Yoga Philosophy: Where do I start?

Basic concepts

It's a good idea to start by acquiring some background knowledge of terminology and concepts. Yoga philosophy is strongly influenced by Samkhya philosophy, and Vedanta concepts are also often found. There is one book that I can recommend here - Seven Systems of Indian Philosophy by Rajmani Tigunait. I have summarised the most important points in this file, but the whole book is well worth reading. And on this page you will find definitions for some of the most commonly used phrases.

It’s also useful to have some knowledge of the long history of Yoga Philosophy, which stretches back at least 300 years. This History of Yoga Philosophy should be helpful.

And finally the beginner is strongly advised to buy a copy of Desikachar’s Heart of Yoga. This excellent book is an outstanding introduction to yoga. It has sections on āsana and prāṇāyāma, and also a very useful section on philosophy, which is essentially a user-friendly guide to the teachings of the Yoga Sutras. It also has the complete text of the Yoga Sutras accompanied by Desikachar's translation and commentary. You can get an idea of the contents from the pages devoted to this book, and the booklist page has author, title and ISBN information.

Yoga Philosophy Made Simple

Some time ago, I began writing a series of articles for the magazine of Yoga Scotland, in which I try to explain some of the key teachings of yoga philosophy. So far I have been writing about selected passages from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. I thought it might be useful to add them to these pages. You’ll find them in the “simple phil” section”.

Resources

I have included a Booklist page, which I plan to add to from time to time. It contains information about the books I have found most useful in my own study of yoga philosophy. I have not included any websites, mainly because I’m very much a “book person”, and place more reliance on the permanently printed word; also because I find it easier to read words on a book-page than on a computer screen.

Sanskrit Alphabet

The Sanskrit language was originally written in “Devanagari” script, which has around 50 letters -- obviously many more than the Roman alphabet which is used in English. There are various ways of representing Sanskrit letters in English. Being a pedant, I prefer the system of lines above long vowels, and dots etc above or below certain consonants, but there are various others. This can be confusing, as people are sometimes unsure of what the correct spelling is. My advice is not to let it worry you too much, but if you are interested in learning a little more, visit my page on the Sanskrit alphabet.

Basic texts

Beginners in yoga philosophy usually start from one of the following texts, and I am planning to include some material on each of these:

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
The Bhagavad Gita
The Upanishads.

Of these, the first is the most important, particularly in the tradition stemming from Krishnamacharya and Desikachar (often known as “Viniyoga”). This, I think, is because this tradition makes a real effort to make the philosophical teachings religion-free, in the sense that no one religious tradition predominates, and the Yoga Sutras lend themselves particularly well to this approach. The complete beginner is best advised to start with Desikachar’s Heart of Yoga. It includes his translation and short commentary on the Yoga Sutras and several chapters provide an extended commentary on the key concepts of the Sutras. It also provides a very useful introduction to the techniques of Viniyoga. If you want to take your study further there are many editions of the Sutras, and I have put some of the most useful on the Booklist page.

Some people will find that the Bhagavad Gita is one that speaks to them more clearly than the Sutras. It speaks to the heart rather than the head, and (up to a point) feels easier to read. But it’s important to realise that it is a text that has special meaning for Hindus, and some editions naturally put much stress on the Gita as a religious text. Some people will find the religious flavour a little off-putting, and my advice is to look for what the text has to say about yoga, and not worry too much about the element of Krishna-worship.

The third text, the Upanishads, is actually a collection of many texts. Traditionally there are 108 Upanishads, but of these there are only about a dozen that are usually regarded as the most important ones, and these are the ones found in most editions. Like the Bhagavad Gita, these are really religious texts, but in a way they are more acccessible to the non-religious, because they are more concerned with the contemplation of Brahman than of individual Hindu deities. However, their language can often be difficult, and they need a bit of getting used to.