I first read a book on the yoga sutras--the ancient philosophical commentary underlying yoga for how to control your mind and life--when I took yoga teacher training many years back. The original book is in Sanskrit, so Americans have to come by it via translation. Many of the early translations in the US, including the very good one I read back then by Swami Satchidananda, are written by Indian gurus.

So it was lovely to come across Living the Sutras by DiNardo and Pearce-Hayden. This is a modern look at these ancient principles, written for our busy, stressed-out, crazy lives. Many Americans don't realize how rich and practical the philosophical underpinnings of the yoga tradition are, and this book is a lovely way for people to discover this. With modern translations, exercises, and occasionally real-world examples (I wish there were more of these, which is what keeps me from giving it 5 stars), it's easy to see how to apply these sutras to our own lives.

The couplet "The source of right knowledge is built on clear sense perception, logic, and verbal communication" (translated in an understandable way from the Sanskrit) is explained as a challenge to question whether our thoughts and beliefs about something are as clear and logical as we might assume. This is followed by an exercise of having a friend write as many words to describe you as they can in five minutes, and you doing the same about yourself. Then you reflect on the two lists and see where they do and don't conform. There are many other equally practical suggestions throughout.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a modern and relevant translation of this important treatise in the yoga world.