Yoga Sūtra Chapter 3
Yoga Sūtra Chapter 3
– with analysis of Vyāsa’s commentary and ideas from other traditional commentators
Like flowers that bloom in unexpected places, every story unfolds with beauty and resilience, revealing hidden wonders. The Yoga Sūtra is such a flower and the Vyāsa commentary truly helps it to bloom and reveal its hidden treasures.
About Chapter 3
Chapter Three (Vibhūti Pāda) of Patañjali’s authoritative text on yoga is often less studied and considered to contain the somewhat esoteric section on the “special powers” (siddhi). However, many fundamental principles of Yoga philosophy are presented here; we find important sūtras on the nature of the mind, how change happens and many key principles applicable to Yoga Therapy. The siddhi themselves can be understood often through the lens of the 25 tattva of sāṁkhya and we will take a session to review this important schema and its relevance to chapter 3. We will seek to understand the siddhis both in their traditional context, and also in a more practical way: how are they relevant for us practising and teaching yoga now?
Many of our students who have studied chapter 3 with us report how surprised they have been in exploring its content and relevance,and have often found it the most enjoyable of the chapters to study, even if a little challenging in places.
This is a deep dive into the meaning, modern interpretation and also – uniquely – a deconstruction of Vyāsa’s commentary on the Yoga Sūtra presented in an accessible and enjoyable way.
About This Course
This course will consist of 17 online meetings on Zoom over approx 9months from 10am-1pm (London time) on a friday morning. This course will flex your intellectual, emotional and psychological muscles – in a very good way!
The course will be recorded and the recordings made available so it is possible to catch up with missed sessions, review sessions when convenient, and even to take the course at your own pace.
You will receive PDF worksheets to fill in directly, with all of the Sanskrit for the sūtra AND the Vyāsa commentary (with a translation), plus recordings of each session. There will be time for discussion and questions in a supportive group. We will analyse all of the words in the sūtra and extract the key ideas from Vyāsa’s commentary, summarising the remaining few places where the commentary is very long or obscure.
We think that this is a unique opportunity!
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the course cost?
The full course cost is £675.00 (earlybird cost £645 before 9 Sept) – payable by card or bank transfer.
If you are continuing on from chapter 2 and take advantage of the earlybird deadline the course is further reduced to £595 (payable by bank transfer).
If you have done chapter 2 with us previously in 2022 and would like to revisit it (and we have added a lot of extra detail), you can take the course again for £295 (payable by bank transfer)
Please note all payments are non-refundable.
We are also happy to arrange a staged payment plan on an individual basis.
What are the course dates?
9 Oct 2026, 30 Oct, 27 Nov, 11 Dec 2026,
8 Jan 2027 , 29 Jan, 26 Feb, 19 Mar,
9 Apr, 30 Apr, 21 May, 4 Jun, 25 Jun 2027
It is possible that we will add an additional date depending on progress so that we complete the chapter.
Is this a beginner’s course?
This course is aimed at students with some prior contact with the Yoga Sūtra as we will be going into considerable detail. However, if you are enthusiastic and happy to dive in, then why not? We will be analysing the Sanskrit words as it is helpful to open up their meaning and make links with other parts of the Yoga Sūtra, and other texts, but no knowledge of Sanskrit is required or assumed, and we are not seeking to teach Sanskrit on the course! Unlike previous courses we will include a translation of the key words in the Vyāsa commentary on the handouts so we have more time for discussion.
How can I enrol?
You can enrol by making payment by bank transfer or card. Please email us to confirm you have made payment.
Please contact Dave by email if you need the Sādhana Mālā bank details, or you wish to discuss a staged payment plan.
Got questions?
Feel free to reach out.