This astrological relationship guide is indispensable for dealing with everyone from friends and family to bosses and coworkers. Steer your life by the stars and make all your interpersonal relationships shine. This beautifully designed, horoscope-driven handbook will teach you to bring energy to your relationships and divine the true nature of personalities using the power of astrology. Do you know how to live peacefully with a Taurus? Discuss money issues with a Cancer? Improve your sex life with a Scorpio? With chapters arranged by astrological sign, The Astrology of You and Me will give you help and guidance for every imaginable star-crossed situation, and the beautiful design features astrology-inspired illustrations throughout.
This second edition of this bestseller provides an in-depth look at the philosophy and practice of Yin Yoga with illustrated how-to sections, including detailed descriptions and photographs of more than 30 asanas.
He was called "the 20th century’s first superstar guru" (Los Angeles Times), and today, nearly a century after he arrived in the United States, he’s still the best known and most beloved of all the Indian spiritual teachers who have come to the West. Now, finally, Paramahansa Yogananda has the authoritative biography he deserves.Yogananda, considered by many to be the father of modern yoga, has had an unsurpassed global impact thanks to the durability of his teachings, the institutions he created or inspired, and especially his iconic memoir, Autobiography of a Yogi.Since its publication in 1946, that book has sold millions of copies and changed millions of lives. But it doesn’t tell the whole story.Much of Yogananda’s seminal text is devoted to tales about other people, and it largely overlooks the three vital decades he spent living, working, and teaching in America. Huge chunks of his life—challenges, controversies, and crises; triumphs, relationships, and formative experiences—remain unknown to even his most ardent devotees. In this captivating biography, scholar and teacher Philip Goldberg fills the gaps, charting a journey that spanned six decades, two hemispheres, two world wars, and unprecedented social changes. The result is an objective, thoroughly researched account of Yogananda’s remarkable life in all its detail, nuance, and complex humanity.But this is more than a compelling life story. "Yogananda would, I believe, want any book about him to not only inform but transform," Goldberg writes. "It is my hope that readers will be enriched, expanded, and deepened by this humble offering." That is sure to be the case for both Yogananda enthusiasts and those who discover him for the first time in these illuminating pages.
These essays by a prominent Zen master are a classic introduction to Zen Buddhism, specifically written for Westerners. The former abbot of Nanzenji Monastary in Kyoto, the Reverend Zenkei Shibayama, understood Western ways, and, in the early 1970s, prepared these introductory essays for English speakers. In A Flower Does Not Talk, the author describes the basic characteristics of Zen, the training it calls for, and the Zen Personality, before presenting three typical Zen writings accompanied by informative notes. This book is beautifully illustrated with drawings, photographs of Zen inspired flower arrangements, and paintings by Zen Master Hakuin, is a classic introduction to the core of Buddhist teachings, which provide the basis for the happiness of mankind.
Surya Namaskar is a magical name in Indian history and now becoming popular all over the world, it has become a global household name. Surya Namaskar has many references in the Vedas and Puranas. Since that time this yoga has been practiced by many people all over the world. To begin one’s day with the Surya Namaskar is very beneficial as it connects the individual with the cosmos. Out of so many people interested in yoga and spirituality some persons have taken Suryanamaskar as their life style. One such person is Krzysztof Stec from Poland who loves this practice. I remember that as soon as he arrived at Vishwatmak Jangli Maharaj Ashram almost 10 years ago he was talking about and encouraging everyone to start practicing Suryanamaskar. He has been practicing it every day for many years, and in a little more than two hours he performs in excess of 1008 rounds of Suryanamaskar. Such feat is astonishing and worth praising. He has built tremendous stamina and extraordinary endurance over the years with such regular and disciplined practice. The medical practitioners in the nearby town of Kopargaon have examined him and came to conclusion that he has the physiological parameters of 25 year old youngster (as of today he is running 59 years old). Only two years ago he completed a demanding two years’ master degree program at the department of physical education at one of the primary universities of India, at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. There he had to compete and work-out with colleagues who were one third his age! Last year when he undertook 42 days’ complete fast for the Gurupurnima (anusthan), he began without water (or any food) and continued for full 23 days and later, to complete the fast, he drank only water. In spite of such severe tapasya (discipline and austerity), when most other people usually stay in bed and barely move or to help themselves get several I.V., he was so energetic and full of vitality that he was swimming daily the distance of 5 to 8 kilometers.
