Yoga

Light on Yoga: The Bible of Modern Yoga...

by B. K. S. Iyengar

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"This is the definitive text on hatha yoga. This is the book you want if you are serious about beginning your yoga practice. This is also a text of reference for professional teachers used throughout the world. It is no exaggeration to say that all yoga instructors in the United States know this book, and most of them own a copy and refer to it regularly.Iyengar's text is characterized by a thoroughness of content, a detailed, precise, step-by-step "how to" for instruction in asana and pranayama. There are 602 photos of Iyengar himself demonstrating the poses with extraordinary flexibility and precision. I have an early, hardcover edition with the photos collected together at the back of the book. The newer editions have the photos spaced appropriately throughout the text.The 34-page Introduction entitled, "What is Yoga?" is a concise overview of the nature, aim and extent of yoga as gleaned from the ancient texts, in particular Pantajali's Yoga Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita and Swatmarama's Hatha Yoga Pradipika (from which Iyengar gets his Sanskrit title, Yoga Dipika). These are the three great texts of yoga and Iyengar knows them well. This Introduction rewards patient study, and is the kind of pithy text that needs to be returned to again and again, and yet it is written in an accessible, inspired, and inspirational style.Iyengar emphasizes precision and careful technique and a whole body mindfulness as prerequisites to success in hatha yoga. From my experience this mindfulness is absolutely essential for two main reasons. One, you will surely strain or pull a muscle, usually several little ones, if your mind goes astray or if you practice with your attention elsewhere. Count on it. Two, the full import and effect of asana cannot be appreciated, nor the psychological and spiritual lessons implicit within the practice be understood without a deep and continuous concentration--the mindfulness leading to meditation.The technical instruction of the poses includes some commentary on beneficial effects. It should be noted that according to tradition there are 84,000 poses known (or perhaps the number is 840,000) of which about 84 are said to be necessary for health and the progression to samadhi. It is also said traditionally that a cat was the first yoga teacher. I want to note that only a gifted person with a natural suppleness can hope to master all the poses that Iyengar demonstrates. So don't despair. Most authorities will tell you that a dozen or so will suffice.Even though detailed instruction is given in only three pranayamas, the subject is nonetheless throughly introduced and explained in the twenty-five elegant and succinct pages that constitute Part III of this book. Included and noteworthy is Iyengar's well-know warning: "Pneumatic tools can cut through the hardest rock. In Pranayama the yogi uses his lungs as pneumatic tools. If they are not used properly, they destroy both the tool and the person using it."There are two appendices, one on "Asana Courses," which may be useful for teachers or for those who like a highly structured approach. The other is on the curative effects of asana for various disorders including arthritis, asthma, diabetes, flatulence, etc. I take this second appendix with some reserve and note that a comprehensive study of the curative effects of asana awaits its great genius. Nonetheless, the traditional experience, which Iyengar relies on, is part of the ancient practice of ayurvedic medicine, one of the great healing traditions of the world, and as such commands the highest respect. Personally, it is obvious to me that certain asanas facilitate certain natural bodily processes, and it is well know that a concentration of attention and blood flow to an effected part of the body can assist the body's healing mechanisms. Asana, properly understood in this context, is part of a maintenance program for a healthy body.Iyengar's is preeminently a practical approach seeped in the ancient traditions of India. As such there is a distinctive, but unavoidable Hindu cast to his instruction. (Separating yoga from Hinduism is like trying to unscramble an omelette.) Nonetheless Iyengar strives for a universal approach and does an excellent job of achieving it. Note this from the introduction: "Food, the supporting yet consuming substance of all life is regarded as a phase of Brahman. It should be eaten with the feeling that with each morsel one can gain strength to serve the Lord...Whether or not to be a vegetarian is a purely personal matter as each person is influenced by the tradition and habits of the country in which he was born and bred.""

