Providing a complete manual for the study and practice of Raja Yoga--the path of concentration and meditation--a new deluxe printing of a collection of timeless teachings is a treasure to be read and referred to again and again by seekers treading the spiritual path. Reprint.
What happens as we grow spiritually? Is there a step-by-step process that everyone goes through—all spiritual seekers, including those of any or no religious persuasion—as they gradually work their way upward, until they achieve the highest state of Self-realization? About 2200 years ago, a great spiritual master of India named Patanjali described this process, and presented humanity with a clear-cut, step-by-step outline of how all truth seekers and saints achieve divine union. He called this universal inner experience and process “yoga” or “union.” His collection of profound aphorisms—a true world scripture—has been dubbed Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. Unfortunately, since that time many scholarly translators with little or no spiritual realization have written commentaries on Patanjali's writings that have succeeded only in burying his pithy insights in convoluted phrases like “becomes assimilated with transformations” and “the object alone shines without deliberation.” How can any reader understand Patanjali's original meaning when he or she has to wade through such bewildering terminology? Thankfully, a great modern yoga master—Paramhansa Yogananda, author of the classic Autobiography of a Yogi—has cut through the scholarly debris and resurrected Patanjali's original teachings and revelations. Now, in Demystifying Patanjali, Swami Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Yogananda, shares his guru's crystal clear and easy-to-grasp explanations of Patanjali's aphorisms. As Kriyananda writes in his introduction, “My Guru personally shared with me some of his most important insights into these sutras. During the three and a half years I lived with him, he also went with me at great length into the basic teachings of yoga. “I was able, moreover, to ask my Guru personally about many of the subjects covered by Patanjali. His explanations have lingered with me, and have been a priceless help in the [writing of this book].”
Bhakti is a remarkable feature and tendency of human existence having to do with one's devoted involvement with a person, object, deity, or a creative project. Bhakti and Philosophy aims to trace the larger meanings and roles of bhakti as it historically emerged in some of the well-known thought systems of India, such as Vedanta and Buddhism.
The Power of Yoga explores the profound nature of yoga by demystifying ancient Sanskrit texts on the subject and a plethora of philosophies governing its practice, and making them relevant to present times. While Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras provide us the roadmap to understand the way of this science, the 21 Yoga Sequences for modern lifestyle-related disorders elaborated upon in this book make it a valuable aid for the modern-day practitioner, more so since it is presented in simple language without diluting the authenticity of the techniques. Structured primarily as a Sequence Manual, this book offers customised yoga routines to help people cope better with their day-to-day demanding schedules. The sequences are also categorised and visually depicted for a better understanding. Ultimately, The Power of Yoga seeks to enlighten the readers on the deeper significance of yoga by encouraging them to further explore it as a time tested and an established science.
The Yogasutra is one of the most important works of Indian culture. The present book is an attempt of interpretation of the Yogasutras based on some special criteria adopted by the authros: (1) To use the traditional commentaries as auxiliaries, not as guides, with prudence and freedom, (2) To interpret those Sutras, in which Patanjali analyzes real phenomena, as what they actually are: descriptions of facts of experience. To such an end the authors have tried to have a clear idea of the phenomena to which Patanjali refers, and in this task they have found extremely useful the descriptions of their mystical experiences by Yogis of India and Christian mystics. The book includes the Sanskrit text of the Sutras and an English translation by the authors.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are the foundational texts of the science of yoga. In this book, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a master of yoga for the 21st century, offers his own commentary on this fundamental work. "The aim of Patanjali Yoga is to set man free from the cage of matter. Mind is the highest form of matter and man freed from this dragnet of Chitta or Ahankara (mind or ego) becomes a pure being." - H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
“A treasure trove . . . what Yoga, capital Y, is all about.” —Donna Farhi “Nothing less than a gem.” —Judith Lasater “A vital tool.” —Book Riot This daring, visionary book revolutionizes yoga practice, making it truly accessible to everyone—in every body, at any age, and in any state of health Yoga practice has so much to offer us physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. But many of us feel discouraged to practice because we see young, slim, flexible, well, and able-bodied people dominating yoga spaces. Yet, yoga is truly a practice for all—conferring enormous benefits to our overall well-being as our bodies change, age, and navigate various health challenges. Jivana Heyman, founder of Accessible Yoga, views yoga as a basic human right—saying we all deserve to practice it in whatever state we find our body or mind. Accessible Yoga offers a simple, clear, and wonderfully adaptable practice for all people regardless of ability, health, and body type. Heyman has spent over twenty years sharing yoga with people of all abilities and backgrounds, and in this book, he shares his knowledge by breaking down complex yoga poses, breathing practices, meditation techniques, and yoga teachings into clearly understandable and practical tools we can use every day, regardless of our limitations or challenges.
This wonderful book is a collection of stories by people whose lives have been transformed by Sathya Sai Baba. Written with warmth and compassion, these stories provide a unique and personal glimpse of Sai Baba, one of the most impressive men of miracles to appear for centuries. These personal narratives, written by people who share our normal, everyday lives, show how true spiritual awakening occurred for each of them. A must-have introduction to the basic teaching of Sathya Sai Baba.
This is the translation with word-for-word meanings to the original Sanskrit. It has an analysis and application to all except the last three verses. No details are spared in the discussion about the transmigration journeys taken by a soul. The journey through physical existence and hereafter and then back into this world, repeatedly, is neatly and precisely described by a siddha from a higher dimension. The soul with the effect-energies from its socially-acceptable and criminal acts, travels to the hereafter where it is fittingly rewarded either in a heavenly world or a hellish place. Then it returns to this earthly planet and becomes adapted as an infant of parents. Anu Gita is intense. It is Krishna's action thriller. Unlike the Bhagavad Gita where He explained many topics about the application of yoga proficiency to social involvement, the Anu Gita begins with an inquiry into the nature of the individual being and its transmigration between the physical world and the astral existence. There is no drifting away from the topic. Krishna did not stress his divinity and supremacy as in the Bhagavad Gita. He simply quoted a discourse which occurred between a perfected siddha and Kashyapa.