Take your students on an excellently guided tour through the key lessons of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra. 8.75 hours of classroom time, illuminating key concepts and guiding juicy real-life discussions. Perfect for a 200 hour, 300 hour or continuing education program.

Fully editable.

What’s Included

• Discussion points and contemplations to understand and personalize Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra
• 8.75 hours of discussion and presentation, focused on key sutra from Pada 1 and Pada 2
• Historical context notes and alternate translations
• Curriculum specially designed to make philosophy relevant for yogis
• Fun and interactive discussions and activities to drive learning home
• Student handouts in Google Docs (downloadable as PDF or Word)

What You Need

• Students should have a copy of the text by their translator of choice (recommendations provided)

Lesson Plans & Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, your students will be able to:

Part 1: 75 minutes

• Describe Patanjali and his significance
• Name when the yoga sutra were compiled
• Paraphrase Sutra 1-4 in own words
• Chant Sutra 1.2 accurately
• Apply Patanjali’s definition of yoga to their personal modern practice and teaching of yoga

Part 2: 75 minutes

• Define vrtti
• List the five vrtti
• Define vairagya
• Define abhyasa
• Create a personal definition for Isvara

Part 3: 60 minutes

• Recognize the obstacles in one’s own practice
• Choose your favorite tool to combat these obstacles

Part 4: 60 minutes

• Define klesha
• Define avidya
• List the five kleshas and give a personal example of each

Part 5: 60 minutes

• List the eight limbs of yoga
• Define ahimsa
• Describe the application of each yama to a real life situation

Part 6: 75 minutes

• Describe the application of each niyama to a real life situation
• Define asana according to Patanjali
• Experience the steps of meditation according to Patanjali

Part 7: 2 hours

Part 7 describes an optional homework project and presentation from the students.

• Describe the impact of a sutra on their lives, their future decisions
• Describe how you would incorporate this sutra’s lesson specifically into three different moments of teaching a group class