The Making of a Yoga Master by Suhas Tambe

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali were compiled in 300 BCE, predating all other religions of this world. To this day they form the basis of all yogic philosophy, despite the fact that their reference to the asanas (or physical postures), associated with hatha yoga practice at studios throughout the U.S. and all other the world, are mentioned only rarely. Instead, the Sutras (the word means "thread") are a series of wise aphorisms meant to serve as transformational instruction. They design a way of thinking, a method of practice, a type of relationship to life and others, and practical guidance in both meditation and action. Their goal is union of the individual with God, or atman, which is the ultimate goal of all forms of yoga. Suhas Tambe was introduced to the study and life of yoga through his Indian spiritual master in 1993. The Sutras were integral to this initiation, and he is now a scholar, teacher and long-term practitioner of their esoteric wisdom. He is also the first Westerner to reveal his teacher's knowledge of these sutras' hidden sequence. From the time of Patanjali onward, Tambe claims, the scrambling of the sequence of sutras was a respected tradition. Such deliberate confusion was done with a view to preserving the sanctity of these precious teachings. Since interpretation of any sutra must bear reference to and consistency with the previous and the following sutra, proper sequence becomes a critical factor, a fundamental to the use of this time-honoured scripture. The key to the real sequence of Yoga Sutra was handed down verbally by the guru only to the eligible disciple. Far more than an instruction manual, this book is also about one seeker's progression. The author, who began his search entrenched in materialism (he was an accountant with an MBA working in IT), was "transformed" into a devoted practitioner. This path thoroughly changed his life's priorities, evolved his purpose and dissolved old habits in a way that will be inspiring to many. "Yoga not just entered my life", he writes, "but now, it is my life". The clear progressive stages of transformation through yoga are documented here. as nowhere else. This new sequence unfolds a practical road-map for knowing and practising the elevation of the seeker's awareness -- from the physical, to the astral, and to finally to the mental levels-and designates observable milestones to determine one's progress on the path. It marries the philosophy of Yoga with clear "how-to" instruction.