Keys to the Yoga Sutras
Practical Steps to Higher Awareness
A Self-Paced Course
with Lifetime Enrollment
Feb 14 - May 8, 2024
Be a channel of higher consciousness for those in need
Experience the very essence of Yoga with Ananda’s unique approach to the Yoga Sutras. Under the expert guidance of Nayaswami Gyandev and Nayaswami Diksha, you’ll go beyond philosophy to understand more deeply how to access the higher realms of consciousness—and begin to do it. Paramhansa Yogananda’s action-oriented teachings will give you the practical tools to get there.
This course is an empowering blend of step-by-step methods, deep insights, clear direction, and support from both faculty and classmates.
Online Self-Paced Course with Lifetime Enrollment
Course launches Feb 14, 2024
- 7 live webinars, recorded for watching anytime
- 7 hours of on-demand video
- Extensive written resources
- Personal feedback from faculty
- Lifetime access to course materials
“Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are a stirring cry to us to transcend all religious differences. Their basic message is, ‘Here are methods that can be tested and proved. You can know what God is from personal experience.’”
“Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are a stirring cry to us to transcend all religious differences. Their basic message is, ‘Here are methods that can be tested and proved. You can know what God is from personal experience.’”
— Demystifying Patanjali, by Swami Kriyananda
— Demystifying Patanjali, by Swami Kriyananda
You Will Learn How To:
- Take steps toward a direct experience of the highest states of awareness: Samadhi, Oneness, Divine Union.
- Get beyond the kleshas: the five causes of suffering and spiritual stagnation.
- Unlock the subtle keys of successful living—and successful spiritual striving—within Ashtanga Yoga, the Eightfold Path.
- Overcome the nine obstructing distractions and traps that plague the mind and hold you back.
- Experience directly the truths of Patanjali through meditation and pranayama (energy-control) techniques taught by Paramhansa Yogananda and Swami Kriyananda.
You’ll begin to live this deep scripture as you explore, not only Ashtanga Yoga (“eight-limbed union,” symbolized here), but also many other powerful—and less well known—Sutras teachings.
- Understand the subtler dimensions of “feeling” — some impede your progress, some help you, and some are blissful beyond words.
- Integrate the essence of Yoga into your daily life in ways that are profound and powerful, yet down-to-earth and practical.
- Take your practice of meditation to a deeper-than-ever level.
- Develop the attitudes—some will be familiar, some might not—that are essential for success in the spiritual life.
“People talk about calming the mind in order to meditate. Although that’s true, it’s not the main thing. It’s the heart that needs to be calmed in order to meditate. It’s the desires of the heart that agitate the mind.”
“People talk about calming the mind in order to meditate. Although that’s true, it’s not the main thing. It’s the heart that needs to be calmed in order to meditate. It’s the desires of the heart that agitate the mind.”
— Swami Kriyananda
— Swami Kriyananda
Course Activities & Benefits
You can engage in all course activities at times of day that are convenient for you. Activities and resources include:
- Six structured lessons with video, audio, and reading assignments created by Nayaswami Gyandev and Nayaswami Diksha that give you a variety of perspectives on important topics in the art and science of Yoga.
- Connect with faculty and classmates through bi-weekly “live” webinars (recorded for those who cannot attend)
- Review exercises that highlight—and help you absorb—the central points of the week’s lessons.
- Course book: Demystifying Patanjali by Swami Kriyananda. You can purchase the ebook or physical copy at a 30% discount with this link.
- Personal support and feedback from the instructor through email and forum interaction.
- A 30-minute 1-1 zoom call with the course instructor for questions and counseling.
- Lifetime access to all material.
No prior familiarity with the Yoga Sutras is required for the course.
Additional Course Benefits
You can use $80 of your course tuition toward Living the Yoga Sutras which is a six-week online course with more content and a broader range of activities such as discussion, Q&A, and live webinars facilitated by Gyandev and Diksha in addition to several team activities among the participants. Living the Yoga Sutras is required for Level 2 Certification for Meditation® teachers and Ananda Yoga® teachers.
Keys to the Yoga Sutras, being self-paced, is an excellent way to prepare for the six-week, in-depth Living the Yoga Sutras course which will next be offered in the fall of 2025.
Vrittis of chitta—whirlpools of your “feeling” nature—keep you tied to lower awareness, says Patanjali. Yogananda gives you tools to neutralize them, and thereby experience your true Self.
