The Sutras as a Therapeutic Framework with Catherine Wilson, E-RYT 500, Yoga Therapist
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Live Zoom calls:Â January 1 -February 10, 2027
Wednesdays, 4:00–5:30 PM PST
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The Sutras as a Therapeutic Framework
The Yoga Sutras offer far more than a philosophy of meditation. They provide a sophisticated framework for understanding the mind, the roots of suffering, the formation of habitual patterns, and the possibility of greater freedom.
In this five-week continuing education course, we will explore key teachings from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras through a contemporary therapeutic lens. Drawing from the Sutras alongside the work of Stephen Cope, we will examine how concepts such as vritti, klesha, samskara, raga, dvesha, abhyasa, vairagya, pratipaksha bhavana, and viveka can help us understand the ways perception, conditioning, nervous system responses, and behavior become intertwined.
Rather than approaching the Sutras as abstract philosophy, we will consider how these teachings can inform therapeutic yoga, self-inquiry, and embodied practice. Each session will combine philosophical study, contemporary psychological perspectives, reflection, and experiential practices designed to help participants recognize patterns with greater clarity and respond with greater choice.
This 10-hour continuing education course includes 7.5 hours of live Zoom instruction and 2.5 hours of guided home study. Home study will include selected readings from Stephen Cope’s The Wisdom of Yoga, along with short reflection, observation, and integration assignments designed to help participants apply the material in a practical and embodied way.
This course is appropriate for yoga teachers, yoga therapists, mental health professionals, and practitioners interested in deepening their understanding of yogic psychology and its relevance to modern therapeutic work.
Course Topics
Week 1: The Witness — We Are Not Our Thoughts
Explore the relationship between citta, vritti, and drashta, and the therapeutic significance of developing the capacity to observe thoughts, sensations, and emotions without immediately identifying with them.
Key Sutras: 1.2–1.5, 1.12
Themes:Â witnessing, awareness, identification, cognitive defusion, observing experience
Week 2: The Kleshas — Understanding the Roots of Suffering
Study Patanjali’s five kleshas and explore how misperception, identification, craving, aversion, and clinging shape behavior and emotional suffering.
Key Sutras: 2.3–2.9, 2.15–2.16
Themes:Â avidya, asmita, raga, dvesha, abhinivesha, reactivity, avoidance, attachment
Week 3: Samskaras — How Patterns Become Reinforced
Explore how repeated thoughts, emotions, and behaviors form conditioned pathways and how awareness can begin to interrupt habitual responses.
Key Sutras: 1.18, 2.10–2.14, 2.33
Themes:Â samskara, conditioning, habit loops, karma, behavioral patterns, pratipaksha bhavana
Week 4: Abhyasa, Vairagya & the Nervous System
Examine the complementary roles of committed practice and nonattachment, and explore how embodied regulation can help us remain present without automatically acting on conditioned impulses.
Key Sutras: 1.12–1.16, 1.33, 2.46–2.53
Themes:Â practice, nonattachment, regulation, breath, steadiness and ease, equanimity
Week 5: Viveka — From Conditioning to Conscious Choice
Bring the framework together through the cultivation of discernment. Explore how yogic practice can support the movement from automatic reaction toward values-aligned, skillful action.
Key Sutras: 2.26–2.33, 2.35–2.45
Themes:Â viveka, discernment, ethical action, values, choice, integration
Course Format
Live Online via Zoom
Wednesdays, January 13–February 10, 2027
4:00–5:30 PM Pacific Time
10 Continuing Education Hours Total
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7.5 hours live instruction
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2.5 hours guided home study
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Selected readings from Stephen Cope’s The Wisdom of Yoga
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Short reflection and integration assignments
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Embodied and contemplative practices
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Opportunities for discussion and application
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Who This Course Is For
This course is designed for:
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Yoga teachers seeking a deeper understanding of yoga philosophy
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Yoga therapists and yoga therapy students
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Mental health and wellness professionals interested in contemplative frameworks
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Experienced yoga practitioners interested in yogic psychology and self-inquiry
No previous academic study of the Yoga Sutras is required.
Recommended Companion Text
Stephen Cope, The Wisdom of Yoga: A Seeker’s Guide to Extraordinary Living
Selected teachings from Stephen Cope’s Yoga and the Quest for the True Self may also be incorporated throughout the course.
About Cathryn Wilson
Cathryn Wilson, M.A., APCC, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, is Director of Soma Yoga Institute and has been teaching since 2012. She specializes in the intersection of yoga, mental health, and nervous system regulation, guiding students to teach with confidence, compassion, and authenticity. Her studies in Indian philosophy at the University of Hyderabad inform her integrative approach, which emphasizes adaptable movement, embodied awareness, and supporting diverse bodies and life experiences.
Over the past 14 years, she has developed a specialty in the intersection of yoga, mental health, and embodied awareness — helping students understand how nervous system regulation, movement, and lived experience are deeply connected.
Her passion for yogic philosophy was deepened through six months studying Indian philosophy and Indian dance at the University of Hyderabad in Hyderabad, India. Cathryn teaches therapeutic yoga through a lens of curiosity, compassion, and integration. She values expressive, responsive movement over rigid forms, supporting students in building self-trust and discovering their authentic teaching voice.
Cathryn is especially passionate about helping future teachers feel confident working with diverse bodies, nervous systems, and life experiences, and guiding students toward teaching that is compassionate, adaptable, and real.
