The Yoga Sutras are regarded as the foundational scripture upon which the teachings of Yoga are based. It is an ancient treatise that is attributed to the Indian sage Patanjali and primarily deals with the human mind and self-knowledge. It consists of 196 (or 195) aphorisms (short, concise statements) and is divided into four chapters:

1. Theory of the Mind (Samadhi Pada)
2. Spiritual practice (Sadhana Pada)
3. Supernatural powers (Vibhuti Pada)
4. On liberation (Kaivalya Pada)

This text provides a guide for personal development and achieving enlightenment. The goal of the Yoga Sutras is to help you calm the mind so that you can ultimately enter deeper levels of consciousness. They are written in Sanskrit (which is also referred to as 'the sacred language'), an ancient Indian scholarly language, and in general, the individual sutras are often translated and interpreted differently according to who translated them.

Fortunately, I am allowed to publish the version that resonates most with me (in a version that I shortened) here on my site. The original version is in German and was translated into English. This version of the Yoga Sutras comes from Narada Marcel Turnau, who created a wonderful site about yoga philosophy, spiritual practice, and universal mysticism, where you can find a lot of great knowledge on these topics. It's best to take a look at his website yourself, check out the original version of the Yoga Sutras (not just the shortened version listed here), and take a look at other topics he also offers (you will need your browser's internal translator, a translation add-on, or Google Translate as the site is in German): Vedanta-Yoga.de

So let's start... I. Chapter: Theory of the mind