Publisher: Schocken | More reviews: amazon.com

Remember, Be Here Now

by Ram Dass

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"I know it's a cliché, but this book changed my life. I read it in 1973 when I was an angst-ridden twenty-something searching for a spiritual direction. I bought the book because I recognised Dr Richard Alpert from his association with Dr Timothy Leary and was curious to hear his post acid-haze spin on spirituality. What I found in the pages of this book planted the seed of a philosophy which has grown in my own consciousness, becoming the foundation for a spiritual life. The first part of the book deals with Dr Alperts spiritual awakening through the grace of his guru and his subsequent metamorphosis into the disciple called Baba Ram Dass. It is an inspiring tale for those not afflicted by cynical preconceptions and it inspired in me the desire to seek out my own guru. The central portion of the book was perfect for the times, when people who had opened the gates of their perception with the aid of psychotropic substances, were looking for more natural means to help keep them open. Using the words and teachings of many different spiritual masters, from Jesus to Ramakrishna, the book uses psychedelic, cartoon-like images to get the message across. And the message is Be Here Now. When I first meditated on the meaning of this exhortation, ten thousand bells began to ring in my mind. Of course! The past is gone, an illusion which exerts all kinds of negative influences on the human psyche. The future is even more illusory, in that it is so transient. It could be years long, or it could be seconds - who knows? Life can only be truly experienced in the present - in the here and now - and if we are to find peace and spiritual freedom, we must first do away with our attachment to the past and the future. This is the central premise of the books teaching and it is a profoundly important teaching. We live so much of our lives in the past or the future, we forget to experience the joy of the moment and in the third part of the book entitled `Cook-book for a Sacred Life', Ram Dass offers the reader some practical techniques. Meditation, yoga, posture, mantra, recipes - there is everything here for the novice spiritual aspirant wishing to bring a sense of sacred-ness into all aspects of his or her daily life. As a young man seeking spiritual knowledge and a pathway towards salvation, the rituals, techniques and teachings expounded in this book brought a magic to each day and a kind of unseen connection with Ram Dass and his other readers. Be Here Now was a vital component of my spiritual awakening and I would like to address my words to any open-minded person looking to tread the rock-strewn road towards self-knowledge, compassion and spiritual illumination. Read this book now!"

Publisher: Hanuman Foundation | More reviews: amazon.com

A Year of Living Your Yoga: Daily Practices to Shape Your Life

by Judith Hanson Lasater

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"I'm admittedly a huge fan of Judith Hanson Lasater's other works, so naturally I was anticipating her latest offering: "A Year Of Living Your Yoga". Borrowing the theme of her other popular publication, "Living Your Yoga", Lasater has created a daily meditation style book that gives bite sized wisdom that you can use daily. Each day, there is a proverb along with a suggestion of how to apply it to your day to day life. For those who want live their yoga and not just "do" yoga, this is a nice little way to do it."

Publisher: Rodmell Press | More reviews: amazon.com

Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness

by Erich Schiffmann

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"This book is excellent for a number of reasons. The detailed descriptions of how to do the postures are wonderful. There are excellent hints for progressing through difficult postures, including some really helpful exercises for helping you get your hip joints in shape to do the lotus pose. Erich really understands how the different poses affect the physical body and the energy field, and imparts this knowledge clearly and eloquently.There is a whole section on breathing with the postures which I've not seen done so well in any other book. Also, he explains his concept of "lines of energy" which really bring the postures alive. Perhaps Erich's greatest contribution to the yoga literature is his way of explaining how asana practice goes with meditation practice. Before, I was never sure how asanas fit in with the rest of yoga practice. Now I understand a lot better. I found Erich's spiritual writings very unpretentious and inspiring. The meditation exercises are wonderful both for beginners as well as people who've been meditating for a while.This is a wonderful book from a teacher who knows his subject well and who seems to have a truly open heart. I would love to take a class from him someday."

Publisher: Pocket | More reviews: amazon.com

Midnights with the Mystic: A Little Guide to Freedom and Bliss

by Cheryl Simone

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"Midnights with the Mystic: A Little Guide to Freedom and Bliss
What a wonderful recounting of her encounters with a truly remarkable man. So many spiritual teachers are so lofty and out of this world that they lose me. Her teacher is so insightful and yet he is also grounded and practical at the same time. This is a book that I feel sure that I will read many times. And thank you to Cheryl for sharing so much of your own journey. It makes the book even richer to hear of your spiritual quest along with the wisdom and insights of your teacher. "

