In this short video course, we will explore the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali in their core essence. This consists of the first sixteen of its nearly two hundred Sutras, which provide the foundation for the entire text. If you know and understand these sixteen Sutras, you will understand the meaning and goal of the Yoga Sutras overall. An in-depth examination of the first sixteen Sutras is necessary for illuminating all the subsequent Sutras. These sixteen explain what Yoga is, its goal (Kaivalya), its view of the workings of the mind (chitta) and how to transcend these to the state of Self-realization, the meaning of Samadhi, Nirodha, Purusha and what the practice of Yoga (abhyasa) consists of, notably relative to discrimination (Viveka) and detachment (Vairagya). Yet we have tried to present this essence of the Yoga Sutras in clear and relevant terms today, so that the contemporary reader, wishing to view Yoga at a deeper level can access to it in an authentic manner.