Lee - True yoga: practicing with the yoga sutras for happiness & spiritual fulfillment

Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

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True Yoga: Practicing with the Yoga Sutras for Happiness & Spiritual Fulfillment 2016 by Jennie Lee.

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First e-book edition 2016

E-book ISBN: 9780738747750

Book design by Bob Gaul
Cover art by iStockphoto.com/34298342/CPD-Lab
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Cover design by Ellen Lawson
Editing by Ed Day
Part Page art by iStockphoto.com/34298342/CPD-Lab
iStockphoto.com/1910736/molotovcoketail

Llewellyn Publications is an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data (Pending)
ISBN: 978-0-7387-4625-8

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Llewellyn Publications

Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

2143 Wooddale Drive

Woodbury, MN 55125

www.llewellyn.com

Manufactured in the United States of America

This book is dedicated to God,
the greatest Love of all.

Disclaimer

The material in this book is not intended as a substitute for trained medical or psychological advice. Readers are advised to consult their personal healthcare professionals regarding treatment. The publisher and the author assume no liability for any injuries caused to the reader that may result from the readers use of the content contained herein and recommend common sense when contemplating the practices described in the work.

Contents

by Amy Weintraub

: Limb One Inner Work: Connecting to Your True Nature

: Peacefulness (Ahimsa): Happiness Begins Within

: Truthfulness (Satya): Integrity Creates Personal Power

: Generosity (Astheya): Giving Initiates the Law of Prosperity

: Self-Control (Brahmacharya): Moderation Increases Energy

: Appreciation (Aparigraha): Gratitude Brings Abundance

: Limb Two Life Integration: Creating a Harmonious Existence

: Purity (Saucha): Choosing Less Offers More

: Contentment (Santosha): Accepting What Is Equals Freedom

: Right Action (Tapas): Pairing Passion and Non-Attachment

: Self-Reflection (Swadhaya): Discovering Your True Nature

: Devotion (Iswara Pranidhana): Surrendering to Love

: Limbs ThreeEight Deeper Practices: Connecting to Your Divinity

: Right Posture (Asana): Physical Practice for Comfort and Ease

: Energy Management (Pranayama): Control and Expansion of the Life Force

: Inward Turning (Pratyahara): The Peace That Waits Within

: Focused Attention (Dharana): Developing Concentration

: Meditation (Dhyana): The State of True Stillness

: Liberation (Samadhi): Achieving Lasting Bliss

Foreword

Over the centuries, many have studied and made commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Being unfamiliar with Jennie Lee as a teacher, when I received True Yoga: Practicing with the Yoga Sutras for Happiness and Spiritual Fulfillment, I questioned what she might have to offer that was new. What I found was a teacher who recognized her Self in the classical text, as though already knowing it by heart. Her interpretive commentary is grounded in five different translations, but comes from direct reflection on their meaning in her life. Jennie Lee engages with the Yoga Sutras as one who lives them, and she shares from the perspective that learning is an affirmation of lived experience, not memorization. As such, she gives us this gifta beautifully written translation and commentary rooted in compassion, in which we too can see ourselves reflected. This way of connecting with the Yoga Sutrasthrough personal and direct communication, where the reader can have that ah-ha moment of recognitionis the most valuable way to learn.

In one of my favorite commentaries on the Sutras, Swami Venkatesananda makes the distinction between conveying and communication. One can convey information, but meaning comes from true communication. In communication, he says, misunderstanding does not take place, because in communication the two become one. They are on the same wavelength and the meaning is transmitted from heart-to-heart. This kind of communication does not come easily through words alone. And yet, it can happen when we find a text that so meets us, heart-to-heart, that we immediately understand its meaning. This is the way the Yoga Sutras are meant to be studied. The commentary you hold in your hands may be such a vehicle for this heart-to-heart connection between you and the deeper meaning of the Sutras.

Related to each Sutra, you will find daily practices, self-inquiry questions, and affirmations that help you not only to integrate the wisdom of the Sutras in your life but will also bring you more joy. Rather than the discipline emphasized in some Yoga Sutra commentaries, the viewpoint this one invites you to hold is that of a growing Self-awareness combined with compassion for who you truly are beneath mood and story and the challenges you face in daily life. This is a commentary that speaks directly, heart to heart. Just listen and respond.

Amy Weintraub, founder of the
LifeForce Yoga Healing Institute and author of