at the back, also to read other translations
January 30, 2026
Superb, practical guide.
July 10, 2013
Good but dense, so I tended to take it in small doses over a longer period of time. Definitely worth reading and coming back to another day, but frankly it can be a bit of slog going through it. The commentary often felt longer than the actual Yoga Sutras and in fact it probably is.
Sometimes I think it is parallel to the notion of explaining a joke. Explaining a joke renders the joke not funny and kind of misses the point. In parallel, long commentaries on shorter spiritual writings often lose the spiritual essence of the original piece.
Sometimes I think it is parallel to the notion of explaining a joke. Explaining a joke renders the joke not funny and kind of misses the point. In parallel, long commentaries on shorter spiritual writings often lose the spiritual essence of the original piece.
May 10, 2016
I felt Carrera explained the sutras very well - and most of the time I was able to relate or find meaning. He wove in parables to help the reader relate to deeper concepts, and to show how yoga philosophy can be lived. This is definitely a book that is meant to be read multiple time, even if it's just one sutra at random.
Though, I would love to read another interpretation, to get a different perspective.
Though, I would love to read another interpretation, to get a different perspective.
December 2, 2013
There are many interpretations of the Yoga Sutras and this book clearly defined them in a way that was logical and believable and less story like.
January 7, 2017
This is a deep/intense book - make sure you are ready for it when you sit down, if not it will take awhile! Enlightening!
October 15, 2008
This is really great but its easier to understand if you already have some background in yoga.
Want to read
January 22, 2018Read along with Melissa West Episodes 224-231.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews