Yoga Sūtra: The Classical Yoga of Patañjali
Yoga Sūtra: The Classical Yoga of Patañjali
Course 3002
Master the philosophy, goals, & practices of Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra & identify its Jain, Buddhist, & Vedic influences. Understand the history that allowed this text to become a text in the modern yoga canon.
Learning Objectives
• Learn the classical yoga of Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra and Vyāsa’s Bhāṣya
• Take time to reflect on and incorporate Patañjali’s principles into daily life
• Learn the text's Sanskrit vocabulary in depth to penetrate its deeper meaning
• Understand the Yoga Sūtra’s ancient as well as modern colonial history
Course Details
• 20-hour self-study course.• Additional readings offered as support material.
• Professor available by appointment.
Learning Area
Yoga, Self-care and Spirituality Instructor
Christopher Miller, PhD
Christopher Jain Miller is the co-founder, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Professor of Jain and Yoga Studies at Arihanta Institute. He completed his PhD in the study of Religion at the University of California, Davis and is also a Visiting Researcher at the University of Zürich's Asien-Orient-Institut and Visiting Professor at Claremont School of Theology where he co-developed and co-runs a remotely available Masters Degree Program focusing on Engaged Jain Studies. His current research focuses on Engaged Jainism and Modern Yoga, and he is the author of a number of articles and book chapters concerned with Jainism and the practice of modern yoga. Christopher is the author of Embodying Transnational Yoga: Eating, Singing, and Breathing in Transformation (Routledge 2024), as well as co-editor of the volumes Engaged Jainism: Critical and Constructive Approaches to the Study of Jain Social Engagement (SUNY 2025) and Beacons of Dharma: Spiritual Exemplars for the Modern Age (Lexington 2020).