Mystical Powers in the Yoga Sutra: Vibhuti Pada

Throughout the ages, siddhis, mystical yogic powers, have mesmerized believers and nonbelievers alike. The Yoga Sutra’s Vibhuti Pada is all about these extraordinary powers. With the exception of the Yoga Sutra, these miracle-like powers have been shrouded in mystery. They have been kept secret, and forbidden to “outsiders”. The Yoga Sutra dismantles this secrecy and shatters the entire notion of an outsider. Without any reservation, it shows us where and how to discover these powers in our own body and mind, and eventually how to claim our ownership of them. The most it expects of us is that we complete the groundwork, follow the steps, and under no circumstances hurt or harm our most trusted friend — our mind and our conscience.

In this Memorial Day weekend program, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait will present an overview of the Yoga Sutra’s Vibhuti Pada with a focus on the sutras crucial to studying and entering the field of siddhis, miraculous powers of yoga and the yogis. This course details the anatomy of our subtle body and mind—a step necessary to recognize and reclaim our inner wealth which yogis call siddhis.

Highlights of the program include:

• A broad survey of Vibhuti Pada in relation to the first two chapters (padas) of the Yoga Sutra
• Understanding the quintessential practice for regaining ownership of our mind and using it to awaken the mind’s extraordinary powers
• Unraveling the laws of yogic metaphysics and using this knowledge to measure and monitor what is happening inside us, and why
• Experiential cosmology of yoga and pinpointing our place in it
• Accessing chitta samvit, the knowing power of the mind—doorway to siddhis
• Two categories of siddhis: lower, the ones that are impressive but lead to bondage, and higher, the ones most coveted by yogis leading to ultimate freedom and lasting fulfillment
• Understanding parakaya pravesh, a technique and process for eluding death—walking on the trails of immortals
• Siddhis that are worth achieving and are achievable!

Required Reading:

• Awakening Power in the Yoga Sutra (Vibhuti Pada)

Recommended Reading:

• Secret of the Yoga Sutra (Samadhi Pada)
• Practice of the Yoga Sutra (Sadhana Pada)

Recommended Digital Courses:

• Yoga Sutra Master Course (Samadhi Pada)
• Wisdom of the Yoga Sutra (Sadhana Pada)