Yoga Beyond Belief


Book Description

Yoga Beyond Belief offers a unique vision of contemporary yoga. It integrates scientific and practical approaches providing a much-needed integrative perspective that complements existing yoga books for all levels and styles of yoga students. Serving up a collection of valuable insights gleaned from a lifetime of exploration, practice, study, and teaching by one of America’s pioneering and leading teachers of yoga, the book assists readers in making sense of the many discordant claims and teaching techniques that currently exist in the yoga world, freeing readers to pursue their own individual paths of yoga and personal practice. This is an essential text and reference for all yoga practitioners. The book first sets a context for an open-minded and evolutionary approach to yoga practice, and then explains the core principles of the many branches of yoga. A clear foundation is given for how the physical practices of yoga work to produce remarkable results of health and well being. The chapter Injury, Pain, and Healing shows how to prevent injuries and how to heal injuries should they occur. The reader is given a wealth of sophisticated of tools, insights, and anecdotes gleaned from a lifetime of practice and teaching to develop, hone, and tune his or her personal yoga approach. This book makes yoga come alive for the reader. The book concludes by going beyond the physical aspects to the heart of yoga. It illuminates and gives insight into the discovery of non-dogmatic forms and evolutionary approaches to meditation and spirituality. It presents a clear argument showing the pitfalls of regimented systems and how to make everything in daily life part of yoga practice and spiritual development. Ganga White gives us his unique and creative perspectives on a time-tested discipline for a healthy and vital life. Entertaining and thoroughly readable, this book offers a coherent explication of yoga, its philosophy and practice. White’s integrative views will inspire beginners and accomplished yogis to trust their inner wisdom and creatively reassess their practice. He is a great storyteller and gives us his personal and creative perspective, breathing fresh air into an ancient discipline. Yoga Beyond Belief offers an original, integrative approach to body, mind, and spirit that is practical, inspiring, and full of valuable insights to enliven and inform anyone’s yoga practice.




Teaching Yoga Beyond the Poses


Book Description

Create class themes with yoga philosophy, inspirational quotes, and simple concepts to inspire and motivate students Experienced yoga instructors Sage Rountree and Alexandra DeSiato give yoga teachers the tools to find their voice and tap into innate wisdom. The authors offer ready-made, detailed themes to use in classes and provide flexible templates for building a toolkit of themes for future use. Teaching Yoga Beyond the Poses offers guidance for both new and experienced teachers starting with a section on voice, authenticity, emulation, phrasing, practice, repetition, and finding inspiration. It continues with a second section that contains fifty-four complete themes that instructors can easily use in their own classes. The final section includes blank templates for instructors to create their own class themes and notes. With a unique angle and practical feel, this workbook will appeal to yoga teachers, teacher trainers, and at-home practitioners who want to move to the next level.




Yoga Beyond Fitness


Book Description

This timely story of America's love affair with yoga explores why yoga is so popular and argues that something essential is being lost as this five-thousand-year-old spiritual practice has become a pop culture fitness phenomenon. Original.




Practice And All Is Coming


Book Description

How do we co-create safer yoga and spiritual communities? Through dogged investigative work, careful listening to survivor stories of assault and abuse, and close analysis of the cultic mechanisms at play in the sphere of Pattabhi Jois’s Ashtanga community, Matthew Remski’s Practice and All Is Coming offers a sober view into a collective and intergenerational trauma. It also offers a clear pathway forward into enhanced critical thinking, student empowerment, self-and-other care, and community resilience. Concluding with practical tools for a world rocked by abuse revelations, Practice and All Is Coming opens a window on the possibility of healing— and even re-enchantment. While Mathew Remski is the courageous, insightful, and compassionate author of this informative, challenging, and thought-provoking book, this book is clearly a group effort. Equal parts theory, training manual, expose, and memoir, Practice and All is Coming ... is a foray into the difficult topics of personal agency, spirituality authority, and cult dynamics. In addition to his clearly articulated understanding of the problems inherent in many spiritual schools, Mathew provides hope for healing the confusion and anguish that arise in the heart of sincere practitioners when they are betrayed by the revered powers in which they have placed their trust. If you practice or teach yoga, please consider this book an essential companion on your path. Christina Sell, author of Yoga From the Inside Out, My Body is a Temple, and A Deeper Yoga.




