Dancing the Body of Light [Paperback]

Orit Sen-Gupta (Author), Dona Holleman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 16, 2000 | ISBN-10: 9080511323 | ISBN-13: 978-9080511323

Dancing the Body of Light is the title of the book that Dona has brought out with her student and fellow yoga teacher, Orit Sen-Gupta. Together they have explored the past and present stages of yoga and offer in this ambitious manuscript a way that the art of yoga can continue to develop in the future. Perfect pose, empty mind, and wide heart are at the basis of this development, in which all the aspects of the human being are brought together into one organic whole. This was undoubtedly the aim of the ancient yogi's, but as happens to all traditions, at a certain moment in history the descriptions take the place of reality, the vehicle to arrive at life becomes more important than life itself. The book "Dancing the Body of Light: the Future of Yoga", aims at refreshing old concepts and giving them a new, modern look. Using modern terminology and modern sciences, the old yogic concepts of the annamaya kosha (the physical body) and the pranamaya kosha (the energy body) are rediscovered as the twin vehicle in which the human being travels through life. The application of NOT-DOING or WU-WEI to the physical body brings again the pranamaya kosha or energy body into focus. At the same time the application of NOT-DOING to the mind and heart bring back that peacefulness and innocence that can reflect without distortion the here and now. It is out of that reflection that we can act with clarity and efficiency. The book is brought out in a beautiful hard back cover, and a deluxe paperback which contain, apart from the philosophical part, a large section with a detailed description of all the asanas, bandhas, pranayama techniques and savasana techniques. With more than three hundred photographs it gives, in addition to the description, a visual idea of the ease and fluidity with which the postures can be performed if they are done from the point of view of the energy body through the application of WU-WEI or NOT-DOING. This book is a must for all serious yoga practitioners and teachers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

.. intend not to start another New Age trend,... rediscover and communicate ... methods of hatha yoga as a technique. -- Yoga International, Feb/March 2000

Holleman and Sen-Gupta explain how the asanas are interconnected and how together they express a deep vocabulary formed by the body.... -- Bodhi Tree Book Review Summer/Fall 2000

This well-conceived and substantial volume is an excellent manual on spiritually based Hatha Yoga, which will benefit all advanced Yoga students. -- Yoga World, Dr. Georg Fuerstein

We too, believe that yoga has the potential to play a key role in the futher evolution of human consciousness and civilization, --Yoga Journal, Nov/Dec 1999

From the Author

In the past yoga has been divided into hatha yoga(physical exercises), raja yoga (meditation), karma yoga (yoga of action), jnana yoga (yoga of knowledge), and bhakti yoga (yoga of devotion). This fragmentation has brought an uneven and incomplete development of the human being in which one aspect of his being (body, mind, actions, knowledge or emotions) has been accentuated at the cost of the others. Action, knowledge or devotion when taken out of the totality of the human being are void. Yoga postures without the others are merely physical exercises. Meditation alone can lead the practitioner into even greater illusion. In the last forty years Dona Holleman has developed a guideline of how this fragmentation can be healed. PERFECT POSE, EMPTY MIND AND WIDE HEART are the prerequisites for not only the performance of the physical postures, but for all our actions in daily life. The physical body and the mind are no longer seen as separate entities. Thus perfect pose is an expression of a mind which is empty and peaceful and a heart which is wide and joyous.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 317 pages
• Publisher: Pandion Enterprises (May 16, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9080511323
• ISBN-13: 978-9080511323
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 7.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #591,744 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful Yoga philosophy and asana book!, August 5, 2000

By 

John "john" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dancing the Body of Light : The Future of Yoga (Hardcover)

With detailed descriptions of many asanas, one might think of this as purely a technical book, but it also has a modern, rich philosophy that has been featured in Yoga Journal and taught and refined for decades around the world.

The 7 vital principals can be appreciated by a student beginning yoga or by the accomplished yogi with great benefit. Dona is a magnificent teacher and this book is a beautiful, powerful result of a seasoned practice and experience with reknown teachers...

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moving meditation, August 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Dancing the Body of Light : The Future of Yoga (Hardcover)

By following the instructions on asanas from this book I found that I was moving awareness according to the directions and that I was developing an incredible amount of awareness inside my body. It was this sensitivity of inner awareness that brought my practice to an internal meditation, not a periforal movement of forcing the body into an asana. The form of the asana develops from the inside not the periphery. It is a wonderfully liberating feeling which I certainly found therapeutic. I feel sure that many practitioners of Yoga have experienced this same wonderful awareness which accounts for the wide apppeal of this book.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very inspiring, March 5, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Dancing the Body of Light (Paperback)

Dancing the Body of Light has been an inspiration for my personal yoga practice in the last two years. The photos of the asanas are beautiful and the instructions are very clear. Dona Holleman is able to convey how we can go beyond our physical body and find the light and joy which comes from tapping into the energy body. This book is an inspiration for all practitioners of yoga.