“Patanjali was an enlightened master, writing from a state of realization as well as practical knowledge. Far more than mere philosophical speculation, the Sutras come from revealed knowledge and serve as a road map for those who would explore the realm of Self-realization.”
“Patanjali was an enlightened master, writing from a state of realization as well as practical knowledge. Far more than mere philosophical speculation, the Sutras come from revealed knowledge and serve as a road map for those who would explore the realm of Self-realization.”
— Nayaswami Jyotish, How to Meditate
— Nayaswami Jyotish, How to Meditate
Meet Your Instructors
Nayaswami Gyandev, PhD, E-RYT 500
Gyandev is director of the Ananda School of Yoga & Meditation. A Certified Online Instructor, he has been teaching online for more than 10 years. He is also director of Ananda Yoga worldwide and co-directs the Ananda Meditation Teacher Training programs (online and in person). He has been training teachers of yoga and meditation for more than 25 years.
Gyandev is a Kriyacharya (teacher of Kriya Yoga), and he is known for his clarity of presentation, deep insights, high energy, kindness, and humor. He has shared the yoga teachings for more than 35 years with people from all walks of life, and from all over the world. Swami Kriyananda asked Gyandev to write the forward for this course’s textbook, Demystifying Patanjali.
A co-founder of Yoga Alliance, Gyandev has authored four books (including Spiritual Yoga: Awakening to Higher Awareness) as well as numerous video and audio products. From his base at The Expanding Light Retreat in Northern California, he also teaches across the U.S., and in Canada, India, and Europe.
Nayaswami Diksha, E-RYT 500
Diksha is a senior faculty member of the Ananda School of Yoga & Meditation and E-RYT 500. An experienced online instructor, she directs both the online and the in-person versions of Ananda Spiritual Counseling Training, and she co-direct Ananda Meditation Teacher Training.
Diksha has been practicing and sharing the yoga teachings for more than 30 years, and training meditation and yoga teachers for more than 20 years. A powerful and dynamic woman of great warmth and humor, she is gifted in both intelligence and intuition. In addition to teaching online and at The Expanding Light Retreat in Northern California, she has shared yogic teachings across the U.S., and in Canada, India, and Europe.
A native Israeli, Diksha moved to the U.S. in 1990. She brings a broad background to her teaching—from physical wellness to Ayurveda to profound spiritual understanding. Above all, she awakens in her students their own inner wisdom and the will and clarity to make positive changes in their lives.
Guest Presenters: Nayaswami Pranaba & Nayaswami Parvati
Two of Ananda’s most widely travelled and experienced teachers, Pranaba and Parvati will each present briefly on a Yoga Sutras topic that they find particularly helpful or inspiring. They taught the in-person version of this Yoga Sutras course for a number of years, and we’re delighted that they will also share some of their penetrating insights in this online version.
FAQs
This course is open to everyone; no prior familiarity with the Yoga Sutras is needed. Some meditation background will be useful, because it’s a frequent topic, and basic instruction is provided within the course.
Everyone can participate at any pace or level that they prefer.
All course activities are optional. The basic activities will take 2–3 hours per week, and additional activities are available.
No, the course web page is always open, and you can participate at any time that you wish.
There will be seven live webinars, offered every second Wednesday at 5:30PM Pacific time:
- February 14 & 28
- March 13 & 27
- April 10 & 24
- May 8
They will be recorded in case you cannot attend live.
You can enjoy interaction during the live webinars, and there is a Q&A forum where you can ask questions. You can also have a one-to-one meeting with faculty.
Yes, and we recommend it! The course website will open two weeks before the official start of the course. You can also buy your textbook, Demystifying Patanjali (use link for a 30% discount). It’s a substantial book, so read as much of it as you can before the course begins. Pre-course reading is not required, but you’ll be happy if you’ve done it.
All participants get lifetime access to all of the recorded audios and videos, as well as any supplemental materials that are included in the course tuition.
The course website is easy to use, plus it offers “how to” instructions to help you.
No, a free Zoom account is all you’ll need.
Yes, up to 30 hours of CE credit for Yoga Alliance RYTs. Email us in advance (see “More questions?” below) for more information.
More Questions? Please email us.
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Life-time enrollment—study at your own pace.
Patron Price
$175
Same offerings as Regular Price, plus an opportunity to support Ananda’s work.
