FOREWORD.

These lectures are intended to give an outline of Yoga From the Sanskrit root "yuj," meaning to yoke or unite; a system of physical, mental, and spiritual practices aimed at achieving a state of inner peace and union with the divine., in order to prepare the student to take up, for practical purposes, the Sūtras of Patañjali The foundational text of Yoga philosophy, consisting of 196 aphorisms (sūtras) compiled by the sage Patañjali., the chief treatise on Yoga. I have on hand, with my friend Bhagavān Dās An Indian Theosophist and scholar (1869–1958) who collaborated with Besant on several Sanskrit translations. as collaborateur A French term for collaborator or co-worker., a translation of these Sūtras, with Vyāsa’s Refers to the author of the 'Yogabhāṣya', the earliest and most authoritative commentary on Patañjali's Yoga Sūtras. commentary, and a further commentary and elucidation written in the light of Theosophy A modern spiritual movement founded in the late 19th century that seeks to reconcile western science and eastern philosophy.. To prepare the student for the mastering of that more difficult task, these lectures were designed; hence the many references to Patañjali. They may, however, also serve to give to the ordinary lay reader some idea of the Science of sciences A term used by the author to denote Yoga as the ultimate discipline that studies the nature of consciousness itself., and perhaps to allure a few towards its study.