The Deeper Dimension of Yoga

by FEUERSTEIN, GEORG PHD

• ISBN13: 9781570629358
• ISBN10: 1570629358
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2003-07-08
• Publisher: Shambhala

Summary

Here is a comprehensive survey of the full breadth and depth of the 5,000-year-old Yoga tradition, emphasizing its potent philosophy and spiritual vision. Georg Feuerstein demonstrates that Yoga is much more than a system of physical exercises-it is a profound path of self-transformation that encompasses a range of teachings, practices, and sacred texts that can help us cultivate wisdom, balance, and inner freedom, as well as physical health. Feuerstein is one of the few Western scholar-teachers of Yoga whose writing and teaching penetrate the full richness and depth of this ancient tradition. Here he offers a collection of essays touching on all facets of the discipline. Topics include: The different branches and styles of Yoga The ethical teachings of Yoga Yoga and vegetarianism Meditation and mantras Choosing a teacher Tantric Yoga The experience of ecstasy

Author Biography

Georg Feuerstein, Ph.D., is the founder-director of the Yoga Research and Education Center in California and is internationally known for his many interpretative studies of the Yoga tradition. A columnist for Yoga International, he is the author of more than thirty books. His latest work is featured at www.yrec.org.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface
What is Yoga?	p. 3
Mapping Yoga	p. 10
Yoga: What For?	p. 13
Yoga: For Whom?	p. 14
Guidelines for Selecting a Yoga Teacher, Yoga Therapist, Or Class	p. 16
Ten Fundamental Principles of Yoga	p. 21
Is Yoga a Religion?	p. 25
Yoga as Art and Science	p. 28
The Yoga of Science	p. 30
Traditional Definitions of Yoga	p. 31
Yoga in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism	p. 32
Forty Types of Hindu Yoga	p. 36
The Tree of Hindu Yoga	p. 39
Styles of Hatha-Yoga	p. 53
Crossing the Boundary Between Hinduism and Buddhism Via Tantra-Yoga	p. 57
Vajrayana Buddhist Yoga	p. 60
Introducing the Great Literary Heritage of Hindu Yoga	p. 64
Yoga Symbolism	p. 77
Approaching Spiritual Practice	p. 85
The Twelve Steps of Spiritual Recovery	p. 89
Happiness, Well-Being, and Reality	p. 95
The Quest for Happiness	p. 101
Spiritual Discipline	p. 104
Life Is an Earthquake	p. 107
Samsara Means Running Around in Circles	p. 110
Spiritual Friendship	p. 113
The Guru: Dispeller of Darkness	p. 116
The Guru Function: Broadcasting Reality	p. 118
Understanding the Guru	p. 127
Holy Madness	p. 132
Grace Has a Place in Yoga	p. 141
Tapas, Or Voluntary Self-Change	p. 143
The Art of Purification	p. 146
Obstacles on the Path According to Patanjali	p. 155
In Praise of Study	p. 164
Silence Is Golden: The Practice of Mauna	p. 166
Die While You Live and Last-Hour Yoga	p. 170
Living in the Dark Age (Kali-Yuga)	p. 177
Yoga and Terrorism	p. 185
Yoga Begins and Ends With Virtuous Action	p. 197
Is Nonharming (Ahimsa) an Old-Fashioned Value?	p. 200
Nonharming According to Jaina Yoga	p. 204
Yoga and Vegetarianism	p. 207
The Practice of Eco-Yoga	p. 210
Overcoming Greed	p. 215
Authenticity, Integrity, Unity	p. 218
The Power of Truth	p. 220
Compassion	p. 223
Ethical Guidelines for Yoga Teachers	p. 226
Asanas for the Body and the Mind	p. 231
Shava-Asana, Or Corpse Posture	p. 235
The Breath of Life	p. 238
Cultivating Wisdom	p. 240
Buddhi-Yoga	p. 243
Jnana-Yoga: The Path of Wisdom	p. 248
"That Art Thou" - The Essence of Nondualist Yoga	p. 257
Discernment and Self-Transcendence	p. 262
Karma-Yoga: The Way of Self-Transcending Action	p. 265
Bhakti-Yoga: "Worship Me With Love"	p. 270
Degrees of Love	p. 276
The Kriya-Yoga of Patanjali	p. 279
Faith and Surrender: A New Look at the Eightfold Path	p. 285
Mantra-Yoga: Sounding Out the Depth Within	p. 297
The Gayatri-Mantra	p. 300
The Sacred Syllable Om	p. 304
Mudras: Gestures of Wholeness	p. 315
Taraka-Yoga: Seeing the Light	p. 317
Yantra-Yoga: Divine Geometry	p. 323
What Is Tantra?	p. 329
Sex, Asceticism, and Mythology	p. 332
Pathways to Relaxation and Meditation	p. 341
What Is Meditation?	p. 346
Prayer in Yoga	p. 355
The Ecstatic State	p. 357
The Serpent Power and Spiritual Life	p. 362
Who Or What Is the Self in Self-Realization?	p. 365
Emptiness	p. 368
Liberation	p. 372
Notes	p. 377
Glossary: Key Sanskrit Terms of Hindu Yoga	p. 387
Index	p. 399
About the Author	p. 416
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