Over the centuries, many have studied and made commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Being unfamiliar with Jennie Lee as a teacher, when I received True Yoga: Practicing with the Yoga Sutras for Happiness and Spiritual Fulfillment, I questioned what she might have to offer that was new. What I found was a teacher who recognized her Self in the classical text, as though already knowing it by heart. Her interpretive commentary is grounded in five different translations, but comes from direct reflection on their meaning in her life. Jennie Lee engages with the Yoga Sutras as one who lives them, and she shares from the perspective that learning is an affirmation of lived experience, not memorization. As such, she gives us this gift—a beautifully written translation and commentary rooted in compassion, in which we too can see ourselves reflected. This way of connecting with the Yoga Sutras—through personal and direct communication, where the reader can have that “ah-ha” moment of recognition—is the most valuable way to learn.
In one of my favorite commentaries on the Sutras, Swami Venkatesananda makes the distinction between “conveying” and “communication.” One can convey information, but meaning comes from true communication. “In communication,” he says, “misunderstanding does not take place, because in communication the two become one. They are on the same wavelength and the meaning is transmitted from heart-to-heart.” 1 This kind of communication does not come easily through words alone. And yet, it can happen when we find a text that so meets us, heart-to-heart, that we immediately understand its meaning. This is the way the Yoga Sutras are meant to be studied. The commentary you hold in your hands may be such a vehicle for this heart-to-heart connection between you and the deeper meaning of the Sutras.
Related to each Sutra, you will find daily practices, self-inquiry questions, and affirmations that help you not only to integrate the wisdom of the Sutras in your life but will also bring you more joy. Rather than the discipline emphasized in some Yoga Sutra commentaries, the viewpoint this one invites you to hold is that of a growing Self-awareness combined with compassion for who you truly are beneath mood and story and the challenges you face in daily life. This is a commentary that speaks directly, heart to heart. Just listen and respond.
—Amy Weintraub, founder of the
LifeForce Yoga Healing Institute and author of
Yoga for Depression and Yoga Skills for Therapists
1. Swami Venkatesananda, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali with Commentary, 3rd rev. ed. (Delhi: MB, 2008).