Living the Sutras: A Guide to Yoga Wisdom beyond the Mat

I've ready many translations of the Yoga Sutras. This is the book I return to again and again to deepen my self-study. It is relevant and accessible, and invites me back to simplicity when my yoga practice and daily life are feeling overwhelming or uninteresting. The Yoga Sutras can sometimes feel like a dense and tiresome read; with the added reflection questions, I found I was able to apply the sutras to my lived experience in a beautiful way. I discover or remember something about myself every time I pop the book open. Highly recommend!

Imagine sitting down to tea with a trusted friend or mentor to discuss the greatest, but perhaps most challenging, book you have ever read- the book of your own life. Through a combination of relevant and accessible translations, engaging commentary, and on-point reflection prompts, Living the Sutras provides a structure for readers to engage with yoga philosophy in a way that is down to earth and immediately applicable to one's life. It is clear the authors carefully thought out their word choice for the translation to infuse the philosophy with modern language without losing meaning. The commentaries provide authentic examples of how the sutras play out in daily life and create a bridge between the philosophy of the sutras and the prompts that model how these ancient ideas can be applied to one's life. The reflection prompts build throughout the book creating a common thread to allow the reader to go deeper and deeper into self-study. Perhaps the greatest value of this book is that is highly engaging and is not a passive read of dense ancient text. If you are looking for a way to better understand your goals and purpose in life this book will be a great companion on your journey.

I just finished reading this book and found it to be incredibly engaging with the journal prompts after the simple and yet heart-opening commentary. I think a book like this, about practices, calls for a way to engage with the material in the way that the authors provide. I am a yoga teacher with a focus on beginners. I will recommend this book to students and friends for years to come and I will come back to it again and again.

Love this book! Very thoughtful and well written. Helps me with journaling my thoughts and explains the sutras very well.

Good basic understanding of the Yoga principles.Easy to read and think about.

As I sit down to start reading this book for the second time, I see pages filled with highlights and notes in the margins. I am so grateful to have thus book to open so many doors of understanding.

I like the informal translation and a lot of the commentary. If it contained the entirety of the Yoga Sutras I would have given it 5 stars. But it stops abruptly at 3.3 and leaves out the bulk of part 3 and all of part 4.

If, like me, you’ve loved the physicality of yoga for a long time but have not really explored the spiritual side of it, this book will be a revelation. The authors have a thoroughly engaging style and do an amazing job of sharing how and why living the sutras can make a huge impact on you inside and out. Highly recommend!

I was dissapointed in this to be honest. I bought it after listening to the ladies on a podcast. It’s okay but I didn’t learn anything new sadly.

This is my most used Yoga Sutra book that I have found incredibly helpful during my yoga course. I struggled to grasp the concepts in some of the more traditional yoga sutra books, so I always read this book first and their explanations make so much sense. Totally recommend, get this one first!

Gift which was well received and in good condition.

A very easy read! If you already tried reading the sutras and did not get too far, this is the book for you! :)

Relatable and very practical take on the Yoga Sutra.