Hatha Yoga: The Hidden Language : Symbols, Secrets, and Metaphor (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: salamba shirshasana, utthita trikonasana, mystical bird, Hatha Yoga, Yoga Psychology, King Milinda (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

...valuable resource for all serious students of Hatha yoga who want to go beyond the physical and explore spiritual depths -- Yoga Journal

…approaches yoga as an art. Each of the asanas is presented as a symbolic gesture, unifying body, mind and breath. -- North American Board for East-West Dialog

…thoughtful and richly intuitive explanations are an inspiration. -- Georg Feuerstein

Product Description

In Hatha Yoga: The Hidden Language, Swami Radha explains the broader nature and purpose of the yoga asanas. Using 22 classical postures, she delves into symbolism and metaphor to show how each posture is like a symbolic gesture that creates a specific effect on the mind. She invites yoga students and teachers to use reflection and visualization in their own practice to discover the psychological and mystical benefits of Hatha Yoga and gain a deep appreciation of the power of yoga as a tool for self-transformation.

For instruction in this type of yoga, also available are audiocassettes: Introduction to Hidden Language and in the Hidden Language Series: Eagle & Cock, Mountain & Headstand, Shavasana, Tortoise & Fish, Triangle & Shoulderstand.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Timeless Books (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0931454743
• ISBN-13: 978-0931454745
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,118,709 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An authentic gift of wisdom and of knowledge., February 14, 1999

By A Customer

This work by Swami Sivananda Radha brings the meaning of yoga to life. She points the way, through questioning and through thought provoking concepts. As she explains the ancient asanas she provides us with a key as to how best to know and understand the messages and the secrets that are locked in our bodies. It is a powerful work, as through her sharing of her knowledge and her experiences she encourages the readers to practice and to experience for themselves. It is through our own inner knowing that the Teachings are alive.Through our listening and living the language of the symbols and the metaphores in our daily experiences that we connect with our own power and our own connection with the Divine. It is a living gift, an opportunity that is to be valued and cherished as you value and cherish your own daily living.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hatha Yoga: The Hidden Language, July 27, 2006

By	ascent magazine (Montreal Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hatha Yoga: The Hidden Language, Symbols, Secrets & Metaphors (Paperback)

Sometimes my body feels like it's speaking in tongues. That tight shoulder, the pain in my lower back - what does it mean? What is my body trying to tell me? Originally published in 1988, Hatha Yoga: The Hidden Language details Swami Radha's systematic approach to understanding the symbolism of the asanas and messages from the body.

I first encountered Hidden Language a couple of years ago during a morning Hatha Yoga class at an ashram. I was surprised when the instructor asked us to pull out our journals and write words we associate with trees before we lifted into the Tree pose. We came out of the pose and reflected further on the tree as a symbol, and then the instructor posed questions: Where are your roots? What nourishes you? We went into the pose again, reflecting on the questions and being receptive to insights. It seemed so mysterious and yet obvious: Hatha Yoga asanas are based on real, tangible things - trees, flowers, birds, structures. Of course these physical forms have the potential to function as metaphors as well.

"Hidden Language Hatha Yoga is both deeply personal and brilliantly universal," writes ascent columnist Swami Lalitananda in her introduction to the new edition. "Through attention to the symbolism of the asanas, we can discover layers of meaning and make connections that change our lives. Because we are listening to the body, our reflections take on an honesty and reality that the mind can't deny."

After that initial class, I bought the Hidden Language book and have worked with it on a regular basis. The questions and reflections on the poses have helped me translate the discordant dialogue between my body and mind. My copy of the book is dog-eared and covered in notes - this new edition is to be released just in time.

It's difficult to make a good thing better, but this new edition is a vast improvement on the original. Much remains the same: each chapter is a different asana, with twenty-two altogether - basics such as Tadasana (the mountain), Matsyasana (the fish) and Garudasana (the eagle) - and they are presented in the same order.

There are some new additions as well. The line drawings have been replaced by the artful photography of Derek Shapton. This is not to say that the changes are merely cosmetic - the new edition is much more user-friendly. The bibliography is updated and appendices on mantra, Kundalini Yoga and other spiritual practices have been added.

I am still trying to decipher the secret code of my body, and Hatha Yoga: The Hidden Language is an excellent guide. This book will satisfy long-time practitioners of Hidden Language Hatha Yoga and introduce a new generation of yogis to a brilliant approach to the deeper meaning and full potential of Hatha Yoga.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yoga to Reflect On, August 11, 2006

By	K Lenman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hatha Yoga: The Hidden Language, Symbols, Secrets & Metaphors (Paperback)

I thought hatha yoga, the asanas, was about the body. Then I picked up this book and found out that the poses have a much richer purpose than making my body feel good. I tried just standing in the Mountain pose, just standing still going nowhere as Swami Radha suggests. Oh, I thought, that's easy, probably too easy. What does it feel like to stand still? Just standing there. I can do that! Ten seconds later my foot's tapping the floor. And my mind's thinking, thinking, thinking--I got things to do--I can't just stand here.

That was when I began to understand how the asanas reveal what my mind is doing. I've tried several of them now using Swami Radha's suggestions for reflection. Balancing on one leg in the Tree, asking, Can I bend like the willow or do I stand rigid like the oak? I waver and suddenly realize I'm hanging on, gritting my teeth. Bending forward in the Tortoise, looking for that quiet place within, I feel sheltered, protected, safe, and my body eases itself deeper into the pose. It likes this place. So does my mind. Triangle, reflecting on the cave of the heart. What are the three steps to the sanctuary? Patience, maybe? Compassion? The words start to flow, words to reflect on, words to think deeply about.

The way my body does the pose tells me what my mind is like.

This book takes hatha yoga to deep places inside. It's been a revelation to me.