Yoga Darshana Upanishad: Ancient Insight into the System of Ashtanga Yoga

Yoga Darśana Upaniṣad is Volume 3 in the Yoga Upaniṣad series. Yoga Chudamani Upaniṣad and Yoga Tattwa Upaniṣad are Volumes 1 and 2 in the series. Yoga Darśana Upaniṣad has ten sections which describe in detail the eightfold path of yoga. The topics of the ten sections are the ten ethical behaviours (yama), ten inner disciplines (niyama), the nine main physical and meditative postures, the subtle or energetic body, the breath and breathing practices, withdrawal of the senses (pratyāhāra), concentration (dhāraṇā), meditation (dhyāna) and transcendence (samādhi), the eighth limb of rāja yoga. These teachings on pratyāhāra and dhāraṇā are unique, and will not be found in other texts on yoga or meditation. Included in the text are the original Sanskrit verses, transliteration, word meanings, translation by Ruth Perini and a comprehensive commentary by Swami Satyadharma Saraswati.