Congratulations to the following Teachers who were successful at the September/October 2025 end of year Assessments.

Level 1 Assessment – Iyengar Yoga Institute of Bondi Junction, Sydney 10-12 October – Michael Brothers, Michelle Reedy, Carolyn Morgan, Andrea Werner, Patrick Nagle, Natalie Davis, Tracey Tishler, Michael Lever, Sarah Phillips.

Level 2 Assessment – Balmain Iyengar Yoga Studio, Sydney 24-26 October– Tracey Kessler, Samantha Baker, Jamie Denham, Emma Hamill.

Level 3 Assessment – Iyengar Yoga Institute of Bondi Junction, Sydney 19-21 September – Lisa Tonelli-Smith, Claire Walshe.

The Importance and relevance of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras

By James Hasemer

This is the second of a three-part presentation on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali that James gave at the Iyengar Yoga National Convention held at Maroochydore in February 2023 In the previous post a justification for the importance of the study of the Yoga Sutras was given, however studying it is no easy task. The subject matter is highly complex and the text is brief and terse to the point of being obscure. In this post two topics are introduced which may help in making sense of the terrain of the Yoga Sutras.

Yoga Bhasya

The sutra writing style was the formal style of writing for darsana texts at the time of Patanjali. Sutras are dense, cryptic, aphorisms - sometimes described as ‘textual minimalism’ - taking as much information and knowledge and condensing it into as few words as possible. As they were primarily composed for oral transmission and memorisation by ascetics, sutras are compact and concise - indeed, the Yoga Sutras themselves contain only about 1200 words over 195 sutras - and as such are at times impossible to make sense of without elaboration. These terse, cryptic aphorisms were traditionally ‘unpacked’ by a guru or commentator.

There is a tradition of commentary on philosophical texts in India, and while there have been a number of respected commentaries written on the Yoga Sutras over the centuries, it is Vyasa’s Yoga Bhasya that is considered to be both the oldest and most authoritative commentary:

In fact the Yoga Bhasya has attained a status whereby it is considered to be almost as authoritative as the primary text of Patanjali itself. Not only does it clarify the meaning of the sutras, but it simply is not possible to make full sense of the Yoga Sutras without the commentary of Vyasa’s Bhasya.

English translations of Vyasa’s Bhasya are hard to come by, however Swami Hariharananda Aranya’s Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali is a good option. His work consists of the sutra and bhasya commentary presented in Devanagari script, followed by his English translation. His personal commentary is also included as long footnotes, which hold considerable merit considering his decision to turn his back on his wealthy Bengali upbringing and spend the last 21 years of his life meditating in a cave.

Sankhya

Sankhya is another subject that one needs to be aware of when studying the Yoga Sutras. Sankhya is actually another darsana, or Indian philosophical school (see previous post), that proposes a path to liberation through analysing and penetrating what is known as the tattvas, or various layers of reality. Whereas Yoga uses experiential methods, or direct experience, to discern Ultimate Reality, Sankhya proposes a path to liberation through critical discernment and intellectual analysis. Even though they are considered separate darsanas a fundamental relationship exists between Sankhya and Yoga in that Sankhya's philosophy forms the metaphysical blueprint for Yoga. Sankhya tells us about the objects of the world that we interact with and the components of the body, mind and consciousness. It names each part, teaches us its function, how they relate with each other, and how they evolve. It is effectively a map for our yoga practice.

At its core, Sankhya proposes an ontological dualism - two types of entities (or tattvas) that exist in the universe. Firstly there is purusa: pure consciousness the higher self, the inner witness, the Seer, the soul, the atman, what Patanjali calls the drastu, our fundamental identity. Secondly there is prakriti: all of materiality, all things from the gross physical material world (mountains, trees, cars, bodies, etc) to the subtle aspects of the mind, which includes even a thought from one’s own psychological world. (This is quite different from the more familiar Western Cartesian dualism which posits a fundamental ontological dualism between mind and matter. In Sankhya both mind & matter are part of prakrti.)

