Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is a splendid piece of the philosophical standards, profound realities, and disciplines of yoga. It coordinates the disciplines into eight “appendages,” yoga for weight loss or classifications, of yoga practice. Explicit contemplation methods are not given; just sorts of disciplines are examined. A large number of its sutras (truisms) depict and remark on these practices. This immortal composition by an edified yogi tends to the general human state of evident partition from God (avidya, not knowing the Supreme Reality) and tells us the best way to defeat the psychological inclinations and deceptions that keep us in this condition.

Like tree appendages, which arise in grouping, the primary disciplines start things out. As they create, mature and prove to be fruitful, the following ones are drilled. For instance, yama sets one up to rehearse niyama. Patanjali calls the last three components of niyama “kriya yoga” (“kriya” signifies activity). Marshall Govindan takes the place that these three components of kriya (or activity) yoga comprise the entire of Patanjali’s yoga. In any case, each of the eight appendages are talked about exhaustively in sections 2.30 through 3.8 of the Sutras and give an undeniably more complete portrayal of yoga.

In stanza 2.1, Patanjali says: “Kriya yoga comprises of tapas (starkness, self-restraint), svadhyaya (self-study), and Ishvara pranidhana (reflection give up to God).” (Note: The words in enclosures are normally acknowledged interpretations of the Sanskrit expressions.) In the “eight-limbed” way, the kriya yoga practices of niyama go before asana (contemplation act), pranayama (breath control), pratyahara (withdrawal of the faculties from their articles), dharana (focus), dhyana (continuous, profound fixation), and samadhi (unity with the object of reflection). Therefore, “kriya yoga” is at times deciphered “fundamental yoga.” However, the first of the eight appendages, yama, comprises of five abstentions (don’ts), and the five components of niyama are observances (dos), so the kriya yoga practices of niyama can likewise be deciphered “activity yoga,” which infers accomplishing something.

The accompanying remarks from Govindan’s book on the Sutras go against Yogananda and other edified yogis, who agree that the yoga of Patanjali is the “eight-limbed” way.

Foreword (xiv, xv) by G. Feuerstein: “… while Patanjali’s instructing has become practically compared with eight-limbed yoga (ashtanga yoga), he, at the end of the day, called his way that of activity yoga (kriya yoga) in pada 2.1.” “The maxims in the Yoga Sutras managing the eight appendages seem to have been cited by Patanjali or along these lines added to his text. There is no truly good clarification for why Patanjali utilized the name kriya yoga for his lessons.”