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Yoga History & Theory
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Evaluate the accuracy of contemporary representations of Sāṃkhya's metaphysical foundations for the Yoga Sūtra, moving from recall of Sāṃkhya's core categories through explanation of their prerequisite relationship to Patañjali's system, personal/reflective application, comparative analysis against non-dualist frameworks, and evaluation of how faithfully this ontology is taught in modern yoga training.
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Analyze Patañjali's classification of the five vṛttis as both a psychological map and a soteriological framework, moving from recall of each fluctuation's defining characteristics through explanation of how this classification positions nirodha as yoga's central practice, to analysis of how the kliṣṭa/akliṣṭa distinction shapes the path toward samādhi.
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Analyze how the five kleśas generate karmic accumulation and how Patañjali's kriyā yoga addresses them at their root, moving from recall of each kleśa's defining function through explanation of avidyā's role as the generative root of the other four, to analysis of the causal chain linking affliction, karma, and remedial practice.
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Evaluate translation choices for vairāgya against its precise philosophical function, moving from recall of abhyāsa, vairāgya, and kriyā yoga's three components, through explanation of how abhyāsa and vairāgya work as complementary disciplines, analysis of kriyā yoga as preparation for aṣṭāṅga yoga via Vyāsa's commentary, to evaluation of "non-attachment" versus "indifference" as competing translations.
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Describe how contemporary yoga instruction diverges from Patañjali's full aṣṭāṅga framework, moving from recall of all eight limbs and their associated practices, through explanation of the external/internal limb structure, analysis of the Yamas and Niyamas as universal mahāvratas versus their common treatment in teacher training, to evaluation of specific simplifications and omissions in modern usage.
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Dicuss the philosophical significance of the sabīja/nirbīja distinction as the culmination of the yoga path, moving from recall of samprajñāta and asamprajñāta samādhi and the stages of samāpatti, through explanation of the fourfold taxonomy (savitarka, nirvitarka, savicāra, nirvicāra), personal/reflective application, analysis of the Sāṃkhya ontological correspondence, to evaluation of what complete cessation of mental activity ultimately means.
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Analyze how Patañjali's treatment of siddhis in Vibhūti Pāda reflects a multi-tradition context, moving from recall of the specific powers and their classical rationale, through explanation of the three-lesson arc's structural tension, personal self-assessment application, analysis of the central paradox, to evaluation of cross-traditional parallels in Jain and Buddhist accounts of contemplative powers.
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Evaluate contemporary reframings of Īśvara against Patañjali's original definition, moving from recall of Īśvara as a special puruṣa untouched by affliction, karma, and its fruits, through explanation of how this concept integrates into an otherwise non-theistic Sāṃkhya framework and functions as the practitioner's final resource, to evaluation of how modern yoga has reshaped the concept and what a more historically honest presentation would require.
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Explain the pedagogical and ethical implications of treating the Yoga Sūtra as yoga's timeless foundation, moving from recall of kaivalya and its Sāṃkhya grounding, through explanation of the historical conditions that constructed the text's canonical status, comparative analysis against Jain mokṣa and Buddhist nirvāṇa, to evaluation of the consequences of teaching constructed canonicity as organic tradition.
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Analyze the trade-offs between thematic and sequential approaches to teaching the Yoga Sūtra, moving from recall of Course 3002's thematic organization through explanation of how this structure builds conceptual grasp before verse-by-verse engagement, to analysis of what each pedagogical method prioritizes and risks losing.
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Discuss why Sanskrit vocabulary depth is necessary rather than optional for serious contemplative study, moving from recall of the key terms central to each of Course 3002's ten lessons through analysis of the pedagogical relationship between linguistic precision and philosophical understanding.
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Analyze how White's historical-biographical challenge to single authorship reshapes the teaching of the Yoga Sūtra, moving from explanation of how reading the primary text alongside White's scholarship and Singleton's critical history produces a richer and more honest understanding than any single source alone, to analysis of what that challenge means for pedagogical practice.
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Evaluate personal development as a seminar participant across Course 3002, moving from explanation of what genuine preparatory engagement with the Yoga Sūtra requires, through application of seminar discussion skills in live sessions, to evaluation of growth in question quality, tolerance for uncertainty, and intellectual fairness toward competing interpretations.
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Describe how the Yoga Sūtra's colonial history should inform its presentation to students, moving from recall of commonly cited sūtras and whether their use reflects accurate context or selective appropriation, through explanation of a teacher's specific responsibilities when citing the text, to analysis of what a historically honest classroom introduction requires given Singleton's documented history.
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Analyze the relationship between critical yoga scholarship and personal practice commitment, making a case that intellectual rigor and contemplative devotion are complementary rather than contradictory.
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Explore the ethical implications of teaching a classical yoga text without sustained personal practice, moving from recall of Patañjali's definition of abhyāsa in Samādhi Pāda to analysis of what genuine professional integrity requires of a teacher's relationship to that standard.
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Identify the five kleśas—avidyā, asmitā, rāga, dveṣa, and abhiniveśa—as both a psychological taxonomy and an ethical framework, and describe how each manifests in the specific context of a yoga teacher's professional relationships.
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Identify Īśvarapraṇidhāna as it appears in both kriyā yoga (Sādhana Pāda 2.1) and the Niyamas (Sādhana Pāda 2.32), and describe how Patañjali's recommendation to 'take refuge in Īśvara when all else fails' functions as a last resort within the path.
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Identify kaivalya as Patañjali's term for the final state of liberation—the puruṣa's recognition of its eternal independence from prakṛti—and describe how this vision of freedom informs an ethical rather than merely technical understanding of yoga teaching.
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CYT-L3