Mindful Yoga, Mindful Life A Guide for Everyday Practice

by Bell, Charlotte; Farhi, Donna

• ISBN13: 9781930485204
• ISBN10: 1930485204
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-02-10
• Publisher: Shambhala

Summary

In Mindful Yoga, Mindful Life, Charlotte Bell, a longtime yoga teacher and insight meditation practitioner, writes about her first meditation retreat: As good as asana practice made me feel, performing poses for an hour a day and then stowing my mat and sleepwalking through the rest of my life was no longer an option. I had to ask myself how, as a city dweller with a full-time job, I could let my practice infiltrate my life so the whole thing became an expression of yoga. In this book Bell brings together the teachings of Patanjali and the Buddha. She describes how she took Patanjali's eightfold path, as set forth in his Yoga Sutras, and the Buddha's practice of mindfulness into her daily life-with practicality and precision, grace and guts.

Author Biography

Charlotte Bell began practicing yoga in 1982 and began teaching in 1986. Following a 1989 trip to Pune, India, she recieved teacher certification from B. K. S. Iyengar. She blends the practice of yoga with Insight Meditation. A lifelong musician, she plays oboe and English horn with the Salt Lake Symphony and performs with Scherzando Winds, blue haiku, and Red Rock Rondo. She lives in Salt Lake City. For information about her yoga classes and workshops, visit www.charlottebellyoga.com.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Foreword	p. xi
Preface	p. xiii
Introduction: Stepping onto the Path	p. 1
What is Yoga?
Yoga: The Settling of the Mind	p. 13
The Flowering of Mindfulness: Five Benefits of Mindful Living	p. 24
Refining Practice
The Path of Practice: Making Practice Your Art	p. 35
Right Effort: Not Too Tight, Not Too Loose	p. 40
Walking your Path
The Eight Limbs of Yoga: A Roadmap to Freedom	p. 49
The First Limb: Yama: Living in Harmony with All Beings	p. 54
Ahimsa: Dynamic Peacefulness	p. 59
Satya: Impeccable Truthfulness	p. 67
Asteya: Practicing Abundance	p. 74
Brahmacharya: Caring for Our Creative Energy	p. 79
Aparigraha: The Freedom of Letting Go	p. 85
The Second Limb: Niyama: Conscious Everyday Living	p. 90
Saucha: Cultivating Purity	p. 94
Santosha: Awakening Contentment	p. 99
Tapas: The Self-Generating Power of Discipline	p. 103
Svadhyaya: Refining Wisdom	p. 109
Ishvarapranidhana: Surrendering to Grace	p. 113
The Third Limb: Asana: Abiding in Ease	p. 117
The Fourth Limb: Pranayama: Expanding Life Force	p. 126
The Fifth Limb: Pratyahara: Detaching from the Senses	p. 136
The Sixth Limb: Dharana: Collecting the Mind	p. 145
The Seventh Limb: Dhyana: Witnessing Presence	p. 152
The Eighth Limb: Samadhi: Entering the Timeless	p. 160
Afterword: No Expectations: You Can't Always Get What You Want	p. 165
Resources	p. 170
From the Publisher	p. 171
About the Author	p. 172
Index	p. 173
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