The Philosophy of Classical Yoga [Paperback]

Georg Feuerstein Ph.D. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1996

This is the first comprehensive and systematic analytical study of the major philosophical concepts of classical yoga. The book consists of a series of detailed discussions of the key concepts used by Pata-jali in his Yoga-Sutra to describe and explain the enigma of human existence and to point a way beyond the perpetual motion of the wheel of becoming. Feuerstein's study differs from previous ones in that it seeks to free Pata-jali's aphoristic statements from the accretions of later interpretations; instead, the author places the Sutra in its original context and sees it as the source of the whole edifice of classical yoga and not just as a summary of previous developments. This book will be of interest to comparative reliogionists, Indologists, and practitioners of yoga who wish to deepen their understanding of its philosophical basis. 

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is certainly one of the most profound and original contributions to the understanding of classical yoga."
(

Mircea Eliade

)

"An all too rare combination of sound scholarship, common sense and personal experience. Feuerstein's views, born of a long acquaintance with the original texts and tested against a large critical reading, are both fresh and mature, and he at last emerges from the role of skillful adaptor to be given his rightful place among the great masters of philosophy."
(

Dr. Daniel Mariau

)

"Provides us with a highly original overall picture of classical yoga...The other great merit of this work is that it never loses sight of the psycho-integrative and experiential matrix of a great many key concepts of classical yoga."
(

Prof. Corrado Pensa

)

About the Author

Georg Feuerstein is a widely respected yoga scholar, and has written a number of books on yoga and related topics, including Yoga: The Technology of Ecstasy, Enlightened Sexuality, The Essence of Yoga, Lucid Waking, and The Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali: A New Translation and Commentary. 

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Inner Traditions (June 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892816031
• ISBN-13: 978-0892816033
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #610,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Georg Feuerstein (born 1947) is a German-Canadian Indologist. Feuerstein has authored over 45 books on mysticism, Yoga, Tantra, and Hinduism and Buddhism.

Dr. Feuerstein offers distance-learning courses on Yoga philosophy and history through Traditional Yoga Studies at http://www.traditionalyogastudies.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learn the major philosophical ideas of yoga, January 29, 2000

By 

Robert Butera (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Philosophy of Classical Yoga (Paperback)

This book is for the intermediate to advanced student or teacher of yoga who wishes to understand the definitions and inter-relationships between the concepts of classical yoga. For those interested in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, this text will help you access the ideas that lead to liberation. A clear understanding helps one's spiritual practice. This is a short book that is read slowly and digested. It serves as a reference to review from time to time as well. Enjoy! It would be a good gift for someone who is really into yoga, but not the choice for the novice.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ian Myles Slater on: Not for Beginners, October 23, 2003

By 

Ian M. Slater "aylchanan" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Philosophy of Classical Yoga (Paperback)

Those familiar with some of Georg Feuerstein's popular books, such as "Yoga for Dummies" may mistake this very short book for something similar, but with more emphasis on theory and less on practice. Despite being brief and -- considering the subject -- clearly written, it would probably be unreadably difficult for someone not already somewhat familiar with at least the names and major tenets of the major philosophical schools of the Hindu tradition, and their various relations (or supposed relations) to Yoga. Despite its brevity (or maybe because of it), this is the sort of book one needs to prepare to read. (Feuerstein's own description on the Amazon site is "for Advanced Students," and he suggests his "Encyclopedia of Yoga" -- there are also several excellent general works on Indian philosophy, including Zimmer's old "Philosophies of India," which I found helpful.)

Feuerstein attempts nothing less than a re-visioning of the place of the Yoga-sutras (attributed to Patanjali) within the development of Indian philosophies (including Buddhism). The book is in some ways a companion to his own "The Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali: A New Translation and Commentary," and picks up many of the issues argued there in relation to the received text and its classic interpretations.

Feuerstein also surveys relevant positions taken by modern scholars. His phrasing in these discussions is sometimes, to my way of thinking, a bit unfair (although engagingly lively). For example, Mircea Eliade, whose "Yoga: Immortality and Freedom" is probably still the most widely accepted academic work in the field, is congratulated for disagreeing with his Indian mentors, and blamed for agreeing with them, strictly according to Feuerstein's views on the matter at hand. This is helpful insofar as it makes some of the issues stand out clearly, but I find that it grates a little.