In the present period, many people are tuning to the ancient Indian methods of spiritual development and psychology. These include the collection of aphorisms called the "Yoga Sutras" of Patanjali, which offer a systematic exposition of principles and practices followed over the course of 1000 years before the Christian era. This study, with its preliminary mystical explanations of themes in Rig Veda, Upanishads and early Buddhism, aims to help to make the substance of this ancient guide to spirituality more accessible.