When you stand firm on your axis with your head facing down with closed eyes you breathe deep, you will sense the most beautiful union with nature. This calm steadiness of the senses is called yoga. Once a thoughtful writer wrote about yoga saying that, "Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured". Moreover yoga enables the practitioner to perceive and experience the world within and around him. Yoga is an art, a science and a philosophy that touches the life of man at every level, bodily, intellectually and spiritually.

Yoga lifts its practitioner for the clutches of pain, sorrow and all anxiety. It unleashes the mind from all qualms and enables people to live life in delight. All yoga as practiced today is based on Yoga Sutras, a collection of aphorisms offered more than 2000 years ago by the Indian sage, Patanjali. The Yoga Sutras is divided into four chapters or padas namely Samadhi pada (on contemplation), Sadhana pada (on practice), Vibhuti pada (on properties and powers) and Kaivalya pada (on emancipation and freedom). These chapters cover art, science and philosophy of life. There are around 196 sutras in the yoga sutras. These sutras are absolutely succinct, precise, reflective and devout in approach. Each sutra is enlightening and is filled with prosperity of knowledge and wisdom. This knowledge is bestowed upon its aspirants (sadhaka). Patanjali has documented the yoga sutra in such a way that it can be reasonable to all and sundry.

The yoga sutra state, through proper practice one can radiate goodwill, friendliness and compassion. The four chapters or padas of the yoga sutras correspond to the four stages of life. The ultimate achievement of following the path of Patanjali`s yoga sutra is to experience the effortless, indivisible state of the prophet.

Samadhi Pada
The first chapter, Samadhi pada, describes yoga and the movements of the consciousness. It is directed towards those who are already highly qualified in the field of yoga to maintain their advanced state of cultured, matured, intelligence and wisdom. Samadhi being the last stage of the eightfold path of yoga, it`s indeed a rare scenario for some people who experience Samadhi early in life. The word Samadhi is made up of two components, Sama meaning impartial and adhi meaning over and above. Samadhi is all about seeing the soul face to face. It is an absolute indivisibility state of existence in which all differences between body, mind and soul are dissolved. Patanjali in the first chapter explains the fluctuations, modifications and modulations of thought which disturb the consciousness and then sets out the various disciplines by which they be stilled. This has resulted in yoga being called a mental sadhana (practice). Samadhi is also expressed as the state of being pure. Ptanjali explains that before experiencing Samadhi one has to learn to control the functioning of the consciousness.

Sadhana Pada
Sadhana pada the second chapter of the yoga sutra identifies avidya or spiritual ignorance as the source of all sorrow and unhappiness. In this pada, Patanjali comes to the level of those who not spiritually evolved. Here he coins the word kriyayoga. Kriya means action and kriyayoga emphasizes the energetic effort to be made by the aspirant. This pada is composed using the eightfold paths of yoga. All the eight disciplines are compressed into three-tier format. The tier formed by the first two pairs, yama and niyama, asana and pranayama, comes under tapas (religious spirit in practice). The second tier, pratyahara and dharana, is self-study (svadhyaya). The third, dhyana and Samadhi, is Isvara pranidhana, the surrender of the individual self to God. In this way, Patannjali covers the tree great paths of Indian philosophy in the Yoga Sutras. In the Sadhana pada the seeker is taught to perform asana (postures) so that he becomes familiar with his body, senses and intelligence. He develops alertness, sensitivity and the power concentration.

Vibhuti Pada
The third chapter, Vibhuti Pada speaks of the divine effects of yoga sadhana. It is said that aspirant who is in this state has full knowledge of past, present and future as well as of the solar system. He can understand the mind of others. He acquires supernatural power. This can be a dangerous therefore the aspirant is instructed to ignore temptations and pursue the spiritual path.

Kaivalya pada
In the fourth chapter, Patnajali differentiates between kaivalya and Samadhi. In Samadhi, the aspirant experiences a passive state where he can see his soul and in kaivalya he lives in a positive state of life, above the tamasic, rajasic and sattvic influences of the three gunas of nature (the primary qualities of Nature). He moves in the world and does day to day work without being involved in it. Patanjanli in his yoga sutras speaks about how yoga leads to spiritual life.