The world of yoga is astonishingly rich in its array of schools and practices. Yet, as diverse as they seem, they share a common aim: the discovery of the essence of existence that can be found at the core of our being, and the liberation that comes from that discovery. With this worthy goal in mind, Richard Freeman presents an enlightening overview of the many teachings, practices, and scriptures that serve as the basis for all the schools of yoga—hatha, bhakti, jnana, karma, tantra, and others. He shows how the myriad forms are ultimately related, and can even be perceived to make up a vast, interpenetrating matrix, symbolizing the unity, profundity, and beauty of the ancient tradition. Richard's wide-ranging discussion includes the Upanisads and Samkhya philosophies, the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, the eight limbs of astanga yoga, the process and purpose of hatha yoga, and much more. He also explores the role of the guru, chanting, meditation, and the yogic imperative of offering service to others. All of this is applied to the actual practice, giving the reader the tools to digest and apply the wealth of information to daily life. The Mirror of Yoga will be a welcome resource to all yogis who wish to better practice the profound philosophy underlying their practice.

Astanga Yoga is an ancient wisdom, the greatest and noblest gift that Sage Patanjali has offered mankind. Its wisdom is timeless and is as valid today as it was centuries ago. Its beauty lies in the application of its principles that can be adopted and adapted in discovering the finer aspects of man according to one’s physical and intellectual capacity. The world-renowned Guru BKS Iyengar provides a lucid explanation on the exposition and application of the principles of Sage Patanjali in Light on Astanga Yoga. BKS Iyengar is considered as one of the foremost Guru on Yoga, who revived interest in the ancient subject and popularised it across the world. His writings are all based on his personal experiences. His book Light on Yoga written more than 50 years ago is often referred to as the Bible of Yoga. He is an author of over 30 books and most are best-sellers.

The yoga and classical dance traditions of India have been inextricably entwined for millennia. The exacting hand gestures, postures and movements of Indian classical dance can only be achieved through yogic concentration. Conversely, the esthetics, symmetry, and dynamism of dance enhance the practice of yoga. These two traditions, so complementary and essential to one another, are united and explicated for the first time in A Yoga of Indian Classical Dance. Twenty-five years ago Roxanne Kamayani Gupta embarked on a journey of dance and yoga, yearning to unlock their mysteries and discover their common origins. As a twenty-year-old student from America she was miraculously and mysteriously absorbed into Indian culture, became a Hindu, and began an odyssey so unusual and unique that the reader will be enchanted by its telling. Choosing the path of the dancer, Roxanne Gupta accomplished what no Western woman had done before: being accepted and trained by Indian masters and then performing in the Indian classical traditions--from the palaces of maharajas to the arts festivals of Europe and America--while at the same time achieving a doctorate in the anthropology of religion and being initiated into a number of yogic traditions. Having mastered the classical form of Kuchipudi dance and studied with teachers of the hatha and kriya yoga traditions, she brings together these two great streams of consciousness and practice. In this tantric approach to yoga and dance, expressed through the body and through a yoga of emotions, we see the traditions embodied in a manner that embraces the totality of the human experience. The result is the dance of the yogini, the sacred feminine initiatress who dances with one foot in nature and the other in the realm of the gods. With extensive photographs of innovative yoga routines, Roxanne Kamayani Gupta distills her experience into techniques for yogic study certain to assist students of all levels to achieve a dynamic, beautiful, and graceful practice.

