The teachings of yoga have no beginning. The author of the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali, knew this. This is why he wrote this first line with the word for teachings, ‘śāsanam’ with the prefix, ‘anu’. Using the word ‘anu’ infers that this teaching, this yoga practice, is simply another ripple from a stone thrown long ago. Long before the Yoga Sutras was produced and spread throughout Asia and the Middle East and copied into over forty different languages by the 12th century. The book is about ‘yoga’ which means yolk or union. It is the science of origin. It asks — what was that rock thrown that caused the ripple? Where even did this book come from? Where did you come from? Yoga is the art of retracing our steps backwards, back to the very beginning, and becoming one with that origin. Through its meditation, asana, and regulative practices we are following the footprints of our so called identity back to its source. The book teaches us how to follow our fears, our passions, and habits all back to a common origin. And it is from this beginning that we find the clearest context of life. From here, we can observe the rise and fall of every kingdom, every heartbreak, and the unyielding sincerity of love. In the same way climbing a mountain gives one a higher context of the path they tread. Following our consciousness to the root of its perception gives one a higher context to the nature of existence. Patanjali intends to show you how with the help of his humble commentator.