Beyond Power Yoga


Book Description

FROM SWEAT TO SAMADHI: The Path of ASTANGA YOGA Beyond Power Yoga presents and explores the complete journey of the classical astanga yoga system, from power yoga to meditation and liberation. Bender Birch's first book, the groundbreaking Power Yoga, introduced one level of astanga yoga to mainstream America -- a high-heat, high-energy mind/body workout. Now, Beyond Power Yoga presents all eight levels, or limbs, of this ancient method -- a total practice for body and soul. Drawing a parallel between astanga yoga's eight limbs and the mind/body energy centers (chakras) of Eastern philosophy, Bender Birch shows us how we can balance and heal our body, focus and relax our mind, amplify and direct our energy (prana), and ultimately reclaim our spiritual connection to Universal Consciousness. Each chapter offers specific practices to help the reader uncover and experience the insights of the astanga yoga journey. The YAMAS: Exploring the Fundamentals The NIYAMAS: Doing the Work ASANA: Practicing the Postures PRANAYAMA: Breathing Mindfully PRATYAHARA: Turning Inward DHARANA: Developing Concentration DHYANA: Experiencing Meditation SAMADHI: Living Joyfully Presented in the down-to-earth illuminating style and inspiring voice of the author, illustrated with easy-to-follow photos, plus a special wall chart of the asana sequences, Beyond Power Yoga offers a short form of the dynamic mind/body power yoga method, then journeys through the deeper levels of spiritual practice.




The Hidden Teaching Beyond Yoga


Book Description

Inspired by his time spent with wise sages in Asia in the 1930s, Paul Brunton (1898-1981) wrote The Hidden Teaching Beyond Yoga (and its companion volume The Wisdom of the Overself) at the request of these remarkable teachers, who recognized that he had a significant role to play in the transmission of Hindu Vedanta and Buddhism to the West. Brunton's books are a profound re-creation of the teachings of those two philosophical schools of thought, informed by the insights of deep meditation. Clearly written without the specialized vocabulary found in those traditions, the books speak directly to the contemporary spiritual seeker. The Hidden Teaching Beyond Yoga is a step-by-step guide to actually experiencing the spiritual truth that reality is formed within our consciousness rather than outside us in the world of material things. Brunton's expert analysis of perception, grounded in science, is designed to awaken us to our sacred foundation and to transform our personality into a mirror of that reality. Brunton prepares us for this journey by describing the attitudes, mental disciplines, and character traits that are beneficial for success in this quest. This new edition has been updated to incorporate the author's final revisions and includes an introduction by the Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation. Contents Foreword by The Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation 1.Beyond Yoga 2.The Ultimate Path 3.The Religious and Mystic Grades 4.The Hidden Philosophy of India 5.The Philosophical Discipline 6.The Worship of Words 7.The Search After Truth 8.The Revelation of Relativity 9.From Thing to Thought 10. The Secret of Space and Time 11. The Magic of the Mind 12. The Downfall of Materialism Epilogue: The Philosophic Life Appendix 1: Some Misconceptions Cleared Up Appendix 2: Additional Resources from The Notebooks of Paul Brunton, Compiled by the Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation Editors




Pregnancy Health Yoga


Book Description

Two leaders in pregnancy yoga share useful yoga techniques to guide expectant mothers from bump to birth and beyond Authoritative yet thoroughly accessible, this user-friendly book provides yoga techniques for pregnancy and beyond, helping expectant mothers to deal with all the physical and emotional changes you experience along the way. Authors Tara Lee and Mary Attwood—both leaders in the field—explain the important fundamentals of pregnancy yoga, such as: • Using breathwork to relax your body and reduce stress • Guided meditations and visualizations to help you feel calm and positive • Illustrated step-by-step routines to energize you and relieve muscle tension and pain • Beneficial postures for a range of common pregnancy-related conditions, including back pain, breathlessness, and swollen ankles • Advice on preparing for labor and childbirth • Post-natal exercises to get you back in shape and energized as a new mother Most importantly, Tara and Mary emphasize how every woman can take charge of her whole self to ensure a happy and healthy pregnancy and birth. The foreword by internationally celebrated Dr Gowri Motha, creator of the Gentle Birth Method, reinforces the message that pregnancy and childbirth is a positive experience to cherish and enjoy.




