The Astrology of You and Me


Book Description

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.




The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga


Book Description

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.




Dynamic Suryanamaskar


Book Description

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.




The Life of Yogananda


Book Description

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.




Basquiat : The Unknown Notebooks


Book Description

"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."--




Grounds for Play


Book Description

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.




Gaṇeśapurāṇa


Book Description

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.




Mudras for Awakening the Five Elements


Book Description

Mudras are hand gestures commonly used in yoga and meditation practices to direct the energy and expand consciousness. This vibrantly colored deck presents 33 mudras and 7 chakra cards that were selected for their benefits in promoting health and healing. Each card includes instructions for the pose, an explanation of specific benefits, and an affirmation to help focus your intentions.




Yin Yoga (Large Print 16pt)


Book Description

How to balance Yoga practice. As Yoga matures in the U.S., this is a new approach to balance physical and mental health, for serious students and beginners. All yoga forms emphasizing either muscle (Yang) or connective (Yin) tissue. Today, all popular Yoga forms are Yang--muscular. Yin Yoga is unknown, but vital, as a balanced Yoga practice has many benefits, including better preparation for meditation. Yin Yoga focuses upon connective tissue, which does not stretch or respond to brief stresses as muscle will, so Yin postures are held a long time, with the muscles relaxed. Acupuncture meridians are also in connective tissues and Yin Yoga is specifically designed to stimulate them. Divided into two sections, the second part of the book deals with chakras, breathing exercises and meditation, and is fully illustrated with clear, concise descriptions of Yoga postures .




Sri Chakra Yantra


Book Description

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.