The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Updated Modern Translation and Commentary

This edition of The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali is presented as a valuable bridge between ancient wisdom and contemporary understanding.

Earlier translations and commentaries on the Sutras of Patanjali have played a crucial role in introducing this monumental work to the West. Yet the landscape of spiritual inquiry has changed over the years. Readers today bring new questions, new challenges, and a renewed desire for clarity, relevance, and direct experience. In revisiting Johnston’s earlier work and that of older translations and commentaries, this edition:

• Updates antiquated language and terminology
• Integrates insights from multiple respected translations
• Offers expanded commentary grounded in both timeless contemplative traditions and modern psychological and neurological understanding
• Seeks to illuminate the practical application of each sutra in daily life

Rather than completely abandoning these earlier voices, this adaptation fosters a dialogue within the spirit of those commentaries, creating a fully updated conversation informed by more than a century of evolving spiritual and scientific exploration.