According to Sankhya both of these entities are ontologically distinct, but somehow purusa and prakrti have become entangled and resulted in the manifest world taking shape. Due to this entanglement, we have developed a case of avidya, or ignorance, which misperceives our true identity (pure consciousness) and falsely identifies with the mind (or citta) and body. At its essence, the goal of Sankhya (and Yoga) is to disentangle, or unyoke, purusa and prakrti, so that one can realise their true nature and obtain freedom (kaivalya).

The catalyst for the interaction of purusa & prakrti are the three gunas - sattva (lucidity, most subtle layer of prakrti), rajas (activity), and tamas (inertia, the grossest aspect of prakrti). According to Sankhya the gunas are the fabric, or building blocks, of all of materiality (or prakrti). The gunas are displayed in the diagram above like this because, just as yellow, red and blue as the 3 primary colours form the basis for the infinite range of colours on a colour spectrum, sattva, rajas and tamas form the basis for all of prakrti, including our bodies & minds (and psychological make-up). Another way of looking at our yoga practice is as an attempt to reduce tamas and rajas, and increase sattva.

The interaction of the gunas also results in the evolution of prakrti, or the appearance of the manifest world as we know it, in the form of the tattvas - a hierarchy of different levels of reality, from subtle to gross layers. The evolution of the various levels of tattvas are represented in the following table: As shown in the diagram the tattvas start with the most subtle layers of the mind and evolve through our various organs and senses, to the gross elements of nature.

The Sankhya system is classified as satkarya - the effects of the world are present in their cause. Gross matter is an evolute of subtler levels of tattvas, right back through to the most subtle layer of the mind, buddhi (or intelligence), which underpins all reality. For sankhya the path to liberation consists of the involution of the tattvas - moving through, via metaphysical enquiry & analysis, from the gross to the most subtle layers of the mind until one is able to perceive & realise one’s own true nature as purusa. Sankhya provides the metaphysical or theoretical basis for the realisation of purusa, while yoga provides the practice. Having a basic understanding of Sankhya is indispensable for making sense of the Yoga Sutras and our yoga practice generally.

In conclusion, the study of the Yoga Sutras presents a significant challenge due to its complex subject matter and terse writing style. To navigate through this terrain, the tradition of commentary plays a crucial role, with Vyasa's Yoga Bhasya being the oldest and most authoritative commentary on the Sutras. Additionally, having some basic understanding of Sankhya and the numbered layers of reality which it proposes, is useful, even essential, when studying the Yoga Sutras.

References

[1] The Yoga Sutras Of Patanjali: A New Edition, Translation And Commentary, Edwin F Bryant, 2009

[2] Yoga Philosophy Of Patanjali, Swami Hariharananda Aranya, 1963

[3] Learning the Yoga Sutras with Clarity and Rigour, Srineet & Prashant Iyengar (audio)

'The following references should have been included in the first article published in the June Newsletter: [1] Light On The Yoga Sutras Of Patanjali, BKS Iyengar, 1993 [2] The Yoga Sutras Of Patanjali: A New Edition, Translation And Commentary, Edwin F Bryant, 2009 [3] Learning the Yoga Sutras with Clarity and Rigour, Srineet & Prashant Iyengar (audio)’

What is the most challenging thing about running a yoga studio?

Of course, there are all the challenges of running a business and making it viable, but I think one of the most challenging points is marrying that to your development as a practitioner, a teacher and being the one responsible for the unique culture of your school. I belong to the greater fraternity that is Iyengar Yoga, and I am the product of a senior teacher lineage (in my case Peter Scott). But understanding, developing and communicating to others how B.K.S Iyengar’s teachings manifest in me is the most fundamental and critical issue.

Not having the sufficient level of certification (I’m currently JI2) to run a teacher training program has been a real and frustrating handicap in the development of that process.

Not only does teacher training provide another income stream, though that would be useful, but more so that it would encourage progression, for me, for the student body and the school.

Over the years I have steered students keen to undertake teacher training towards senior teachers in Melbourne, which has had some success but on some occasions, they have discontinued because of the difficulties associated with having to travel or because I am their teacher and they wanted to develop under my tutelage.

All of this then leads to the issue of ‘staffing’. Over the years it has been challenging to staff the school with certified Iyengar Yoga teachers and when I have, they have often been of a different lineage to me and were not able to a provide a cohesive learning environment. They have never been students of mine or my school and have no inherent commitment beyond earning a wage.

