The Yoga Sutras Desk Reference: A Comprehensive Guide to the Core Concepts of Yoga - Paperback

by Nicolai Bachman (Author)

Sanskrit and yoga scholar Nicolai Bachman offers yoga teachers and students an in-depth resource for accessing, understanding, and practicing the core spiritual teachings of Patañjali's Yoga Sutras. Includes all the Sanskrit, color illustrations, and a full explanation of each concept.

Those who love the physical practice of yoga--its postures, movements, and breathwork--often find themselves seeking its deeper spiritual wisdom.

More than 2,000 years ago, the legendary master Patañjali illuminated the way with 195 pearls of insight known as the Yoga Sutras. With this indispensable and beautifully illustrated resource, Sanskrit and yoga philosophy teacher Nicolai Bachman brings us a modern, practical guide to Patañjali's foundational masterpiece.

Why do we react the way we do in certain situations? How can suffering be an opportunity for growth? Why are nonviolence and truth so important to students and society? Patañjali's sutras shine a timeless light on these questions and more.

To help us truly understand what yoga is, Bachman focuses on 51 key concepts, explains each one in great detail, and poses ways to contemplate and experience them in our own lives. This comprehensive work also includes a concise history of yoga and the sutras, a full translation of every sutra, several color illustrations of important process flows, a large glossary of Sanskrit terms, and many learning exercises.

Whether you're a seasoned instructor or a student looking to go further in your practice, The Yoga Sutras Desk Reference offers a treasury of teachings to discover and connect with your inner awareness.

Author Biography

Nicolai Bachman
Nicolai Bachman grew up a very curious introvert whose father and grandfather both had a philosophical mindset. After studying hard-style, then soft-style martial arts, he began learning yoga postures, then meditation, and then encountered Ayurveda, which was not well-known in America in 1991. He followed his heart, quit his job, and spent the next several years studying Ayurveda, Sanskrit, chanting, and yoga philosophy with the best teachers he could find. Every science/practice from India that he was exposed to drew him deeper into the wonderful matrix of Vedic wisdom. Along the way, Nicolai earned formal credentials in the form of an MA in Eastern Philosophy, an MS in Nutrition, and an E-RYT 500 registration.

Nicolai studied extensively in mostly one-on-one or small-class environments at the American Sanskrit Institute, the Ayurvedic Institute, the American Institute of Vedic Studies, and the Vedic Chant Center. His education combines informal, traditional study with the academic rigor of university classes. He has a knack for synthesizing and organizing complex topics into simple and understandable presentations, expressed in the classes he teaches and in his publications which include The Language of Yoga, The Path of the Yoga Sutras, The Language of Ayurveda, The Language of Jyotisha, and 108 Sanskrit Flash Cards. Nicolai actively teaches to groups and individuals both virtually and in-person. Learn more at sanskritsounds.com.