Publisher: Hampton Roads Pub Co | More reviews: amazon.com

Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth: Book 2

by Peter Kelder

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"One of my hatha yoga students kindly gave me a copy of book 1 as a gift. A bit skeptical, I started to read it and was charmed by the story, intrigued as to whether the exercises would work. I gave it a try and even in the first week was amazed at the results. I am now up to doing the recommended 21 reps of each of the 5 positions. I have almost boundless energy, look 10 years younger according to my colleagues, feel healthier than I have in years, sleep more deeply at night. Without even trying to, I have lost nearly 10 pounds: the exercises seem to balance or curb your appetite. I am not as hungry, yet the smaller portions I eat seem tastier to me. My yoga students are very enthusiastic about the 5 Rites. I get daily requests for this class. I have since bought book 2 and like it even more because of all the detailed explanations contained therein. I have recommended the books to at least a dozen friends and colleagues. Even my significant other is starting to do the 5 Rites and has never felt healthier. In short, highly recommended. Inti"

Publisher: Doubleday | More reviews: amazon.com

The Yoga Tradition: Its History, Literature, Philosophy and Practice

by Georg Feuerstein

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"This extraordinary work represents a lifetime of devotion to yoga by its preeminent Western scholar. It is at once a distillation and compilation of all that Georg Feuerstein has gleaned in his extensive travels both academically and spiritually. It greatly broadens the usual scope of yoga to include its manifestation in other religions and goes back in time to the edge of the prehistory. Feuerstein understands that yoga is both an ancient practice, and, by itself, a profound and venerable religion. More than anything, however, it is a salient expression of the culture and philosophy, the lifestyle and history of the Indian subcontinent where it was the midwife of the great religions of Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism and of course that great body of belief and practice known as Hinduism.

Feuerstein is in one sense a true believer. He has devoted his life to the study of yoga and attendant phenomena, in particular Hinduism and the broad Tantric tradition. One gets the sense that even here in this lengthy work, he knows much more than he is conveying; that there is a synergistic power in his extensive knowledge that allows him to know things that he cannot express. One feels his intense desire to say something that perhaps cannot be said, something spiritual and personal that can only be experienced.

In another sense he is a hard-working scholar who reports on what he has learned without passing unnecessary judgments or drawing unwarranted conclusions, although he does interpret. He is, in this sense, the American expression of the great Romanian scholar Mircea Eliade (who wrote in French) with perhaps a pinch of the Indian philosopher Sri Aurobindo, on the one hand, and the English tantrist Sir John Woodroffe, on the other, folded in.

The book begins with a thorough definition of yoga and then an overview, and then its inescapable conjoining with Hinduism. This is "Part One: Foundations." Then Feuerstein looks at "Pre-Classical Yoga" and overviews the entire Vedic tradition including the yoga of the earliest Upanishads, culminating in its expression in the Bhagavad Gita. Then in "Part Three: Classical Yoga," he comes to Patanjali and the yoga of the eight limbs, the famous yoga of the aphorisms. Part Four is "Post-Classical Yoga" from the later Yoga-Upanishads from the Middle Ages in which the focus is on bhakti, technique, mantra and meditation. It is here that Western readers will find much that is new, or at least not readily available in English. And it is here that a non-dualistic yogic philosophy (as opposed to the dualism of Patanjali) holds sway. Part Five is on tantrism and "Yoga as Spiritual Alchemy." It is in this last part that the so-called "subtle body," with its nadis and pranas, its cakras ("psychoenergetic centers") and the mysterious serpent power of kundalini, is explored in depth. Here too we have the ritualistic practice of the five forbidden things from tantra yoga, the infamous "left-handed path." Here is Feuerstein's take: "Practitioners of the left-hand path ()--vâma means both "left" and "woman"--know they are breaking profound social taboos, and their only justification for their conduct is that their goal is not sensual gratification but self-transcendence in the context of bodily existence." (p. 484)

To me--and I have studied and practiced yoga for 28 years--yoga is first and foremost a profound psychology, a way of life that has evolved along with the human experience, from the prehistory to today, a guide on how to live that has come down to us in part (only in part: so much has been lost) as a philosophic and religious tradition. Feuerstein's book is at once a great reference and a heart-felt exposition on the power of yoga to transcend this world in which we are enveloped in the "food sheath," where we are both the eater and the eaten, but with our eyes on the stars.

