This module begins with a brief discussion of the definitions of the core terms of the course—yoga and aṅga. We then turn to an examination of the larger historical timeline of the development of yoga and the unique historical context of the early centuries of the common era in India in which Patañjali’s aṣṭāṅgayoga was developed. Building on this foundation, we examine the characteristics of the Yogasūtra and larger Pātañajalayogaśāstra, with special attention to historical and narrative traditions associated with Patañjali. We then turn to the philosophy of Sāṃkhya-Yoga that frames aṣṭāṅgayoga and the sequence of verses in the Yogasūtra that outline the practice and effects of yogāṅga, with an eye to important commentarial perspectives. Focus will be placed on the tension between the attainment of yogic power (siddhi, vibhūti) and liberation (kaivalya) achieved through yogic mastery (saṃyama).

This module begins with a return to the historical timeline of yoga’s development, with a focus on the contexts of the Indus Civilization, the Vedic Tradition, Brāhmaṇical Asceticism, and Śramaṇa traditions. After a brief examination of the material culture of the Indus Civilization, we turn to “proto-aṅga” elements in priestly Vedic practice, including tapas, svādhyāya, prāṇāyāma and others. Building upon this, we look at the role of yoga in the Upaniṣad literature of Hindu priestly renunciation traditions, noting the increasingly systematic and extensive application of yoga, including meditation (dhyāna) and mantra to soteriological questions. Lastly, we examine the important contributions of Jain and Buddhist traditions to the development of aṣṭāṅgayoga, including the import of Jain asceticism (tapas) and vow-taking (vrata) and Buddhist contributions to the theory and practice of meditation (dhyāna) and, more broadly, the conception of a spiritual path (mārga) consisting of eight (aṣṭa) parts.

This module briefly returns to the timeline of yoga’s development, focusing on the development of the larger “classical” traditions of Indian literature and the religious innovations of the Medieval period. This includes discussions of the distinction between Vedic (vaidika) and Smṛti-based (smārta) priestly (brāhmaṇa) practice, and the development of bhakti, tantra, and haṭhayoga as modes of religious and spiritual practice. On that basis, we first discuss the role of aṣṭāṅgayoga in the Epic and Purana literature, especially the Mahābhārata/Bhagavadgītā and select major (mahā) Puranas. We then turn to the development of larger philosophical attitudes towards, and adaptation of, aṣṭāṅgayoga, including within Vedānta traditions and Jain literature. Following this, we survey important developments in the Medieval era, in which aṣṭāṅgayoga is transformed through encounters with bhakti, tantra, and haṭhayoga traditions. Particular attention is paid to the increasing import of an alternate mode of practice, a six-limbed yoga (ṣaḍaṅga), which appears in tantra and haṭhayoga texts. Lastly, we discuss how the model of aṣṭāṅgayoga takes on unique attribution and attributes in the Medieval era with respect to authorship, categorization, and the nature of the aṅga-s themselves.

Having returned a final time to the historical timeline of yoga’s development, this module begins with a brief discussion of the development of Modern yoga traditions out of the cultural transformations of the late second millennium CE in India. Drawing upon the critical work of a number of scholars, we examine the question of the applicability of aṣṭāṅgayoga, especially as framed within the “classical” system of Patañjali, to the development of yoga in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Building on this, we look at the influential work of figures such as Vivekananda and Krishnamacharya to understand the pervasive influence of Patañjali and the Yogasūtra in the Modern Era. We then turn to Krishnamacharya’s disciples, including B.K.S. Iyengar and K. Pattabhi Jois, and other important figures, such as Swami Sivananda, from the 20^th century before turning to the teachings of influential 21^st century gurus, including Swami Ramdev and Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. Lastly, we look at contemporary writings and teachings in transnational and anglophone traditions that seek to bring aṣṭāṅgayoga in conversation with not only yoga practice but the social and environmental problems of our times. This leads to a final conversation about the nature of living yoga philosophy and practice and the tension between traditional formulations of yoga and the impulse to adapt it to suit changing individual and social realities.