Modern Tantra shows how to practice the ancient Pagan spiritual system of Tantra for greater freedom, health, and happiness. Correcting the many misconceptions that surround Tantra, author Donald Michael Kraig shows that its wisdom can be experienced today, helping you access your natural energy for healing and spiritual advancement. Encouraging growth, experimentation, and personal evolution through exercises and meditations, Modern Tantra is a new look at a time-honored spiritual path. With a non-dogmatic approach, this book shows you how to work with Tantric: Chakras Mythology Herbalism Healing Astrology Divination Mudras and mantras Sexuality Ritual magick Festivals Spells The three gunas and three doshas Goddesses and gods Sacred images And much more
The nautanki performances of northern India entertain their audiences with often ribald and profane stories. Rooted in the peasant society of pre-modern India, this theater vibrates with lively dancing, pulsating drumbeats, and full-throated singing. In Grounds for Play, Kathryn Hansen draws on field research to describe the different elements of nautanki performance: music, dance, poetry, popular story lines, and written texts. She traces the social history of the form and explores the play of meanings within nautanki narratives, focusing on the ways important social issues such as political authority, community identity, and gender differences are represented in these narratives. Unlike other styles of Indian theater, the nautanki does not draw on the pan-Indian religious epics such as the Ramayana or the Mahabharata for its subjects. Indeed, their storylines tend to center on the vicissitudes of stranded heroines in the throes of melodramatic romance. Whereas nautanki performers were once much in demand, live performances now are rare and nautanki increasingly reaches its audiences through electronic media—records, cassettes, films, television. In spite of this change, the theater form still functions as an effective conduit in the cultural flow that connects urban centers and the hinterland in an ongoing process of exchange.
"Accompanying a major traveling exhibition, this first-ever survey of the rarely seen notebooks of Basquiat features the artist's handwritten notes, poems, and drawings, along with related works on paper and large-scale paintings. With no formal training, Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) succeeded in developing a new and expressive style to become one of the most influential artists in the postmodern revival of figurative during the 1980s. In a series of notebooks from the early to mid-1980s, never before exhibited, Basquiat combined text and images reflecting his engagement with the countercultures of graffiti and hip-hop in New York City, as well as pop culture and world events. Filled with handwritten texts, poems, pictograms, and drawings, many of them iconic images that recur throughout his artwork-teepees, crowns, skeleton-like silhouettes, and grimacing masks-and these notebooks reveal much about the artist's creative process and the importance of the written word in his aesthetic. With over 150 notebook pages and numerous drawings and paintings, this important book sheds new light on Basquiat's career and his critical place in contemporary art history."--
This book offers a translation of the seven thousand verses of the second book of the medieval Hindu text, the Ganesa Purana, one of two Puranas dedicated to the important elephant-headed god. In this book the reader is given many narratives about Ganesas ascent to earth in order to kill demonic figures who threaten to overthrow the correct world order. In addition, these narratives contain myths about Ganesa's birth and family as well as some extended and quite humorous myths about ideal devotees of the god.The translation is preceded by a long introduction offering a geographical and historical context for the GanesaPurana. Following the translation are very extensive notes which bring our points of philological interest, but focus mainly on the literary structure of the text and the methods used to present the many myths and narratives in a coherent and fully integrated manner.
Discover how a 12,000-year-old mystical symbol holds the key to awakening your deepest inner potential and enhancing your powers of manifestation. The Sri Chakra Yantra is an ancient symbol depicting the process of creation in a powerful matrix which represents both the macrocosm (the Universe) and microcosm (the human body), thus acting as a powerful, cosmic antenna that allows you direct access to communicate with the Universe. This book equips you with information and skills necessary to harness the tremendous cosmic energies available in the Universe and channelize it to make life’s dreams come true by presenting the Sri Chakra Yantra as a tool for self-development. The author has kept in mind the sensibilities of the modern spiritual seeker and their needs and interests, presenting the information in a non-dogmatic and practical manner, thereby allowing everyone an opportunity to learn and experience the benefits of the precious Sri Chakra Yantra.
