Customer Reviews

The Yoga Matrix

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These tapes are simply as good as it gets. To have some human being with the most intimate knowledge (from practice and academics) of the myriad of yoga forms commit to media his insights is truly a gift from the yogic Gods. Thank you O unknowable One.
He is the king of metaphors. This allows the inducement of one's own imagination to embrace what is largely un-embraceable subject due to its variagated, misquoted, misunderstood and paradoxical nature. He reads Sanskirt so this is not the hearsay one might get from 99.9% of Western teachers. He has studied the major texts and minor texts so he understands the context from which he imparts his wisdom and commentaries. He also has a firm grip of our Western socio-cultural perspective from which most of us will listen to these words. And yet there is an informal tone that comes from someone who speaks from the heart, from terse notes, from years of Dharma talk experience.
Not since Alan Watts have we had an East West translator as compelling as Richard Freeman. One need not be labled "yogi" or "student of yoga" to appreciate and gain from these talks.
After listening over and over when learns to approach the world with "fresh eyes" and the art of letting paradox be.

Richard's well well rounded, broad based, super grounded presentation is invaluable to anyone interested in a deeper understanding and meaning of yoga. The material is spiritual without new age fluff or ego getting in the way. Priceless.

3 Years ago a yoga teacher told me to buy the Yogamatrix and listen to it. Because Richard Freemann teaches Ashtange Vinyasa Yoga I didn't buy the item. Now that I bought the item I can only applaude and bow in deep respect to Richard Freemann. During the whole audio book he does not mention Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga once or for that matter any other specific Hatha Yoga system. He has a beautiful voice and I listen to his different chapters over and over again. I'm a Yogateacher and have practised Yoga for 10 years and tought it for 3 years now. I've been to India many times. This audio book is abundant with truth and knowledge about Yoga in a simple, compact way. If every teacher of yoga and ever student of yoga would listen to this book the Yogaworld would be an even better place.

The Yoga Matrix is an excellent and in depth study of yoga from many different angles. It is an invaluable aid for serious students of yoga of all traditions. I will listen to it again and again as each time one discovers more subtle aspects of this fascinating discipline.

This is an outstanding purchase, without artifice and jargon. Highly recommended for the ever-expanding Yoga community and other seekers as well.

These talks are great introduction to Yoga philosophy as well as being a supplementary for those who are studying the Yoga Philosophy texts. In his talks, Richard Freeman gives a clear view of how yoga takes shape in life and what the investigation is about... Richard Freeman obviously has more than basic understanding of Sanskrit and Yoga. He does not claim that his teachings are the single truth but he encourages his students to investigate and study themselves to deepen their understanding. He gives a perspective to people who are after understanding of yoga.

I have been working on my yoga practice for over 30 years. I have read many books on the subject over the years. I found this CD set to be a great addition to my library. Mr. Freeman does a wonderful job of distilling the many threads of yogic philosophy into a very digestible form.
I have loaded it onto my iPod, and listen to it as I am out and about.
If you are interested in what goes on behind Yoga. This is for you. I could not recommend it more.

The Yoga Matrix attempts to offer a complete overview of the system of yoga. While it does address many key points, the information is often inaccurate and in some instances completely wrong.

This CD is an extension of the American spiritual marketplace version of yoga as sold by Kripalu, Gaiam and many other fitness-oriented teachers. If a person were to visit India, the home of yoga, or even speak to a genuine yogi from India he/she would find that physical fitness and beauty are blockages on the yogic path and not goals. In America, yoga has lost nearly all of it's spiritual roots and become a glorified version of stretching and aerobics, anti-aging and beauty contests.

Richard Freeman tries to offer a branch to the spiritual yoga of India in "The Yoga Matrix", however he falls short due to lack of knowledge, clear misinformation, and an idealistc romance about what yoga means to him.

The entire first CD is dedicated to Richard's own romance with yoga as he paints an emotionally-vivid picture, projecting his own fantasy onto an ancient practice of rigorous self-purification. On many occassion I wanted to turn off the CD. However I resisted, hoping that once the honey moon was over, some real information would be presented.

On CD 2, the tone did change as actual information about yoga began. Nothing new or extraordinary; only very basic information. Missing however was the goal of yoga - spiritual union, removal of ego, self purification. How could teachings on a spiritual discipline like yoga not be focused on spirituality? Google the word yoga or visit Barnes and Noble and you'll see the same problem. In India the word 'yoga' means union with the Divine or enlightenment. In America 'yoga' means stretching.

As the CD set continued, the core of yoga did peak out here and there, but the large majority of the information was very superficial. This is not unexpected considering that Richard Freeman's audience is the American fitness yoga crowd. So I do give him credit for trying to awaken the American public to more yoga.

The most shocking parts of this CD set came when Richard, an "authority on yoga", gave completely wrong definitions and descriptions of spiritual terms. Never have I heard some of the definitions he came up with. So I wonder who he studied with. It is apparent to me that Richard did not study with a genuine spiritual yogi or if he did, he misunderstood what he was being taught.

I can understand if someone is unlearned of the deeper yogic practices and terminology. However when someone attempts to speak using traditional yogic terminology and even markets himself as an authority, he simply should know what the words mean. Calling prana "an imaginary energy" is appalling - especially considering the large amounts of science on chi, orgone, prana or whatever word it is called by. And devoting only 2 sentences to prana is shocking. Prana is the core of yoga; it should be emphasized, not minimized. Saying that "amrita" is an emotional attitude is simply wrong. Misinformation like this should not happen, especially in the digital age when someone can Goggle these terms and in 60 seconds have a more accurate understanding than taught on this CD.

So for everyone wanting to learn REAL YOGA (not stretching), I recommend studying those yogis who were famous in the 60s and 70s - those long-haired, wooly-bearded men who beamed light and love from their eyes. Look even further and you'll find monumental yogis like Ramana Maharshi, Ramankrishna, Dhyanyogi and Vivekananda. These men taught authentic yoga. They may not be well-sculpted Rodney Yee's or hyperactive Shiva Rea's, but they understood yoga and taught spiritual practices.

In my studies of spirituality, I focused myself on the masters. I purposefully avoided reading books from those who reinterpreted the master teachers due to the unintentional but unavoidable misunderstandings and inaccuracies of secondary sources of information. Listening to The Yoga Matrix reminded of my decision.

So for your next "authentic yoga CD" Sounds True, please find a real yogi and not someone famous for touching his toes. And please spare us the fantastical romance. It may sell books in America, but it is not yoga.

Namaste.