The Hatha Yoga Pradipika [Paperback]

Svatmarama (Author), Brian Dana Akers (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0971646619 | ISBN-13: 978-0971646612

The classic manual on Hatha Yoga. This affordable, definitive edition of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika contains the original Sanskrit, a new English translation, and full-page photographs of all the asanas.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

From the Introduction

Over the last half millennium, one book has established itself as the classic work on Hatha Yoga--the book you are holding in your hands. An Indian yogi named Svatmarama wrote the Hatha Yoga Pradipika in the fifteenth century C.E. Drawing on his own experience and older works now lost, he wrote this book for the student of Yoga. He wrote this book for you.


Table of Contents

Introduction
Asanas
Pranayama
Mudras
Samadhi
Contributors


About the Author

Now living in Woodstock, New York, Brian Dana Akers began practicing Yoga at age twelve, learning Sanskrit at seventeen, and working in publishing at twenty-three.


Reviews

"A new, crisp, no-nonsense translation of this great classic on the practice of Hatha Yoga."
--Christophe Mouze, Online Yoga Magazine

"This lively and lucid translation includes the original Sanskrit. It is a must-have for any serious student or teacher."
--Yoga Site

"Beautifully printed and translated. Wonderful pictures, too."
--Dominik Wujastyk, Indology

"There is a certain magic at work here--it is as if an Indian yogi named Svatmarama has projected himself through time, expressing himself through Akers."
--Michael Perkins, Woodstock Times

"Written over five hundred years ago by Svatmarama, an Indian yogi, the text is considered by many a seminal work on the practice of, and theory behind, Hatha Yoga."
--Chris Meehan, Kalamazoo Gazette

"Accurate and accompanied by clear pictures, this translation of an informative Sanskrit text is a very useful addition to the growing literature on Yoga in Western languages."
--Ashok Aklujkar, University of British Columbia


Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Eight Sample Verses

Yoga succeeds by these six: enthusiasm, openness, courage, knowledge of the truth, determination, and solitude.

Success is achieved neither by wearing the right clothes nor by talking about it. Practice alone brings success. This is the truth, without a doubt.

When the breath is unsteady, the mind is unsteady. When the breath is steady, the mind is steady, and the yogi becomes steady. Therefore one should restrain the breath.

As salt and water become one when mixed, so the unity of self and mind is called samadhi.

He who binds the breath, binds the mind. He who binds the mind, binds the breath.

Center the self in space and space in the self. Make everything space, then don't think of anything.

Empty within, empty without, empty like a pot in space. Full within, full without, full like a pot in the ocean.

Don't think of external things and don't think of internal things. Abandon all thoughts, then don't think of anything.

About the Author

Brian Dana Akers began practicing Hatha Yoga at age twelve, learning Sanskrit at seventeen, and working in publishing at twenty-three.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: YogaVidya.com (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971646619
• ISBN-13: 978-0971646612
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.3 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #30 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Religions, Practices & Sacred Texts > Mysticism
  • #54 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Hinduism

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

93 of 98 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Closest thing to a "source code" that we have October 29, 2002

By Dennis Littrell HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

The two best known English translations of Svatmarama's classical text on yoga from the Fifteenth Century are by Pancham Singh and Elsy Becherer. The former is 87 years old and the latter is a translation (with commentary by Hans-Ulrich Rieker) from the German, and is therefore twice removed from the original Sanskrit. Both books are out of print. Surprisingly there is virtually nothing else in English despite the fact that the hatha yoga teachings found in popular works, including B.K.S. Iyengar's celebrated Light on Yoga, are in no small part based on Svatmarama's text.

Brian Dana Akers brings us a new translation set with the English following the Sanskrit verse by verse. His style is straightforward, clear and elegant. He does not make the mistake of trying to translate yogic terms that are really not translatable, e.g., "nadi," "prana," "bandha," "mudra," etc. Instead he invites us to use a dictionary of yoga. He also makes the sly suggestion in his brief but graceful Introduction that "the scientifically minded do some empirical research. In a peaceful country, in a quiet place, free of all anxieties..." (p. xii)

Well, I have done some small research and I can tell you that Svatmarama knows whereof he speaks. I can also say along with Akers that I do not recommend some of Svatmarama's practices, (some of the "cleansing" mudras are unnecessary today; indeed they are dangerous) and clearly the old master exaggerates. However, his intention was not hyperbole. He spoke instead in what is called an "intentional language" that would guide teachers and advanced practitioners without confusing or revealing too much to beginners. This way of speaking is also called samdhya-bhasha ("twilight language") according to Georg Feuerstein. Thus a practice that allows one to become "young, even if old" may be distinguished from another practice that "destroys death," which in turn may be distinguished from one which leads to the place where "time is not."

