Customer Reviews

The Essence of Yoga: Reflections on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

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I have actively studied this book for over 2 years. It is the next best thing to studying with a learned scholar & practitioner. While studying w/ two such teachers, I have used several translations. While they all have their merits, none are as good as this for conveying an understanding of the work as a whole and it's relevance to perennial human concerns. The literal translation of each sutra is the least vauable part of the book and here I can see room for some debate on a few individual sutras. More valuable, however, is the commentary and discussion. Here the book excels, like a good teacher. I found the occasional scholarly tangential discussion of Samkhya and Ayurveda quite useful and relevant to better understand the overall content. If I had to recommend just one sutra book, this would be it.

I ordered this book from Amazon and was amazed by the structure and content of this presentation. The only factor that may distract the careful reader is that it is a translation from French and by no means it is perfect. Some misspelling remained and there are some sentences that leave the reader clueless (not necessarily because of the cosmic info transmitted). The original work must be a decent piece, it is a pity that its translation is less accurate.

If really interested in the Yoga Sutras, by I.K. Taimni's 'The Science of Yoga', which is exactly about the same topic, discussing the Yoga Sutras, but really in-depth.

What an amazing reflection on the sturas! Bouanchaud does an exceptional job breaking down the sutras into manageable chunks, with leading questions to help you personalize and internalize the ancient text. Giving the sanskrit words and pronunciation along side the english is also helpful. The "table of contents" listing of each sutra at the beginning of the book is a wonderful way to find the sutra you seek, though they are all such phenominal concepts to think on. The questions for each sutra are wonderful to start a yoga class, a conversation, or just a way to start your thought process rolling. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, it will change the way you see things!

One of the best translations of the Yoga Sutra's EVER. I always keep getting more out of this book everytime I read it. The questions and reflections he poses are truly insightful. I recommend this book to all my serious yoga students.

If you are planning a serious study of the sutras, simultaneously using several translations, be sure to include this one. While the many other translations have their merits, this one is exceptional. Unfortunately, this text is out of print, but occasionally there are reasonably priced used copies.

The book was in excellent condition and arrived very quickly. I am very pleased with my purchase and would highly recommend this seller!!