A newly revised an expanded version of a popular an unique work, this extraordinarily valuable introduction discussion of the philosophy of hath yoga is indispensable to any student of yoga. This clear and easy to follow exposition views hatha within the framework of raja yoga, the yoga of eight complements, as promulgated by Pantanjali, the author of Yoga Sutras, the most authoritative text on the science of yoga. Hatha should not be merely a system of physical exercise: this work emphasizes the paramount role that the mind plays in hatha yoga, and demonstrates how to elevate the practices of hatha to an inner spiritual experience. This study outlines how the practice of hatha yoga can serve as a means to understand the subtler essences of mind and prana and to prepare for meditation and the awakening of the kundalini force.
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"Philosophy of Hatha Yoga taught me to do asanas not only with my body, but with my heart and spirit." -- Cate Tuttle Nationally Syndicated Columnist
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Hatha yoga from a spiritual and religious point of view,
This review is from: Philosophy of Hatha Yoga (Paperback)
Underpinning the practice of hatha yoga are the pillars of theory: philosophic, symbolic, and--yes--religious. Most books on hatha yoga skip over the pillars and correctly emphasize the practice. Here Arya concentrates on the spiritual and religious philosophy of yoga, especially as presented in Patanjali's famous sutras and in the meditative practice of kundalini yoga as seen through the filter of Hinduism.
Arya sees hatha yoga as a "gateway to the subtle body," the subtle body being composed of chakras, nadis, and other phenomenon "too subtle" to be discovered by modern science. He calls kundalini the "yoga of real intangibles, to which maybe one out of five hundred million humans may have access." From my point of view and from my experience I would say that kundalini is an elaborate means to meditation. Regardless of the terminology, it amounts to the same thing: a technique to achieve samadhi. While Arya sees the chakras as real intangibles, I see them as symbolic representations of stages on the way to samadhi. Some authorities point out that the chakras correspond in location to various glands in the physical body, and that by concentrating on those areas, one can achieve insights or psychic or psychological experiences. One of the interesting parts of the book is dubbed "Watching the Mind Watching the Body." This idea goes back to the Upanishads and is exemplified in the phenomenon of becoming a pure observer, which can be seen as the goal of nonattachment leading to moksha and freedom from the pair of opposites. Indeed in the Upanishads there is the "self" and the "Self," the former merely the evolutionary product (as it were) of the physical world, while the latter is Brahman (The Ineffable), as a drop of water is to the ocean. This latter Self is that pure observer uncolored by desire or karma. In this connection Arya also sees hatha yoga as "karmic purification," which is interesting, and as "daily discomfort," which isn't as it should be and suggests a practice gravely in arrears. The book is academic but accessible to the general reader and of interest to those who would like an introduction to a religious/spiritual view of yoga. By the way, Pandit Usharbudh Arya, who, thanks to initiation by the late Swami Rama of the Himalayan Institute seven years after this book appeared, became Swami Veda Bharati in 1992. As such, Arya renounced the world and all its goodies and devoted himself to self-study on the way to self-realization. [Note: My book, "Yoga: Sacred and Profane (Beyond Hatha Yoga)" is now available at Amazon.] Yoga: Sacred and Profane: (Beyond Hatha Yoga)
5.0 out of 5 stars
Advanced and Enlightened Instruction,
This review is from: Philosophy of Hatha Yoga (Paperback)
I have been practicing Yoga for approximately 15 years, and have not found a better book written on the subject of Hatha yoga. The great thing about this book is that it approaches the practice of Hatha yoga as a contemplative or meditative art/science. This sort of approach is sorely lacking in today's materialistic and narcissistic society, which is unable to see past its own nose (or biceps). The discipline or the practice of Yoga is much more difficult, and rewarding, than the mere physical exercise that is propagated as Hatha yoga here in the west, and more importantly, the practice of YOGA TAKES TIME.
In fact, the series of asanas as practiced and taught in 90% of contemporary schools is NOT yoga, and truly should not bear the name. Divorced from the practice of Yoga, Hatha yoga is a mere physical exercise that results in injuries. If one were to read the allegory in the first chapter of this book on how the practice of Hatha Yoga originated or was given to humankind, one would clearly see the misconceptions carried in the collective consciousness and which is dealt with, here, at length in this small but powerful work. This book, though accessible to the majority, is written for those few who have outgrown the limited practice of Hatha yoga with which they are familiar. Perhaps that is why the author starts dealing with the practice of Hatha yoga from shava-asana. For the author, and for me, this is where Hatha truly begins. Having finished this book, and re-read it so far at least five times, I highly recommend it. You will be glad that you have at least one authoritative text written on the subject of Hatha yoga. In fact, I would recommend reading this book before reading the Light on Yoga by Iyengar.
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