Yoga Beyond the Mat


Book Description

While many engage in asana, the physical practice, yoga's most transformative effects are found in the realms of the spiritual and psychological. Yoga Beyond the Mat shows you how to develop a personal, holistic yoga practice to achieve lasting and permanent transformation. Join Alanna Kaivalya as she guides you through a complete range of topics, including Removing Obstacles Appreciating the Present Moment Balancing the Chakras Healing Childhood Wounds Creating Your Own Rituals Transforming Your Archetypal Energy Entering the Blissful State This book shows you that yoga doesn't make your life easier; it makes you better at your life. Through ritual, meditation, journaling, asana, and other spiritual practices, Yoga Beyond the Mat provides techniques for developing a personal mythology and allowing the ego to rest, leading modern-day yogis toward what they have been missing: the realization of personal bliss. Praise: "[Alanna] guides and inspires students and teachers alike toward their own liberation, with patience, generosity, and wholehearted enthusiasm."—Linda Sparrowe, former editor-in-chief of Yoga International and author of Yoga At Home "This is the book I dreamed of when I started my yoga path...[Yoga Beyond the Mat includes] all the steps, tools, rituals, and wisdom for lasting bliss."—Dana Flynn, founder of Laughing Lotus Yoga "Alanna has pioneered a relevant, educational book; deep thinking and laced humor."—Ana T. Forrest, founder of Forrest Yoga and author of Fierce Medicine "Alanna reveals with great clarity and approachable language the nuances, shadings and shadows of this ancient ritual of wellness. I highly recommend it."— Dennis Patrick Slattery, PhD, author of Riting Myth "Alanna's rigorous scholarship interweaves with applicable and tangible to-do's that brings reality to your spirituality."—Jill Miller, creator of Yoga Tune Up® and bestselling author of The Roll Model "In today's hectic life, the revival of yoga-past when combined with soul centered engagement offers the remedy we seek...a breakthrough book."—Stephen Aizenstat, PhD, chancellor of Pacifica Graduate Institute "In this groundbreaking book integrating yoga, Jungian psychology, and personal mythology, Alanna Kaivalya recovers the spiritual dimension of yoga for contemporary Western practitioners."—Dr. Patrick Mahaffey, professor and associate chair of Mythological Studies Program at Pacifica Graduate Institute and author of Evolving God-Images "Alanna writes with honesty and clarity about the quest to find self-knowledge and bliss, perfectly balancing skepticism and enthusiasm. The result is a practical guide to the history and philosophy of yoga, and a useful map to living an integrated, satisfying and richly meaningful life."—Dave Stringer, Grammy-nominated Kirtan artist "Drawing on yoga, psychology, mythology, and ritual, Alanna guides readers on a transformative journey toward self-awareness and 'personal bliss,' through an amazing array of practices. Yoga Beyond the Mat is like a library of ideas for studying your self."—Kaitlin Quistgaard, writer and former editor-in-chief of Yoga Journal




Yoga Mind


Book Description

Suzan Colon, yoga teacher and former senior editor at O, The Oprah Magazine, digs deep into the spiritual philosophy behind yoga and distills thirty essential components to enrich your practice and revolutionize your life from the inside out. We live in an increasingly stressful world, and we know about the hazardous effects stress can have on our health. But meditating and mindfulness can sometimes seem elusive, unattainable, and impossible to fit into our busy days. Even the word “yoga” usually makes many people think of complicated, twisty poses—but that’s not everything. In its complete sense, yoga is a collection of life lessons for wellness and well-being and a spiritual technology from ancient times that is now more relevant, and necessary, than ever. In Yoga Mind, Suzan Colon shares thirty essential components to increase self- awareness and inner balance to use throughout your day—in traffic, on the train, at your job, and home. She outlines how we can use yoga to cultivate resilience in challenging times, reduce stress, and enrich our relationships with family, work, and ourselves. This guide contains a 30-day program designed to create subtle yet powerful shifts in awareness and attitude that lead to real, lasting change. Whether you’re a hardcore yogi or a beginner to the practice, Yoga Mind can help you unite your body, mind, and heart to become your best self and cultivate lasting happiness in your life.




Beyond Āsanas


Book Description

Downward dog, tree pose, Marichyasana . . . Have you ever wondered how these names for yoga poses came about, inspired from animals, nature, and even sages? Using thirty carefully researched asanas, yoga teacher Pragya Bhatt draws upon her own yoga practice and research to make a connection between ancient Indian mythology and modern yoga practice. By depicting the beauty and form of each asana through the lens of Joel Koechlin, this book intends to add meaning and value for practitioners and non-practitioners alike, shedding new light on a familiar subject.