The book includes numerous black and white illustrations, passages from yogic works, and an extensive, selected bibliography. There is a chronology, a glossary and an excellent index."

Publisher: Hohm Press | More reviews: amazon.com

Healing Mantras: Using Sound Affirmations for Personal Power, Creativity, and Healing

by Thomas Ashley-Farrand

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"No review here. Sorry. Nothing but praise. This book is changing my life so fast that I feel like I'm in a dream! I've used the Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Buddhist chant for years to transform my life internally and externally, but its brought up so much karma I knew I had to find a new and gentler path. Now, mystical happenings abound in a more directed way, and it's only been a few weeks! These mantras give one the power to work on specific problems related to everything from finance and relationships to physical and mental affliction. The results I've had have been tremendous!! Incredibly well-written, and easy to read, no doubt due to the Saraswati chant by the author. The mantras in this book if done as a "Sadhana" advised by Mr. Ashley-Farrand (40 days straight)I'm sure can change one's life dramatically as if one were taking medecine. They'll be making a dent in many people's negative karma soon, ultimately changing the course of the world. As far as I'm concerned, this book will make a priceless gift to loved ones. God bless!!"

Publisher: Wellspring/Ballantine | More reviews: amazon.com

Richard Hittleman's Yoga: 28 Day Exercise Plan

by Richard Hittleman

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"About a month ago, I found this book in our bookcase at home. My mom had bought it years ago, after her doctor recommended it to her. It is the old version with beautiful photographs. Just yesterday, I finished the program after following it for the past 28 days. I'm a dancer, and so am pretty flexible, but I was amazed to find that I've become more flexible, and that my back, with which I've had trouble in the past, has become stronger, more flexible, and does not bother me any longer (I used to go to bed almost every night with an ache in my lower back). This book is amazing. The instructions are clear, concise, and easy to follow, as they are accompanied by photographs illustrating each part of the asanas. Richard has created a Yoga system which enables anyone to incorporate yoga in their lives. Each day, new asanas are learned, and more advanced positions of previous ones are suggested, allowing anyone to progress at their own pace. Each day's practice is followed by the "Thoughts for the Day," which discuss different aspects of everyday life, such as eating, sleep, stress, etc... and how yoga and yoga philosophy can help one better their lifestyle. This book has trully changed my life and the way I see it. I have become more in touch with my body and my mind. This book is exceptional. I cannot thank Richard Hittleman enough. Since I've started the program, I've been researching yoga, and reading everything on it I can get my hands on. If any of you out there have any recommendations for books, videos, equipment, web sites, anything having to do with yoga, and advice, I would love to hear from you. Thanks-"

Publisher: Bantam | More reviews: amazon.com

Experience Yoga Nidra: Guided deep relaxation

by Swami Janakananda Saraswati

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"My Yoga Nidra CD was actually a gift - a well-meaning friend thought I was getting a bit "frayed at the edges" and needed to relax.I was slightly sceptical in the beginning. I tend to hold a scientific view of the universe, and suspected this might turn out to be "up in the clouds".My first thought after coming out of the relaxation was "gosh!" I felt as if I'd rested for hours. Somewhere along the relaxation, my mind had let go of the tense attitude I was in the grip of. After the relaxation I lay there looking at the things around me for quite a while, almost like a child.I noticed the effect of this first trial of Yoga Nidra for hours afterwards. It's hard to describe really, I was definitely more relaxed than usual, but not at all sluggish or slow, quite the opposite.Of course, after this I started using the relaxation regularly and I am still doing so. It continually amazes me that such seemingly simple instructions can have such a strong effect. The quality of my sleep has improved greatly since I started using the CD. I used to wake up several times each night but now find that I can sleep the whole night through, which of course makes a
great difference to my day.There are two relaxations on the CD, one short version (20 minutes), and one long (45 minutes). The voice giving instructions is interwoven with music and various sounds from nature. Before listening to it I would have thought that this was confusing, or that it would somehow have a hypnotic effect, but I find that the other sound effects enhance the instructions in a very balanced and harmonious way.I strongly recommend anyone who wants to relax and "recharge their batteries" to try this CD. It's made a definite difference for me in my daily life."

Publisher: Bindu Publishers | More reviews: amazon.com