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Advanced Yoga Practices - Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living

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When I first read the reviews for Advanced Yoga Practices, I worried that they may have been faked since they were so glowing. I decided to buy the book anyway. It was a pleasure to discover that the book is even better than the reviews. Unlike much of the yogic/spiritual tradition that shrouds advanced techniques in secret, Yogani spells out yogic meditation practices from the basic to advanced, giving complete, easy to understand instructions. At the same time, he reminds readers that they must take responsibility for their own spiritual progress with respect to the advanced practices. To apply those methods before having the proper level of understanding and training can create problems. I suppose an analogy would be that you wouldn't ask 16-year old to drive a race car 200+ miles per hour when they are first learning to drive. That is a recipe for disaster. Rather you idle slowly about a parking lot or side road until you get the hang of driving a car. Similarly, Yogani introduces the basic meditation and breathing (pranayama) practices and gradually introduces more advanced techniques.

Since the lessons first originated with some website lessons, there are lots of questions and answers from seekers who have written him, and he gives very practical advice, and always reminds people to self-pace with respect to how deeply they delve into the more advanced practices. It is a very refreshing approach.

I have a large library of spiritual books, many of which did not deliver as much as I had hoped. That said, I would whole-heartedly recommend Yogani's Advanced Yoga Practices to anyone who is very serious in their pursuit of meditation and advanced level practices.

P.S. May I add, that although I have purchased a ton of books from Amazon, especially in the spiritual genre, I have never written a review of a book. This book was so good, I felt compelled to write a review. I send my most sincere thanks to Yogani!

This is a book whose time has truly come.

Yogani, the author, ends every lesson and every communication with the following motto, which I think best sums up the approach of this book and the Yahoo! Group from which it is derived:

The guru is in you.

The truth about any practice of personal development, whether it comes from a spiritual tradition or some other source of inspiration, is that no one can teach another person how to be happy. Those who believe they have useful information can only share what has worked for them or pass along what they've heard has worked for others. This Yogani does with a degree of honesty and compassion that is astonishing, refreshing, and consistent.

In this case, the information Yogani passes along comes from the original Yoga Sutras-- an ancient manual for cultivating the magnificence of the human spirit. The lessons focus on what works, how it works, and how to recognize when it is working for you. The practices themselves, though preserved through the Hindu tradition, were developed through experiment and observation over many centuries without regard to any particular religious belief. They can be applied to deepen the experience of any faith, or simply build joy and character regardless of one's opinion about the nature of the divine.

Time after time, both in the lessons and when answering questions, the usefulness of this no-nonsense approach shines through. Yogani has a way of clarifying the intent of each practice, which is to make steady and noticeable progress toward a deeper and more reliable experience of happiness that is independent of external circumstances.

Although much of the material contained in the book is available in the AdvancedYogaPractices group on Yahoo!, it is extremely useful and convenient to have ready access to the entire collection of lessons and the additional material that is only available in the book.

If the 12-Step and other self-help movements were at the forefront of cultural development at the close of the 20th Century, the advanced understanding of Yoga practices as set forth in this book will no doubt form the foundation of personal development in the 21st.

When Yogani says things like this:

The essence of divine experience is unending devastating
bliss and an unshakable silent peace.

He is describing an experience that he and other practitioners have noticed. His claim that this experience can be attained through the practices is easy to verify. When done properly-without undue strain or haste-the practices are harmless. As long as you remember that the guru is in you and follow your own inner guidance as you practice, your progress will be smooth, steady, and noticeable. May you be truly happy!

When most people think of yoga, they think of impossible postures or a way of getting into shape. The real jist of yoga is to attain union with God. This book could be called "Everything that you wanted to ask your Guru - and ask you did!" Yogani explains in depth a comprehensive strategy for enlightenment. For years I have searched book stores and the internet for this hidden information that was only passed on from guru to disciple throughout the centuries. Yogani gives it all without restraint in this one book. The book is filled with questions from students working through the methods and Yogani answers in full detail with clarity and compassion. If you are truly on the path seeking God, this book will change your life. It is a literal goldmine!

Advanced Yoga Practices-Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living

The philosophy of yoga teaches that serenity and ecstatic joy are the natural state of all human beings. Experiencing this state of living is not a matter of building something new, but rather of setting free what is already there. In Advanced Yoga Practices-Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living (AYP), Yogani provides instruction in a series of ancient yogic practices that go to the core of that liberation.