In This Book Osho Explains How, Through Yoga, One Can Attain The Grace Of The Body And Of God. He Talks About Crucial Concerns Of Love, Marriage, Faith And Contentment. It Is A Perfect Blend Of Ancient Wisdom And Contemporary Knowledge. Also Contains A Series Of Questions And Answers Through Which Osho Addresses Key Issues Like Hope, Worry And The Relationship Between The Master And His Desciples. Yoga Is Becoming Very Popular Once Again Details The Theory Of Yoga Focus On Meditation

Through yoga philosophy towards more awareness for body, mind, soul. Living Yoga Wisdom is a practice book for beginners as well as for advanced yoginis and yogis, who would like to deepen and advance their practice through yoga philosophy. Each of the 18 chapters is coupled with exercises, which not only make yoga philosophy more comprehensible, but also applicable and experiential in everyday living. The book demonstrates that yoga philosophy means a lot more than only theory. The philosophical exercises help to create awareness of the meaning of yoga practice in its original sense. It becomes possible to experience yoga as a pathway of training the consciousness of body, mind and soul, and also as guidance for everyday living.

A playful, exuberantly illustrated book that introduces yoga to kids ages 5 to 8 with simple postures and techniques to foster a calm mind and healthy body How can a magic tree, a cow with a fidgety son, or a wise lion teach kids about being kinder, calmer, and stronger? With yoga! In Let’s Play Yoga!, these and other colorful characters promote balance and discernment—through creative stories kids can read on their own, all grounded in traditional yoga poses. This vibrant book also includes: The ten principles of yoga: nonviolence, truth, non-stealing, right use of energy, detachment, cleanliness, contentment, discipline, self-study and trust. Stories to help you learn: Wise and playful teachers, from Gomu the spotted cow to Vriksha the magic tree, show how practicing yoga—and living its principles—is a gift to yourself and others. Thirteen yoga poses: Step-by-step illustrations show how to do Tadasana (mountain pose), Trikonasana (triangle pose), and more, plus meditation and breathing exercises. And an abundance of benefits: By “playing yoga,” kids will cultivate balance, discipline, and focus. The result? They become more aware of their own feelings, thoughts, and actions; more engaged at school; and happier at home. In the hands of talented authors, yoga becomes a lifelong skill to help kids pave the way to a more compassionate future for all, even as they explore new ways to move.

This book is for anyone interested in health, fitness, or the healing arts. It teaches you the basics of stretching, breathing, and meditation, with exercises designed to help you relax, become more flexible, more productive, and more self-satisfied.

A comprehensive description of the primary series of ashtanga yoga, following the traditional Vinyasa count, and an authentic explanation of the Yoga sutra of Patanjali.

This volume provides a faithful account of the yogic practices which Milarepa, the best known of the Tibetan yogins, successfully put to the test of practice. It explores some of the Kargylitpa School's chief doctrines from Indian Buddhistic sources.

Spanda is the vibratory dynamism of the absolute consciousness. In the first section of his commentary, Kṣemarāja presents spanda as identical with the essential self of each person. The second section presents a methodology that allows access to the world of spanda yoga. The third section describes the spiritual powers attained by the realization of spanda. Through modern physics, we have grown accustomed to thinking of physical reality as waves of energy--as the matter-energy continuum. Tantric Shaivism presents the full matrix of energy pulsation of which physical reality is only a part. From the relatively superficial perceptions of the senses to the progressively subtle forms of inner awareness, a unified spectrum of spanda leads inward until the most delicate and powerful tendrils of individuality merge with the infinitely rapid vibration of the ultimate consciousness. The text prescribes a continuous refinement of perception in order for that aspect of spanda which continuously subsides into infinity to be discovered in the awareness of the practitioner. Through prescribed use of mantra, the yogi develops a continuous attentiveness to the presence of the spanda--the spanda that reveals itself to her as an ecstatic flashing forth within her own awareness. The Guru enlivened mantra leads the yogi through the vibratory spectrum of awareness to the ever subtler domains within. As this occurs, the surface word-form of the mantra falls away and only the original lively pulsation of enlightenment is left. At a certain definite point, the individual awareness is permanently caught up in this subtle pulsation of the ultimate. It then transcends all of the relative spatial distinctions of inner and outer, higher and lower, above and below. The nondimensional, global encompassing of the individuality by the absolute consciousness is the state of jivanmukti, the goal of the tantric practice prescribed by the Spanda Karikas.