Mantras In the tradition of Ashtanga Yoga, each class begins and ends with a short mantra. The mantra, chanted at the beginning of the class, is an invocation of the sage Patanjali (the author of the Yoga Sutras) and also gives thanks to the continuous line of teachers who have come before us (from Patanjali in the 2nd century B.C. to the present day). The closing mantra brings practice to a peaceful end; sealing in the work done and offering the efforts of our practice to improve the state of the world.