Yogasutra of Patanjali is a text that suggests a way of life for attaining the ultimate peace, the inner silence with full of meaning.
Yoga is the name of a system of philosophy meant to be learned and practiced along with a well defined style of living. The Sanskrit word Sutra means a phrase, in which a vast amount of interpretative knowledge is interiorized in an unusual manner as a result of the special usages of Sanskrit grammar and linguistics. Yogasutra means the Sutra-s on theory, practice and effects of Yoga. Yogasutra contains 196 Sutra-s in four chapters (51, 55, 56 and 34). The four chapters deal with the right knowledge about the functions of the mind, proper action for pure self awareness, the power of concentration and the freedom from the known respectively. It is the spotless awareness of the life and its functioning that gives you permanent happiness. Whatever be the amount of knowledge and experience gathered by the Yogi, it is continuously being subdued by the black tendencies of the ignorance of human mind. This is the nature of it. To regain the forgotten wisdom, in each and every moment in life, one has to be vigilant. Doing proper action is the way to brighten up the self awareness time to time.
Life of an individual can be envisaged as a chain of actions, executed by her/im mentally, verbally as well as physically. Action contains both actions and reactions. An action becomes proper action when it is backed by right knowledge. The after effect of a proper action is, again, the right knowledge. In the first chapter, Yogasutra deals with the right knowledge, the theory part if it. And it is followed by a chapter on action, the practice of the theory. The first and second chapters give a strong and logic foundation for the Yogasaadhana (the practice of methods suggested by Yogasutra, for peace, for the freedom from the known). The third and fourth chapters talk about the higher experiences one definitely will go through once s/he has mastered the foundation steps in the practice.
The growth in the practice of Yoga can be measured through the development of the inner vision of the Yogi. The human mind works through observation and understanding. The Seer in you, observes the outer world, then the inner world and finally, meets Itself. The observer is observed by the observer Itself. The teaching of Yogasutra starts with this point of observation, grows through this point and culminates in this same point. Yoga teaches how to observe, learn and understand your body, inner systems, mind (which is the control panel of the senses), various activities of the mind, intellect (who appears as the observer) and so on.
Just reading or listening to Yogasutra has nothing to do in regard to the practical effect of it in life. What you have absorbed into you as an idea, by seeing or listening, should be practiced. A lesson can be said to be learned only when that lesson is appeared in practice. To express your knowledge through your action is called Yoga. Your thought from the subtle space should come down into the physical, visible level. The actions of a Yogi should signify the philosophy as it is. This is the first lesson in Yogasutra. Only s/he, who is able to do so, is eligible to start the practice of Yogasaadhana