Yoga of Heart: The Healing Power of Intimate Connection [Paperback]

Mark Whitwell (Other Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2004

Truth is not something we have to seek out. It is not something that is absent and far away, requiring great effort to find. Truth is present within you as the Life that is you. In Yoga of Heart, Los Angeles-based yoga instructor Mark Whitwell takes us back to the time when yoga was first developed—to the shamanic past of the Upanishads, when yoga was practiced as a means of acknowledging, enjoying, and participating in the very source of Life.

Whitwell explores the deeper tantric dimensions of hatha yoga—how yoga’s purpose is to link the mind to the wonder of our own condition. He shows how hatha yoga is participation in life’s polarities already in union—through the male surrender to the female principle. Yoga of Heart shows how we can forge that union of polarities within our body: above and below, front and back, left and right, male and female.

Yoga of Heart focuses especially on clearing the energy centers and meridians, fostering dynamic health and allowing practitioners to create a deeper intimacy with both their partners and the energetic life forces in the universe.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mark Whitwell has enjoyed a life long relationship with the yoga teachings of T. Krishnamacharya, and with his son and primary disciple T.K.V. Desikachar, whose students have had a major impact on yoga in the West. Whitwell was editor and contributor to Desikachar’s classic book, The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Lantern Books (May 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159056068X
• ISBN-13: 978-1590560686
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.5 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #309,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have September 22, 2004

By Kate Rabinowitz

Having studied, practiced and taught yoga for thirty years, I have finally touched in with the essential yoga through this book and this teacher. Whitwell brings the inspiration from Krishnamacharya and Desikachar, the teacher of the teachers. This is yoga before all the systems, and the reader has immediate access to the missing link of it all, the simplicity of breath. What happens when we really inhale, and really exhale. These tools can be put into any other kind of yoga, or any other practice in life. It is life itself.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Authentic Yoga December 29, 2004

By Michelle Cormack, RYT

I have studied with many teachers, even some of the most renowned in the world, but none have come close to the humble teaching of Mark Whitwell. His book illuminates what might be called the "authentic yoga"... with principles that translate into any "style" of yoga. I can't say enough about this book!

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Surrender to wholeness February 4, 2006

By Lulu-Guru

Too often we feel pulled apart, fragmented, dis-intergrated by the admirable goals we have set, the competing roles we fill, the tensions of our every day lives. To ease the pain of this fragmentation many have embarked on a journey or spiritual path only to find that this seeking fails to provide the comfort they desire. In "Yoga of Heart," Mark Whitwell offers a simple solution to this quest for wholeness: Stop struggling, do your yoga, and be receptive to the strength and wisdom that rests, too often hidden, in each of our hearts. In this exploration of the ancient origins of yoga and contemporary practices, Mr. Whitwell demonstrates a remarkably nuanced understanding of the challenges of modern life and relationships, and a sophisticated interpretation of the wisdom cultures that gave rise to yoga. He knits these valuable lessons together and offers a simple practice designed to open your heart to the miracle of your daily life. I have found these lessons and a gentle daily yoga practice to be life altering and now offer them to patients and students when I see them struggle with the sense of emptiness that comes from fragmentation. Lou Lukas, MD

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally a teacher that takes us beyond the "hype". October 22, 2004

By Diane E. Rabinowitz

I've taught yoga for 8 years and practiced for many more. I've become disillusioned in recent years, however, with the direction that "marketing" yoga has taken the teachings. Ironically, what started out as a miraculously healing practice has become yet another vehicle for business, competition, games, and unfortunately, just a tiny degree off its healing capacity.

Enter Mark Whitwell. Quietly studying, practicing and teaching; informed by some of the most respected authorities in yoga, Mark gently and sincerely conveys the simplest truths in his teachings and in this book. I find myself trusting his authenticity and returning to that place of who I am, only this time, fully accepting.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars this book is a gift March 13, 2006

By L. George

Third century Hermetic writings encouraged followers to "grow as vast as that immeasurable vastness" and wrote "...find your home in the heart of every living creature, make yourself higher than all heights and lower than all depths; bring all opposites inside yourself and reconcile them; understand that you are everywhere..." This is what was missing from my yoga practice. Even with great devotion and a daily asana, pranayama and meditation practice I wasn't close. Mark Whitwell's book changed that. In "Yoga of Heart" he generously, sincerely and lovingly opens his heart and mind and shares what he has learned practicing and studying with masters. You will learn to breathe and move your body to your breath. He teaches you how to take the grace and beauty and healing of yoga off the mat and into life.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Speaking from the heart April 15, 2011

By Nat Allan

Amazon Verified Purchase

My yoga journey started in 1993 and it's taken until now to find a book that speaks that journey. Mark has captured the essence of yoga on and off the mat and goes beyond much of the dogma and my-way vs your-way that can fill yoga books and practise. Yoga of heart is challenging to the ideas that surround some of the so called traditions of yoga putting the political and social context alongside their ideas and then coming back to the heart of yoga. As a woman it was liberating to hear the theory returned again and again to the balance of male and female energies and the experience of yoga in relationship. This book now has pride of place on my bookshelf and I bought one for the studio so that my students can share the journey.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Yoga of Heart by Mark Whitwell January 16, 2007

By A Yoga Lady

Mark Whitwell is a brilliant yoga instructor! In the "Yoga of Heart" he

aptly explains what is missing from some of the current yoga systems and their modern trendiness. Although a bit long-winded, the ideas he addresses are the necessary next steps for those who would like to LIVE their yoga practice.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If only I could have read this years ago October 1, 2005

By Tim F.

A wonderful contribution to true Yoga. It makes so much sense, it is a true God-send. Coming from an ordinary person who now knows I can stop searching, for I have everything I need. I believe Krishnamacharya would be blessed. Thank you Mark!

Words cannot express the value this book offers. A must read for all who are still searching for something missing.

Bless you Mark.