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Yoga, with its roots in ancient Indian philosophy, has become a widely practiced discipline around the world. One of the most significant texts in the yoga tradition is the Patanjali Yoga Sutra, which outlines the philosophy, ethics, and techniques of yoga. Despite its historical and philosophical importance, the awareness and understanding of the Yoga Sutra among contemporary yoga instructors remain underexplored, particularly in regions like Iran, where yoga is a relatively new phenomenon. This study aims to investigate the level of awareness, understanding, and application of the Patanjali Yoga Sutra among certified yoga instructors in Iran. A quantitative research design was employed, utilizing a structured survey (16 questions) to assess the knowledge of key principles, philosophical teachings, and practices from the Yoga Sutra. The sample included 115 yoga practitioners who were certified by recognized institutions and had at least one year of teaching experience. A structured survey of 115 certified yoga instructors in Iran revealed a surprising familiarity with core concepts such as “Chitta Vritti Nirodha,” understood by 73% of participants, and “Ahimsa,” correctly identified by 92%. However, broader knowledge of the Yoga Sutras was notably lacking. For instance, 67.8% of participants were unable to distinguish the Sutras from other classical yoga texts, and 61.7% were unaware of the number of chapters in the text. These findings highlight that while certain foundational concepts have been well integrated into practice, a deeper understanding of the Sutras’ structure, broader topics, and historical context remains limited. The study underscores the importance of enhanced educational initiatives to equip yoga instructors with a more comprehensive grasp of Patanjali’s philosophy, enriching their teaching and practice.

Patanjali Yoga Sutra (PYS) is considered as the most comprehensive compendium of human psychology from the ancient yoga perspective. The text fundamentally focuses on providing a systematic model for the application of yoga as a tool to reduce agitations of the mind (Chitta vritti nirodhaha). Apart from the systematic description of the eight limbs of yoga (Ashtanga Yoga), the text also provides several useful psychological concepts and mind-body techniques to overcome grief, suffering, and pain. These techniques may serve as useful coping strategies as an add-on to conventional psychotherapy in facing the challenge of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The current paper provides the details of these techniques and calls for more research in future to explore the psychotherapeutic potential of PYS.

The discussions on conceptualization, operationalization, measures, and means of well-being (WB) and personal excellence (PE) are dynamic and debatable. Therefore, this study aims to coin a perspective of PE based on the Patanjali Yoga Sūtra (PYS). For this, professional, psychological, philosophical, and yogic perspectives of WB and PE are analyzed to derive a viable yogic framework for PE. The WB and the consciousness-based constructs of PE are discussed in terms of psychic tensions (PTs) (nescience, egoism, attachment, aversion, and love for life), yogic hindrances (YHs) (illness, apathy, doubt, procrastination, laziness, over somatosensory indulgence, delusion, inability, and unstable progress), psychosomatic impairments (pain, despair, tremors, arrhythmic breath), and yogic aids (wellness, intrinsic motivation, faith, role punctuality, physical activity, sensory control, clarity, competence, and sustainable progress). The PYS operationalizes PE as the dynamic level of WB and self-awareness until one attains Dharmamegha Samādhi (super consciousness). Lastly, Ashtanga Yoga (AY) is discussed as a universal principle, process, and practice for thinning PTs, vanishing YHs, empowering holistic WB, awakening extrasensory potentials, advancing self-awareness, and PE. This study will be a pioneering base for further observational and interventional studies to develop measures and personalized protocols for PE.