Paraphrases of verses

• Verse 1.4 “There is no fetter like illusion, no force greater than Yoga, no friend greater than knowledge, and no enemy greater than ego.”
• Verse 1.5 “Just as from studying the alphabet one may understand the scriptural teachings, so by practicing Yoga one may obtain knowledge of the Ultimate Reality.”
• Verse 1.8 “Like an unbaked pot in water, the body is always decaying. One should bake it with the fire of Yoga and make it pure.”
• Verse 1.9 “Purification, strength, steadiness, calmness, lightness, realization, and abstraction are the seven means of perfecting the body.”
• Verse 1.12 “Dhauti, Basti, Neti, Nauli, Trataka, and Kapalabhati — one should practice these six cleansing techniques.”
• Verse 1.19 “The great Varisara cleans the body. The yogi who practices it zealously obtains a divine body.”
• Verse 1.52 “Rotate the stomach quickly on both sides. This gets rid of all diseases and the bodily fire increases.”
• Verse 1.53 “Stare at a small object without blinking until tears start to fall. The wise call this Trataka.”
• Verse 1.54 “By using this practice, Shambhavi is sure to arise. Diseases of the eye disappear; one gets divine sight.”
• Verse 1.60 “One does not grow old, one does not get fevers, and one keeps imbalances at bay through purification.”
• Verse 2.1 “All together there are as many asanas as there are species of living beings. Shiva has taught 8,400,000.”
• Verse 2.7 “Siddhasana breaks open the door to liberation.”
• Verse 2.8 “Padmasana destroys diseases and ailments.”
• Verse 2.19 “Shavasana removes fatigue and brings rest to the mind.”
• Verses 2.29–30 “The glorious Mayurasana turns to ash all excess, unwholesome food and digests lethal poison.”
• Verses 2.42–43 “Through practice of Bhujangasana, the physical fire increases steadily, all diseases are destroyed, and the Serpent Goddess awakens.”
• Verse 3.30 “The body becomes beautiful, and samadhi is sure to arise through Khechari Mudra.”
• Verse 3.36 “Viparitakarani destroys decrepitude and death.”
• Verses 3.37–42 “Yonimudra awakens supreme union with Shiva and bestows bliss.”
• Verses 3.37–42 “With blissful mind, he should realize that he is Brahman.”
• Verse 3.49 “The great goddess Kundalini, the Shakti of the self, sleeps at the Muladhara.”
• Verse 3.51 “Just as he might open a door with a key, so should the yogi forcefully awaken Kundalini and break open the gateway of Brahman.”
• Verse 3.93 “The yogi who practices Bhujanginimudra quickly destroys all gastric ailments.”
• Verse 4.2 “The restless and unsteady mind is to be reined in from wherever it goes and brought under control in the self.”
• Verse 4.3 “Hold the mind back from sounds, whether complimentary, rude, pleasant, or horrible, and bring it under control in the self.”
• Verse 5.46 “Sahita, Suryabheda, Ujjayi, Shitali, Bhastrika, Bhramari, Murccha, and Kevali are the eight kumbhakas.”
• Verse 5.57 “Through pranayama, the yogi gets the ability to move through space; through pranayama, diseases are destroyed.”
• Verse 5.68 “Suryabheda destroys decrepitude and death.”
• Verses 5.71–72 “Ujjayi destroys constipation, consumption, and disorders of the spleen.”
• Verse 5.74 “Shitali kumbhaka is beneficial. One gets neither indigestion nor disorders of kapha and pitta.”
• Verses 5.76–77 “Bhastrika removes illness and brings daily health.”
• Verses 5.81–82 “In the resonance of the Bhramari sound, there is light, and in the light is the mind.”
• Verse 5.89 “When air is confined in the body, there is Kevalakumbhaka.”
• Verses 6.2–8 “The yogi should visualize a sublime ocean of nectar in his heart.”
• Verse 6.16 “Meditate on Brahman as made of light. This is the supreme, luminous dhyana.”
• Verse 6.21 “The supreme, subtle dhyana is a hundred thousand times better than the luminous dhyana.”
• Verse 6.22 “By means of dhyana Yoga, the soul becomes directly perceptible.”
• Verse 7.1 “Samadhi, the highest Yoga, is attained by the very fortunate.”
• Verse 7.3 “Separate the mind from the body and unite it with the supreme soul.”
• Verse 7.8 “Put the self in space and space in the self. When one sees the self as made of space, nothing else is perceived.”
• Verses 7.12–13 “By the realization that he is Brahman, nondual samadhi arises.”
• Verses 7.14–15 “A condition arises that is accompanied by bliss, tears, and goose bumps. Samadhi arises, and manonmani follows on from it.”
• Verse 7.16 “Through union with the highest self, one can attain samadhi.”
• Verse 7.18 “The entire universe consists of Vishnu.”
• Verse 7.20 “In the body, the self is consciousness. It is without a second, eternal, and supreme.”
• Verses 7.20–21 “The yogi who realizes the self becomes disinterested in worldly attachments and attains liberation.”

Ideas from commentary on the text

• “Kevala kumbhaka is the breathless state that leads to complete control over the mind.”
• “The luminous dhyana technique helps transcend the physical world.”

Not yet checked against a translation

• “Paschimottanasana relieves ailments and purifies the nadis.”
• “When the mind comes into contact with something hot or cold, draw it back from there and bring it under control in the self.”