It is said that Sri Patanjali entered his body around 3-5000 years ago. Pata means "fallen" and Anjali means "hands folded in prayer". An incarnation of Adisesa and follower of the SANKHYA philosophy, he became the most celebrated author of the "Yoga Sutras" and also of treatises on "Ayurveda" and "Grammar".

The Mahabhasya, his great works on grammar, the classical work for the cultivation of the correct use of language, was followed by his writings on Ayurveda, the science of life and health. His final work on Yoga was directed towards man's mental and spiritual evolution. Together, his three works deal with man's development as a whole, in thought, speech and action.

Sri Patanjali is referred to as an evolved soul incarnated of his own will to help humanity. He lived a life in human form and experienced all that we experience as human beings today, and learned how to transcend the joys and sorrows.

In the Yoga Sutras he teaches us how to overcome the afflictions of the body and the constant fluctuations of the mind, both of which are obstacles to spiritual development.

His words are direct and original. To this day, they remain fresh and fascinating, and will continue to do so for centuries to come.

The Sutras cover all aspects of life, beginning with a prescribed code of social and personal disciplines and ending with man's vision of his true Self.

"The simplest meaning of the word sutra is "thread". A sutra is, so to speak, the bare thread of an exposition, the absolute minimum that is necessary to hold it together, unadorned by a single "bead" of elaboration. Only essential words are used. Often, there is no complete sentence structure. There was a good reason for this method. Sutras were composed at a period when there were no books. The entire work had to be memorized, and so it had to be expressed as tersely as possible. Patanjali's Sutras, like all others, were intended to be expanded and explained. The ancient teachers would repeat an aphorism by heart and then proceed to amplify it with their own comments, for the benefit of their pupils".