The first time I picked up the Yoga Sutras I tried to take my time. At the time I was in one of my first trainings and I was anxious to read what had been billed as THE yogic text. I dove in...and failed to truly understand what I was reading. I got sloppy, skimming through the sutras, convincing myself that I was comprehending the depth contained in the short passages.
It wasn't until years later I would -- one at at ime -- dive into each sutra and discuss its meaning in depth. I was told that the sutras were short and full of meaning and meant to be learned with a teacher. No kidding! That would have been helpful information 5 or so years before.
After all of that sutra analysis, I grew fond of simply hearing the sutras chanted/spoken in Sanskrit. Someone once told me that poetry didn't necessarily need to be understood, only spoken aloud so one could appreciate the rhthym of the words and in the rhythm of the words one would find the meaning. I began to wonder if the same would hold true for the Yoga Sutras.
Just recently I discovered Ram Vakkalanka, a yoga philosopher, Sanskrit expert, Kirtan artist, and Sitar musician. Ram recently released an audio CD of the Yoga Sutras. After starting with a brief invocation, the CD covers every sutra from each chapter in both Sanskrit and English. I hadn't chanted or spoken the Sutras in Sanskrit for quite some time, so it was nice to hear it again and try to follow along. I thoroughly enjoyed the alternating Sanskrit (read by Ram) and English (read by Karla Jacobsen) reading of the Sutras and the pacing of the CD overall. If you find pouring through a text of the Yoga Sutras to be a bit dull and tedious, I highly recommend Ram's CD (which you can purchase by contacting him through his Web site).
Ram knows his stuff and has some excellent YouTube videos for anyone interested in a Sanskrit primer and/or an introduction to Ram's teaching of the Yoga Sutras:
Excerpt from Ram's Sanskrit workshop
Yoga Sutra lesson complete with Q&A
Frankly, I'm glad that I revisited the Sutras. Sometimes all it takes is a good teacher and a new way of learning (audio instead of visual) to make the Sutras come alive.
Namaste!
