I have wanted to have a teacher on the podcast to talk to us about The Yoga Sutras for years, and I finally found the teacher we needed! Vikram Jeet Singh is here today to share an exploration of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras that is both accessible and deep.
Vikram is a certified yoga teacher with over twelve years and 11,000 plus hours of teaching experience. Besides asana, Vikram also teaches courses and workshops on classical yogic texts such as Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads. Additionally, he runs mentorship courses and workshops for teachers and practitioners to help bring yoga in every aspect of their lives. A strong advocate of diversity & inclusion, Vikram consults yoga teachers and studios on cultural appropriation, decolonization and inclusion in yoga and related spaces. Having moved from Toronto three years ago, Vikram and his family live in Goa.
In this episode you’ll hear:
- what has shifted in Vikram’s teaching as a result of his study of the Sutras
- the main differences between some of the popular commentaries and the ones he recommends
- what is most important for yoga teachers to know about Sutra 1.2
- how the Sutras define practice
- the main differences between the first and second books
- a deep dive into the Kleshas
- how free will plays out in terms of Kleshas and Karma
Resources Mentioned:
- The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali – Edwin F Bryant
- Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali with Bhasvati: Containing His Yoga Aphorisms with Commentary of Vyasa in Original Sanskrit, with Annotations and Allied … and Practice of Samkhya – Yoga, with Bhasvati – Hariharananda Aranya
- The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali – Sri Swami Satchidananda
- Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra – Shyam Ranganathan
- Vikram’s current offerings
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