It is in no way a criticism of those teachers, but they are not products of nor fully integrated into the culture of the school.

What is the most rewarding?

I have been in the same place for 14 years now. I have observed students go through all sorts of ups and downs and it gives me great satisfaction to witness how vital a constant practice and the school is to their wellbeing.

Through relationship dramas, marriages, pregnancies, family deaths, career upheavals and health issues, students often tell me that yoga is their time, on the mat and at the school that has enabled them to cope.

Like all schools, many students come through the doors a few times, and you never see them again; however, you see when someone is profoundly captivated by the possibilities that Iyengar Yoga has to offer, and you know that it will be with them for life. There is no better reward.

Describe your demographic.

Geelong is undergoing a shift, and so are those attending classes. Traditionally the average student has been close to 50 years old, but there are also some in their 20s and others in their 70s.

Predominantly women, though I suspect I have more men in my classes than most other schools given, I am one of the few male teachers around, and I even run a specific male class.

Over the last few years, people have been less inclined to drive into Geelong CBD to attend classes, and there are more and more yoga schools in the surrounding suburbs, so numbers have decreased.

However, we are starting to get a few younger students and more office workers coming to classes, particularly with the offer of our new lunchtime classes.

Until about four years ago, we operated purely on an enrolment basis, and most people enrolled for and attended one class a week. Now we have unlimited passes, and class credit and students attend two, three and even more classes per week.

We seem to get less of the fitness-oriented students into our classes than other schools. Not much Lululemon or fluoro tops in our classes!

How do you market your business?

We try to encourage ‘word of mouth’ referrals, and we hold regular events at the school, such as concerts, International Yoga Day celebrations to boost our profile.

We put flyers in some local businesses, and we always keep brochures outside the front door as we located in an area of high level of foot traffic.

We also write directly to surrounding corporations, and place editorial content in local media whenever possible but stopped paying for print ads some years ago. Increasingly we invest time and money into social media, predominately Facebook.

How do you feel Iyengar Yoga sits in the wider yoga community?

I sense that we are sort of begrudgingly respected but considered to be somewhat elitist, insular and not a lot of fun!

There are now quite a few new yoga schools around me and they nearly all seem to share a growing number of casual, mostly younger teachers who seem to do ‘cool’ somewhat better (than me at least!). Plus they are all offering teacher training programs.

What I can say is that very few people who come through my door for the first time have much knowledge about Iyengar Yoga, if they have even heard the term before.

They come in cold, or they have heard that Geelong City Yoga is the place to go if they have some physical issue or are a bit older. About 15 percent come looking for Iyengar Yoga, and even then, it is nearly always because they have practiced the method somewhere else.

What is your one (or most important) piece of advice for someone wanting to start a yoga school?

If you are starting a school, be clear that it will take over, or more accurately become your life. You will scarcely ever be able to go away for any length of time, and you will probably not make very much money, so you really need to love teaching! And like any other business, keep your overheads as low as possible!

Anything you would do differently if you started from scratch tomorrow.

It seemed much simpler when I started, or maybe I just had the energy and blind optimism of a younger man!

There were far fewer people doing yoga, but there was also much less competition. I started Iyengar Yoga in 1991 and did my teacher training in 94/95. Iyengar Yoga was the new, cool yoga; the yoga younger people were doing as opposed to the Hatha style that mums were doing in the dusty local hall. When I started the school in 2004, I didn’t doubt that it could work. There were no other permanent yoga schools in Geelong, and the Iyengar style was a strong currency. There were no social media platforms to negotiate, and the fitness and fashion industries had not overrun yoga. It had not yet been so commoditized.

If I were starting out tomorrow, I would want a reasonable amount of money behind me. I also firmly believe it requires a team effort of complementary skills. Finally, I would ensure that the school had a clear path to teacher training. I would not undertake to open a school unless either a partner in the business or I could offer teacher training or I had an understanding with a senior teacher to be able to provide training at the school.

What did you do before you became a yoga teacher/started a school?

Before starting the school, I worked a lot in community theatre and in organizing social and environmental projects.