This affordable, definitive edition of the Gheranda Samhita contains a new introduction, the original Sanskrit, a new English translation, and 39 full-page photographs. It’s the most encyclopedic of the classic Yoga texts and teaches a unique sevenfold path to perfection of the person. This is the first edition to meet high academic, literary, and production standards. It’s for people who practice Yoga and for anyone with an interest in health and fitness, philosophy, religion, spirituality, mysticism, or meditation.
It is said that Gheraṇḍa Samhitā was composed in the Seventeenth Century by Sage Gheraṇḍa. Not so much is known regarding his time and place of birth. His system of yoga is called 'Saptāṅga Yoga' i.e. the yoga of seven limbs or parts. We know 'Aṣṭāṅga Yoga' (i.e. the eight limbs of yoga) by Sage Patañjali and 'Ṣaḍāṅga Yoga' (i.e. the six limbs of yoga) by Guru Gorakhanāth. All these systems of yoga with their specific limbs/parts are equally respected and followed in the yogic tradition. The first aspect of yogic practice described in Gheraṇḍa Samhitā is ṣaṭkarma, the six yogic cleansing practices. Their practice is important to get rid of diseases from the body and purify it properly. The second aspect of yogic practice discussed is the āsana. The importance of āsana practice is that they help create firmness and stability in the body. The third aspect of practice described is the mudrā which is used to control the flow of prāṇa and retain and circulate it within the body. The fourth aspect of practice he talked is pratyāhāra. According to Sage Gheraṇḍa, when body is purified through ṣaṭkarma, it is made firm and stable by āsana and prāṇa is controlled and retained by mudrā, then one can naturally do the practice of pratyāhāra. The fifth aspect of practice he taught is prānāyāma. In most of the prānāyāma practices he included mantras with them. Practice of pranayama with specific mantras creates direct impact on energy field within the body and mind through the vibrations of the mantras which eventually contribute for the expansion of awareness. The sixth aspect of discourse in Gheraṇḍa Samhitā is dhyāna. The state of dhyāna arises naturally when the body is pure, firm and stable, prāṇa is controlled and the mind is withdrawn within itself. It describes three types of dhyāna for developing awareness and one-pointedness of the mind. The seventh and final aspect described in Gheraṇḍa Samhitā is samādhi. Its achievement is the final goal of yoga.
This book is a compilation of two classical yogic texts Gheranda Samhita and Goraksha Samhita. A brief introduction to them is given below. About Gheranda SamhitaGheraṇḍa Samhitā is a classical yogic text. Its author is Sage Gheraṇḍa. The form of yoga he taught in Gheraṇḍa Samhitā is called Ghaṭastha Yoga. Initially, it deals with the body, prāna and the mind through various yogic practices step by step and finally, leads to Ātmaj�āna (knowledge of the Self). What is Ghaṭastha Yoga? It simply means body based yoga (ghaṭa - body, stha -based, yoga - yoga). In this body as ghaṭa abide prāna (the vital energy), mind (with its four components) and five senses, heart (feeling, emotion, attachment) and an independent ātmā (the Self which is regarded as the source and support of all beings). Therefore, according to Sage Gheraṇḍa Ghaṭastha Yoga begins with the body, creates balance and harmony on the prānic, mental and emotional levels for higher level of awakening and finally, leads to samādhi, the Self-realization which is the ultimate goal of human life. About Goraksha Samhita The name of the great Yogī Gorakśanātha is not unfamiliar at all. He is a highly acknowledged and honored Siddha Yogī, renowned by spiritual masters in the past and present. His name is mentioned by Svāmi Svātmārāma in his classical text Hatha Yoga Pradipikā (Chapter One, Verses 4 and 5). He is also one of the yogīs mentioned in the Purānas and yogic texts. He is well known as Guru Gorakhanātha, and a highly respected, revered and worshipped spiritual master in India and Nepāl. The followers of the Nātha Tradition worship him as the incarnation of Lord Śiva, and say that the nine Nāthas and eighty-four Siddhas belong to Adinātha, Lord Śiva. So, he is also called Śiva Gorakśa, the founder of the Natha Siddha tradition. Originally, the science of Hatha Yoga was discovered for the expansion and evolution of human consciousness, and for the accomplishment of the ultimate goal of human life and yoga, mokśa (liberation) and samādhi (the super conscious state), respectively. According to Gorakśa Samhitā, the objective of Hatha Yoga is to create a harmonious balance between the physical body, prāna (the vital energy) and the mind. It is said that when the impulses generated by this harmonious balance stimulate the awakening of the Kuṇḍalī Śakti, only then is the evolution of consciousness or union between Śiva and Śakti possible. This accomplishment is the sole objective of the teaching of Gorakśa Samhitā by Guru Gorakśanātha. It is hoped that this compilation will be helpful to all yoga lovers, yoga sadhakas, yoga teachers and yoga professionals to understand the traditional yoga, its objective and practice for attaining peace, harmony and spiritual development for one and all.
This affordable, authoritative edition of the Shiva Samhita contains a new introduction, the original Sanskrit, a new English translation, nine full-page photographs, and an index. It includes beautiful teachings found nowhere else. This is the first edition of this classic Yoga text to meet both high academic and literary standards, the first to be based on a truly critical study of the Sanskrit manuscripts. It’s for people who practice Yoga, and for anyone with an interest in health and fitness, philosophy, religion, spirituality, mysticism, or meditation.
Hatha Yoga Pradipika is among the most influential surviving texts on hatha yoga. The text describes asanas, purifying practices, shatkarma, mudras, finger and hand positions, bandhas, locks, and pranayama, breath exercises. The book explains the purpose of Hatha Yoga, the awakening of subtle energy kundalini, advancement to Raja Yoga, and the experience of deep meditative absorption known as samadhi.
Widely respected yoga teacher and author Richard Rosen draws on ancient yoga encyclopedias to explain how yoga was practiced before it became popular in the West. He compares the three main existing sources known to yoga scholars to describe how complex and rich the practice of yoga once was. It included systematic teachings on personal hygiene, good health, and good relationships, and other practices of yoga that went far beyond just the physical postures. Each section of the book offers a guided practice session of ancient poses and breathing techniques to enable readers to connect to the roots of their yoga and to offer a framework from which to understand the sequences they use in their regular sessions.
'An indispensable companion for all interested in yoga, both scholars and practitioners' Professor Alexis G. J. S. Sanderson Despite yoga's huge global popularity, relatively little of its roots is known among practitioners. This compendium includes a wide range of texts from different schools of yoga, languages and eras: among others, key passages from the early Upanisads and the Mahabharata, and from the Tantric, Buddhist and Jaina traditions, with many pieces in scholarly translation for the first time. Covering yoga's varying definitions, its most important practices, such as posture, breath control, sensory withdrawal and meditation, as well as models of the esoteric and physical bodies, Roots of Yoga is a unique and essential source of knowledge. Translated and Edited with an Introduction by James Mallinson and Mark Singleton
The Science of Yoga draws on a hidden wealth of science, history, and surprising facts to cut through the fog that surrounds contemporary yoga and to show - for the first time - what is uplifting and beneficial and what is delusional, flaky, and dangerous. At heart, it illuminates the risks and rewards. The book takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of undiscovered yoga that goes from old libraries in Calcutta to the world capitals of medical research, from little-known archives to spotless laboratories, from sweaty yoga classes with master teachers to the cosy offices of yoga healers. In the process, it shatters myths, lays out unexpected benefits, and offers a compelling vision of how to improve the discipline.
