For modern yogis feeling challenged in our efforts to remain deeply spiritual, contemplative, and centered amid the stresses and complications of urban life, this book serves as both inspiration and guide. Darren Main's fresh, down-to-earth approach to the time-tested practice and philosophy of yoga shows us the way to apply the ancient wisdom of India to every moment and every breath so that even our busiest days can be powerful and mystical adventures, filled with all the wonder and magic that was once reserved for those living as monks and nuns. Yoga for the twenty-first century, this is the fulfilling and joyful path of the urban mystic.
A leading yoga researcher offers a clear and lively introduction to the history, philosophy, and practice of the Tantric spiritual tradition Tantra—often associated with Kundalini Yoga—is a fundamental dimension of Hinduism, emphasizing the cultivation of “divine power” (shakti) as a path to infinite bliss. Tantra has been widely misunderstood in the West, however, where its practices are often confused with eroticism and licentious morality. Tantra: The Path of Ecstasy dispels many common misconceptions, providing an accessible introduction to the history, philosophy, and practice of this extraordinary spiritual tradition. The Tantric teachings are geared toward the attainment of enlightenment as well as spiritual power and are present not only in Hinduism but also Jainism and Vajrayana Buddhism. In this book, Georg Feuerstein offers readers a clear understanding of authentic Tantra, as well as appropriate guidance for spiritual practice and the attainment of higher consciousness.
The yoga teacher’s guide to planning and sequencing yoga classes—with over 2,000 instructional photos and 67 yoga pose sequences for students of all skill levels. Also features additional resources, including yoga class planning worksheets, comprehensive glossaries, and much more! Addressing one of the most popular topics in the yoga profession, this book offers 67 model sequences of yoga poses (asanas) that cover the broad range of yoga student experience. Inside, established and aspiring yoga teachers will find: • Over 2,000 instructional photos and guide to over 150 yoga asanas • Multiple sequences for beginning, intermediate, and advanced students • Yoga sequences for kids, teens, seniors, and women across their life cycle • Yoga classes designed for relieving depression and anxiety • Sequences for each of the major chakras and ayurvedic constitutions • Guidance for teaching breathing (pranayama) and meditation techniques • Glossary of terms and alphabetical asana index with thumbnail photographs • Yoga class planning worksheets • Representative sequences from several popular styles of hatha yoga • And many more resources for further reading! Drawing on ancient yoga philosophy and contemporary insights into functional anatomy, biomechanics, and kinesiology, Yoga Sequencing is the ultimate guide teachers looking to bring the transformative power of yoga into their practice and classes.
Black Lotus: The Spiritual Journey of an Urban Mystic explores the life and mission of His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami, an African-American seeker who became one of the most influential spiritual leaders of the twentieth century. His story begins in a Cleveland ghetto and culminates in the spiritual world. Along the way, readers meet John Favors, known by family and friends as "Johnny Boy." A particularly gifted youth, he overcame numerous obstacles, including a speech impediment and impoverished conditions, to reveal his exceptional character, wisdom, and spirituality.In his teenage years, he worked with Dr. Martin Luther King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and became a young but prominent participant in the Civil Rights movement. As months turned to years, he excelled in school and went on to Princeton University, uncommon for an African-American in the late-1960s. While there, he majored in psychology and learned the science of yoga.His abiding interest in black consciousness, the powers of the mind, and Eastern philosophy, however, was overshadowed by his spiritual inclinations, which led him to the Hare Krishna movement, known in India by its traditional name, Vaishnavism. This is the ancient science of the soul, long forgotten in the West and known in its purest form only to a select few even in the mystic East. Through his intense practice, "Johnny Boy" quickly transformed into "Bhakti Tirtha Swami," an adept who became renowned for his severe asceticism; his heartfelt praying; his material and spiritual welfare work around the world; his initiation of hundreds of students into the practice of bhakti (devotional yoga); and his coronation as a High Chief in the prestigious Warri kingdom of Nigeria.But his greatest accomplishments involved pragmatic application of high ideals - simple living and high thinking. To this end, he established farm communities, schools for children, published books, and founded the nonsectarian Institute for Applied Spiritual Technology (IFAST), which sponsors seminars and provides workshops for professionals and spiritual seekers of various persuasions. In the process, he demonstrated that effective spiritual life includes the best aspects of psychology and principle-centered leadership. More, he taught how to balance head and heart in pursuit of the spirit. His inspiring story is enriched by personal interviews with family, friends, college professors, mentors, disciples, and other fellow travelers on the spiritual path. These interviews make their appearance in the book as inset quotes, allowing his associates to speak for themselves. As a result, Black Lotus offers an intimate look at the Swami's life and times, which blossom on these pages for the first time in written form. As the beauty and sublime perfection of a lotus rises in supreme majesty above its stem, which is buried deeply in clouded waters, so Black Lotus is a tribute to one who rose above all boundaries and limitations, and inspired others to do the same.
"Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic" brings classical teachings alive and helps us move our rewarding experience of yoga beyond the mat and meditation cushion and into the whole of life. For modern yogis feeling challenged in our efforts to remain deeply spiritual, contemplative, and centered amid the stresses and complications of urban life, this book serves as both inspiration and guide. Darren Main's fresh, down-to-earth approach to the time-tested practice and philosophy of yoga shows us the way to apply the ancient wisdom of India to every moment and every breath so that even our busiest days can be powerful and mystical adventures, filled with all the wonder and magic that was once reserved for those living as monks and nuns. Yoga for the twenty-first century, this is the fulfilling and joyful path of the urban mystic. "Darren Main explains how to turn [life's] distractions into darshan, with humor, lightness, and love. He also explains the Yoga Sutra, the chakras, pranayama, and other esoteric yoga philosophies in a live and engaging way. His humorous style and delicious honesty create a thoroughly modern approach to this ancient science." -"The Bodhi Tree Review"
The rich philosophy of yoga has been handed down from teacher to student for thousands of years, yet this wisdom is not exclusive to any one culture or religion. In The River of Wisdom, contemporary teacher Darren Main offers 108 insights, reflections and thoughts on what it means to live a more mindful life-a life rooted in the tradition of yoga. Whether you read this book cover-to-cover or simply contemplate a random passages as part of your daily practice, The River of Wisdom is sure to inspire you and change the way you look at life both on and off the yoga mat.
Movies are like modern-day parables that everyone can relate to. The Movie Watcher's Guide to Enlightenment is a Resource that gives a whole new purpose to movie-watching. We use the categories Metaphysical, Classic, and Mind Watcher to designate different phases of the awakening to Who we are. The Movie Watcher's Guide gives you a description of these themes, along with insights to over 200 different movies. Why is it, for example, that we love to see drama, intrigue, love affairs, and adventures on the silver screen? It is because we all relate to the roles, behavior, and actions of those portrayed. Maybe you dislike certain movies, or refuse to see drama or violence. The Purpose of watching movies with the Spirit is to expand our perception and to flush hidden thoughts, beliefs, and emotions into awareness for release. What better backdrop could there be for healing than your own couch! Invite a friend, make some popcorn, and enjoy Waking Up with the Movies.
A clear, concise guidebook to the essentials of yogic thought and practice Many people think yoga simply means postures and breathing. Not true. The intention of this short guide is practical and straightforward: to say what yoga really is and to apply its principles to everyday life. It leads us through the eight-limbed system, a coherent framework that has been handed down and elaborated upon for thousands of years and consists of five "outer limbs," which pertain to our experience of the social world and the operation of our senses, and three "inner limbs," which focus on the mind. Stuart Ray Sarbacker and Kevin Kimple present the eight-limbed system as something that can be turned to again and again to deepen and expand understanding and practice. As an introduction and overview to the essence of yoga, The Eight Limbs of Yoga is unparalleled for clarity, usefulness, and concision.
What is Kundalini Yoga? Kundalini Yoga is the ancient practice of yoga to awaken Shakti or shaktipat. This Kundalini Yoga book teaches the control of prana or pranayama as taught by Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati for kundalini awakening. "Kundalini is the known as the coiled serpent power or energy dormant at the base of the spine" (at the lowest chakra called the Muladhara). Learning yoga is about more than poses and exercise but meant to lead the genuine truth-seeker to Spiritual Awakening For complete health and fitness, Kundalini Yoga encompasses the eight limbs of yoga which includes asanas, concentration, meditation and Samadhi Your sadhana practiced religiously leads one to become a master over ego and ignorance. Thus, the true practice of yoga is the union of soul and spirit and this should be the first question on the spiritual path: "How May I Come To Know God"? God may go by many names in many religions. But God is not a "man" up in the sky Essentially, all religions state that God is Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent. So it doesn't take a stretch of the imagination to conclude that if God is truly everywhere and everyplace then He must accordingly be within you Intellectually, we may accept this fact but many of us have no idea how to reach the God that may be within us. This is a question that was first positioned ages ago and there are those that have answered the question for themselves and then provided a roadmap for others to find the same. Hence, came the Birth of Yoga. Yoga is the union of soul and Spirit. It is the means to this union and the state of Union. Over the ages have evolved many types and branches of yoga that may be more suited for the individual and yet they are all branches of the same Tree Kundalini Yoga is known as the shakti path to Soul Awakening or Self-Realization. Kundalini is equated with the intelligent female force that governs Mother Nature. The same power that brings the universe into manifestation is the same energy dormant within man that can be tapped into to reunite consciousness tied to the physical form and the ego with the Cosmic Consciousness the soul Awakens to in the deepest samadhi Through continued practice it will lead one to liberation from attachment to the physical body. It is a proven system for realizing one's spiritual destiny. Sincere and regular effort is required of any yoga path but they all lead to true happiness, inner peace and the dynamic joy of the soul. ""Many rivers... One Ocean; many branches... One Tree; many paths... One Destination; many stories... One Truth "" 1 S.O.U.L. Publishing"
Drawn from the deeply personal reflections of a formerly depressed person, this uplifting story shows how a cat taught meditation and allowed the mind to heal. This lively, magical, and enlightening book revolves around a wise Maine Coon cat, his kitten muse, and the author Kat Tansey as they take the reader on a challenging and often amusing journey from the disorienting haze of depression to the freedom and clarity of the Buddha mind. The narrative is both inspiring and essential for gaining an understanding of the inner self, reducing stress, finding inner peace, and knowing the joys and comforts of answering to a cat master.