Even though I first encountered the text almost 25 years ago and have read it several times, I did indeed find a dictionary helpful. I used Georg Feuerstein's definitive The Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga (1997), but could have also used an English-Sanskrit dictionary to explore the more secular meanings of some words, which might have given me a better feel for some of the nuances of expression used by Svatmarama. To really appreciate Svatmarama's text perhaps this from Feuerstein might be helpful: "Language has the curious capacity to both disclose and veil the truth, and since ancient times the masters of India's spirituality have been especially sensitive to the possibilities and the limitations of linguistic communication." (Opus cited, p. 167) Rather than throw himself into the briar patch of Svatmarama's expression, Akers has wisely stepped to the side and let the text speak for (and against) itself.

But what is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika? It is simply a course in how to obtain samadhi, or liberation or freedom from the pairs of opposites that dominate our lives. It begins with asana and pranayama and ends with transcendence. All of the postures so familiar to us, and all of the breathing exercises have but one purpose: meditation leading to pushing aside the veil of ignorance that characterizes ordinary existence. It takes a long time to get there. The "empirical research" that Akers recommends will be a project of years (unless of course one is particularly gifted).

What is not mentioned in Svatmarama's delineation are the ethical and spiritual considerations called the yamas and niyamas that we find in Patanjali. I recommend that the Hatha Yoga Pradipika be studied in conjunction with Patanjali's celebrated sutras as aids to your practice. They have much in common, but there are some significant differences. Svatmarama makes no concessions to political correctness nor to social or religious considerations. His text is indeed striking in its terse and single-minded, even profane, ambition. Quite simply there is a problem: bondage to samsara. And there is a solution: hatha yoga leading to raja yoga leading to liberation.

Brian Dana Akers and the people at YogaVidya are to be complimented for bringing this text to the general public and for doing so in a most attractive manner. This is the book you want after you have finished with the popular texts.

--Dennis Littrell, author of "Yoga: Sacred and Profane (Beyond Hatha Yoga)"

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The classical Hatha Yoga Manual with Sanskrit & English October 19, 2004

By Joanna Daneman #1 HALL OF FAMETOP 10 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

This is a unique translation of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Sometime in the 15th Century, Yogi Svatmarama put down his principals of the practice of Yoga. Many of these include the mysteries of Kundalini --the coiled center of energy close to the base of the spine. But there is a lot more here for the student of yoga, including photos of the various "asanas" or positions, health, diet and mental hygiene. If you read Sanskrit, this would be a treasure. If you don't, you still have a line-by-line translation of this ancient and honored work. It's like listening to the yogi himself as he lectures his disciples. Fascinating reading--and if you are a practicing yogi or yogini, you'll find this insightful.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple and lucid translation February 7, 2010

By Ashwini Aragam

Format:Paperback

If you have ever glimpsed at an ancient Indian writing, you are bound to be stuck with the interpretation of the author - whether you agree or disagree. With his translation of the 'Hatha Yoga Pradipika', Brian Dan Akers does a wonderful job of keeping his aim of interpretation to the reader. The translation is simple and clear; loyal to the original text. The English translation juxtapositioned with the Sanskrit text provides clear insight into what Svatmarama had in mind. You can see a lot of thought has gone into making this text clutter-free and simple.

As with many aged Indian texts, you will find the verses often flowery or redundant, but that is the way it was. Brian manages to stick to his objective of passing this ancient text to the reader in its original sense as you can read from his acknowledgement. What I like about this text is that I can go back to the 'source' and quickly read up on an asanas or a mudra as it was taught by the teacher. This gives me the freedom to mould my yoga experience with the ancient teachings. As with other publications from the publisher - [...] - you will find many clear contextual photographs that aid your interpretation. Now I can rest assured when I travel I can take a whole set of Yogic teachings - Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Shiva Samhita, Gherand Samhita and Bhagavad Gita - along with me without burdening the baggage. These books are a must have in your Yoga libraray for their original content and conciseness.