The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali with Leanne Whitney

Leanne Whitney, PhD, is author of Consciousness in Jung and Patanjali. She is a transformational coach and also teaches yoga philosophy to yoga teachers.

Here she describes an experience of pure, unitary consciousness that initiated her journey of exploration into yoga philosophy and practice. She provides an overview of the Yoga Sutras -- focusing on the distinction between pure consciousness and the contents of consciousness. She also describes the eight limbs of yoga and how each of them contributes to the quieting of the mind.

New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is author of The Roots of Consciousness. He is also a past vice-president of the Association for Humanistic Psychology; and is the recipient of the Pathfinder Award from that Association for his contributions to the field of human consciousness exploration.

(Recorded on November 6, 2017)

[rajendrakher]

We Indians believe that Yog (Yoga) was introduced by Lord Shiva.Then Kapil Muni elobrated it, and afterwards Sage Patanjali set this Yog in Sutras; some five thousand years ago. Before practicing Yog, it is necessary to follow Yama-Niyama. As Bhagwan (Lord) says in the Bhagavad-Gita one should change the lifestyle, ie should follow Satvik lifestyle, try to remove or discard Shoka that is residing in mind and then one should practice Yog. This is very effective way.

[addictioninthefamily]

This is great, As an Ashtanga Yogi of many years and a Taoist/Tantrist for decades before that this is one of the most simplistic and easy to understand descriptions of the sutras I have heard. As a therapist of 30 years I caution that listening and hearing and then becoming are very different things. there are no short cuts. I love your mind Ms. Whitney. Very good!!!

[Sincere-c]

Her smile and her thoughts all points to a very pure mind. So grateful to watch this.

[TheTalkWatcher]

Jeff is such brilliant interviewer. We need more people like him in media. I have really enjoyed this episode. Dr. Whitney was awesome.

[wizardofb]

I liked this interview.Both Jeff and Dr.Leanney are genuine researchers. Dr.Leanney have in depth knowledge of Yogasutras. Immediately subscribed.Thanks

[lnbartstudio]

Marvelous! Shakti unleashed! Thank you for this.

[clattereffect]

the "asana" which we call yoga is here in the west and now in the modern east, is not the yoga pantajali is talking about in his sutras...asana was introduced much later...e.g. meant to prepare a new student on the yoga sutra path for long deep meditation in lotus or help relieve the aches or pains associated with those long meditation session or get the circulation going again...and they were originally a handful of seated poses...nothing of the contortionist poses we see today in yoga magazines...

[vedicwarriorOriginal]

Loved this talk. I appreciate how open-minded and inquisitive both are. Thanks for sharing. 🙏🕉

[anandgudimanchi]

Jeffrey Mishlove is master of knowledge and kept this interview going and chipping in and taking this interview to high level

[Nyckelharpsmusik]

We must not forget that Maharishi Patanjali acctualy was an incarnation of Adi Shesha, the thousandheaded snake that Vishnu resids on in the "Milky Ocean" or you could say the "Transcendental Ocean" or "The Self" or "Samadhi" or Atma/Brahman or "Bliss Consciousness" or "Cosmic Consciousness" that is beyond and at the ground of Creation or the Universe. During the Kali Yuga, according to Sri Vaishnava tradition, he was born as Patanjali Maharishi, Ramanujacharya, and Manavala Mamunigal.[ He was not accompanied by God during the Kali Yuga. Instead, he incarnated alone to spread devotion among the people, being a peaceful incarnation.
He was also one of the Masters in the Shancaracharya-tradition, the Great Gaudapada Swamiji.

[beethovensg]

This doctor is so vivacious. Thank you for your insights.

[bodhiheeren]

Nice, intelligent interview. I look forward to reading the book.

[Nyckelharpsmusik]

Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi is the technique to activate the "Power-Sutras" described by Maharishi Patanjaliji. This is called "Sanyama", to do this three together is the hole secret and is not taught in the book of the "Yoga Sutras". I have also experiended "Pure Consciousness", but it lasted for hole 3 days and nights. "I " wittnessed when the body was sleeping and dreaming, but "I" or "the Cosmic Consciousness" was always awake inside, totaly free, unbonded, whit white light, total "Bliss", total Stillness and total Silence. My "ego" was completly gone! This Peac-experience also showed me that the "Pure Consciousness" has threee aspects inside of itself that it showed. It was : "Sat - Chit -Ananda". Sat has actualy two aspects to it. It is depending if the human mind is going in from the dualistic world, as it often does in meditation or same similar forms of activity, like Bhajans, Prayer, mental techniques that goes invards and so on. Then it is experienced as a unbounded Consciusness and pure light, and wast infinity and all does aspects that I have mensioned earlier, but if you are in the Pure Consciusness and the activity goes out, then it is experienced as intellect! Sat and Buddhi has similar mening= Enlightened Intellect! A Buddha is a person with an enlightened intellect, which means that he/she have reached the "Self" or become "Selfrealised" or attained "Cosmic Consciusness". In indian terms or mythology you could also say that the person has attained "Samadhi" or reaced the Atma/Brahman deep inside. There are ofcause many other words for this state of consciousness, like" Nirvikalpa Samadhi", "Bliss-Consciousness" or even "Unity Consciousness".
The other aspect is Chit. Chit is the wittnissing aspect of Pure Consciousness or you could also say the "Silent Wittness" inside every living being! It wittness all tings that happened both inside and also outside of consciousness or we could also say in Creation. This Wittnessing Consciousness is recording everything that happens both to an individual and also to all individuals and finaly also everyting that happend inside the hole Univere or the Creation that in indian mytology is called "Hiranyagarbha", the cosmic egg. This Chit is also responible to what is known as Akasha-memory! Is is a cosmic memory and it records all that is happening to all individuals in the Univere and also records what is happening all around in the Univers or in the Creation.
The Ananda is experienced as small white clouds whit a lightness and ease as a small mist, but moving out from the "Self", through the "Self", out in the Univers or the Creation, back to the "Self" and finaly into the "Self"again. This is an eternal moving steram of "Bliss" and it is "White Light" of "Pure Love". And it is also that which creates everything. It is what creates the Creation or the hole Univere! So Pure Love is the building block of everything. If you slow down the vibrations on this pure lihght, you get sound and if you slow down the vibrations on sound you get matter. So "Ananda creates everyting", a indian wise Master oneced said. Bliss and Love Ingemar /Bhuvaneswar

[bennguyen]

Regarding the 5m mark on how yoga means to yoke or unite.. what's often overlooked is that a yoke has 2 functions.. one is to unite (like animals to a plow or cart), but the yoke also functions to control the animals and direct as needed. Why this observation is significant is that it's said that 350 A.D. Pantajali's sutras are concerned not so much with union but with control (breath, body, and mind)... i.e. the the 8 sequential limbs/angas are about control
1) controlling behavior (yama prohibitions like stealing, lying, etc... and niyama injunctions like fasting, studying, etc)
2) control over body, breath (and therefore nervous system), and senses (asana posture, breath pranayama, senses pratyahra)
3) controlling the mind (dharana concentration (ex. mantra), dhyana meditation (laminar flow), samadhi absorption (non-duality))

BTW, I thought there are 5 major Hindu texts, classified as either eternal (Vedas cosmology, Brahmanas), or mortal (Upanishads, Laws Of Manu, Ramayana, Mahabharata/Bhagavad Gita). Perhaps Patanjali is considered one of the 6 major Indian schools of philosophy (ShhaDarshana)
1) Jaimini's Purva Mimansa,
2) Patanjali's yoga,
3) Gautama's Nyaya (Buddhism),
4) Kanada's Vaisheshika,
5) Vyasa's Uttar Mimansa,
6) Kapila's Sankhya

BTW, any thoughts on Advaita Vedanta? Swami Sarvapriyananda has some great videos on it!

[baburamgewali]

sweet experience of hearing this type of dialogue

[dharmayogaashram]

This is all spurious. Real Yoga is all about the Hindu religion.

[raycosmic]

Outer = making it happen.
Inner = letting it happen.

Inner free-fall is the fastest way to the center of Being.

Center of Being = Being aware of being aware.

[SciFiFanatic]

It would be nice to bring in a little more variety in the interviews on this playlist. For example, exploring the different varieties of Buddhist practice, like Theravada or Zen. Thanissaro Bikkhu is a very articulate exponent of the Theravada Thai Forest tradition of Buddhism. Daoism is another fascinating subject, you can have Eva Wong or an academic like Isabelle Robinet or Kristofer Schipper.

[wcropp]

This one was especially interesting. Great interview, thanks!

[kelderecgraugnom]

There is a very big mistake inside: she doesn´t mentioned that there are hundreds of translations of Yogasutra. To explain Yogasutra makes only little sence, because it has to do with experience and is no intellektuell discussion stuff. I am big fan from Patanjali since decades and studied this with 6 different translations. And my background is Gestalttherapie and not Jung. And even this makes a big difference in "interpretation".