Surprisingly, the techniques presented in Advanced Yoga Practices are not difficult. Unlike hatha yoga, there are no elaborate postures, no dramatic twistings and stretchings. AYP contains techniques for breathing and meditation that gently but powerfully tone up the nervous system, raise energy, and liberate our natural serenity and joy. Also surprising is that Yogani, the author, presents this information as a non-sectarian mechanical process-follow the procedures and the results happen. Just as when you lift weights your muscles gradually become stronger regardless of whether you're a Hindu, Muslim, Christian, or Atheist, when you practice the AYP methods, serenity and joy are gradually liberated regardless of religious or philosophical belief. And, as with physical training, AYP methods recognize that individuals develop at their own pace. Students are constantly reminded to practice at a level that maintains a comfortable balance between inner development and outer life.

The book compiles dialogs from the AYP online discussion group and adds a substantial amount of new material not found online. The format consists of techniques taught by Yogani, questions from group members, and Yogani's replies. Yogani writes in impressively lucid, literate, American English that reveals not only his formidable understanding of Eastern and Western spirituality, but also his gentle sense of humor and grounding in the modern world.

I have practiced yoga for over 30 years and have read a lot of yogic literature. I feel that the information I learned in AYP has done more to further my spiritual evolution than any other resource. It's truly a practical guide to enlightenment for the 21st century.

Advanced Yoga Practices is probably the best source for anyone who is interested in a clear, scientific direction along the path of deep meditation. Starting from the basic principles, then gradually developing towards the most advanced ones, this vast system of lessons should satisfy well-experienced yoga practitioners, as well as beginners.

Yogani's work is brilliant not only for embarking on the unprecedented effort of combining knowledge of various esoteric schools into a coherent, scientific core of clear practical knowledge: Beyond its great opulence of information, it also excells in its ability to emphasize critical points and matters which the young adept has to face, repeating them and reassuring their conveyance - while never becoming dully repetitve. Thus, the student gains the benefit of being carefully lead along this unknown, at times intimidating path, while being able to safely develop his skills - without taking any unwanted risks.

From personal experience, I may testify that woking with Yogani's system yielded incredible results during a very short period of time. Perhaps the world of advanced yoga is not suitable to everyone - some may just stick for the first lessons for their whole life - however, for those who are interested to take the leap forward, this is probably the best source available.

Highly recommended!

Simply put - this is the most comprehensive and easy-to-understand text on Yoga I've found yet. Everything is explained in both esoteric/spiritual and exoteric/anatomy-based manners. The chapters are arranged to lead the reader through their own practice, adding new techniques as one progresses. Yogani has clearly spent many years learning and practicing many style of yoga. Now he has compiled the best into one complete text.

Unfortuntaly his mini-book don't have the same power as this original AYP book.

I've been studying and experimenting with a broad range of esoteric mystical practices for over 12 years. This is the most sophisticated, friendly, safe and powerful presentation of a complete spiritual path I've ever come across. I cannot recommend this material highly enough. Yogani has done a wonderful wonderful service to experiential spiritual science with his work.

There was a time when, in order to find the inner secrets of Yoga,
you had no option but to dedicate your life to the yogic path and spend years as a disciple among those who would slowly reveal those secrets to you. Fortunately, Yogani has done all that for you. He has gathered these secrets the slow and hard way, and presents them all in a single easily-accessible book.

The book is a comprehensive exposition of the higher techniques of yoga and tantra. The question-and answer sections are based on real questions from a yahoo group; this makes them very real and informative.

In revealing what is usually kept secret, Yogani pulls out all the stops. The book reveals heavy-duty yoga techniques, such as Advanced Kechari, which is, as far as I know, nowhere else available in print at this time.

In a departure from the more paternal Guru Tradition, Yogani teaches in athe tradition of a Yogic Scientist. He presents the known material, without requiring you to participate in a myth of his omniscience. You progress under the advice to pace yourself; you are invited to be your own guru, judging when you are ready for the more powerful techniques and holding back if you temporarily find them to be too much.

This is not to say that the book is too advanced for the less advanced yoga practitioner. Everyone can benefit from the many gentle methods which make up the main body of the book. But for advanced yoga practitioners in particular, the book is worth its weight in gold.

Yogani has a hit with this one. The yoga lessons are precise, to the point and easily incorporated into your current living patterns. So many of the yoga books I have read and worked with just expect too much from a householder in terms of time commitment-I find that yogani's Advanced Yoga practices are the express elevator to finding the spirit within you. each day you feel a bit more, you give a bit more, and you flow a bit more....blessings! P.S. Get the book and find out for yourself. A fellow spirit traveler and yoga teacher/artist marie

Yogani's contribution to the spread of this invaluable knowledge is beyond words.During the age when finding a true master is almost impossible, these lessons are a great service to mankind.Some concepts like "self pacing" explained and emphasised in the lessons have great practical value during Advanced Yoga practices. For the first time I was convinced that knowledge presented in the right way can bring out the guru in each and everyone of us.These lessons are a must read and must practice for everyone who have asked themselves that fundamental question "who am I?"