Foundations · Reading
The four padas of the Yoga Sutras
The four chapters of Patanjali's text: Samadhi, Sadhana, Vibhuti and Kaivalya.
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Philosophy
The Yoga Sutras are short aphorisms arranged in four chapters, or padas.
Samadhi Pada defines Yog and describes absorption. Sadhana Pada gives the practice: Kriya Yog, the kleshas and the first five limbs. Vibhuti Pada covers the inner limbs and the powers that can arise, with a warning against being caught by them. Kaivalya Pada describes liberation, the aloneness of the seer.
Terms
- Samadhi Pada
- On absorption.
- Sadhana Pada
- On practice.
- Vibhuti Pada
- On powers.
- Kaivalya Pada
- On liberation.
Ideas behind it
Sources and tradition
- YOG Union App Content Map, 2 November 2026, pp. 2–3, philosophy and foundations