Sanskrit Reading Group: What is Yoga?

What is yoga? What are the metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical principles and aims of this ancient Indic practice (as distinct from the hodgepodge of practices that currently pass under the name of “Yoga”)? In this course, we will read, in the original Sanskrit, Patanjali’s classical treatise on yoga—a work comprised of 195 aphoristic sutras ( “threads”) that asks: What are the processes of the mind? How do mental activities change and persist? We will explore these questions by paying close attention to the formation of lexemes in the text: compound words and semantic values, syntactical relationships and sentence structures, as well as lexical derivations. Qualifying word forms line by line and aligning temporal and spatial cues, we will deconstruct the lexemes, engaging in meditative word play to both explore and experience the mind’s activities. With Arjuna’s questioning of Krishna in the divine song from the Bhagavad Gita as points of comparison, we will examine the difference between yoga as internal meditation and yoga as a way of life.

This course is intended for students who have recently completed a grammar course and for those who once studied Sanskrit and are now looking for an opportunity to return to it. While reading, we will review paradigms and compounds as needed and supplement these with new grammatical forms. Our textbook will be The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, revised edition with translation and commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda (Integral Yoga Publications, 2012); students will also be provided a complementary study guide. The course is capped at eight students.

Course Schedule

Friday, 11:00am-1:00pm ET
February 06 — March 13, 2026
6 weeks

$335.00

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