Life has sort of become a cacophony of distractions. There's a whole lot of clutter with the bombardment of media and other venues vying for your attention. It's rare to be able to take a step back and reflect on the nuances of 'self.' Yoga Heart: Lines on the Six Perfections is a meditative journey reminding readers through its poetry of the six qualities that help us to connect with a world which seems to getting both more intertwined and isolated at the same time. Accompanied by the illustrations of Akiko Tanimoto, the brushstrokes are reminders of the intangibility and elusiveness of perfection. Exploring the themes of generosity, kindness, patience, joy, stillness, and wisdom, the effect the book had on me was like a refreshing balm after scorching my head in the firestorm of every day life. I read quickly through the poems the first time, then went back and read 2-3 poems a day, reflecting on what each meant. In, "What Does It Mean To Be Zen," the author writes,
To be Zen
is just to be yourself-
not name nor job nor history
In Skydancer of Bliss, she asks,
Do you die a little each day,
forgetting who you are?
There's a simplicity that belies the complex undertones of the themes at hand. As a companion for yoga, it's the perfect complement, flexing the mental muscles as much as the physical. As a meditation, it goes even further- verging on perfection.
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Yoga Heart: Lines on the Six Perfections Kindle Edition
by
Leza Lowitz
(Author),
Akiko Tanimoto
(Illustrator)
Format: Kindle Edition
|
Leza Lowitz
(Author)
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LanguageEnglish
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PublisherStone Bridge Press
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Publication dateJuly 19, 2011
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File size1598 KB
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Editorial Reviews
From the Back Cover
"This is a beautiful book in every way... A work of art and a guidebook for living real life. If you do any kind of contemplative practice, I not only recommend that you get this book - I urge you to!"
--Barry Graham, Zen Buddhist Monk & Author, The Book of Man
Review
"A beautifully written book of moving, meaningful, thoughtful, reflection-inducing poetry. Every yoga teacher and yoga practitioner should have it in their library." --Elephant Journal
"There's a simplicity in Yoga Heart that belies the complex undertones of the themes at hand. As a companion for yoga, it's the perfect complement, flexing the mental muscles as much as the physical. As a meditation, it goes even further--verging on perfection." --Peter Tieryas, Author, United States of Japan
"This is a beautiful book in every way... A work of art and a guidebook for living real life. If you do any kind of contemplative practice, I not only recommend that you get this book - I urge you to!"
--Barry Graham, Zen Buddhist Monk & Author, The Book of Man
"Yoga Heart is a tiny treasure to hold and to behold. Even the typography and colors are food for contemplation...highly recommended for people who will not only read the lines for enjoyment, but also use them for contemplation and right action in life." --New York Journal of Books --This text refers to the paperback edition.
About the Author
Leza Lowitz is the award-winning author/editor/translator of over fifteen books on Japan, including Yoga Poems: Lines to Unfold By and Sacred Sanskrit Words (with Reema Datta). A long-time teacher and practitioner of yoga and meditation, she owns the popular Sun and Moon Yoga studio in Tokyo.
--This text refers to the paperback edition.
Product details
- ASIN : B007Y8Q2CG
- Publisher : Stone Bridge Press (July 19, 2011)
- Publication date : July 19, 2011
- Language : English
- File size : 1598 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 112 pages
- Page numbers source ISBN : 1933330937
- Lending : Not Enabled
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Best Sellers Rank:
#1,255,086 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,363 in Yoga (Kindle Store)
- #1,926 in American Poetry (Kindle Store)
- #4,212 in Yoga (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
Customer reviews
4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
17 global ratings
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Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2011
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Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2012
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The very first poem in the beautiful collection just stopped me in my tracks. I read it over and over, and it resonated with me for days. So many of the poems in this collection are like that. They are truly written from the heart. Lowitz finds beautiful and artful words and images to describe the indescribable truths and beliefs. As a yoga teacher, I will be reading from this book to my students. As a yoga student, I will be meditating on these beautiful poems.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2018
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What a wonderful book!!! Loved it a must have...🤗
Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2011
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I was very excited about this book based on the description, but was disappointed when I got it. There are a few gems that I liked, but for the most part it seemed like watered down versions of common cliches. It did remind me of the things my yoga teachers say during class; gentle thoughts that are good for creating a mood and mindset in class, but not anything powerful or insightful enough to put in a book and read outside of class. But I'm sure many people feel differently and love this book. Namaste.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2014
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Leza Lowitz is a great writer, poet, and yoga teacher. One can connect with her Wisdom through these inspiring poems that will guide you into perfection.
These lines will deepen one's yoga practice by adding meaning and intention to it. It simply elevates the practice.
These lines will deepen one's yoga practice by adding meaning and intention to it. It simply elevates the practice.
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2011
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The Yoga Heart collection is a delight - sheer joy. Leza Lowitz's poems arranged around the six perfections - Giving, Kindness, Patience, Joyful Effort, Stillness, Wisdom - speak from and to the heart. They make me happy, thankful, present and at times I laugh out loud. I am returning again and again to favourites and to the whole. It is a book I will gift to my dearest friends. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful...
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Recharging the spirit Rereading books like ‘Yoga Heart’ can be a singular pleasure
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2016
Recharging the spirit
Rereading books like ‘Yoga Heart’ can be a singular pleasure. Leza Lowitz, author, translator, editor, art critic, lecturer and yoga teacher, clearly lives a fruitful, creative life, one held firm by a carefully cultivated balance and equipoise few of us are able to achieve. Perhaps that is the key to the experiential quality of these poems. In the same manner that yoga exercises are repeated and perfected, these brisk, crystalline lines of verse can be re-summoned from that spot in the mind that accommodates a convergence of the physiological and spiritual. The elimination of distractions that is fundamental to yoga is evident in the verse itself, whose subtlely crafted essence and compressed imagery, in common with classical Japanese poetry, results in an intensifying and exalting of experience. With these liberating poems the writer inveighs us to, “Turn down the volume/of the world/ Turn up the sacred pulse.” There are no paeans to individual love or passion here, but both are manifest in the infinitely broader concepts of giving, compassion, and joyfulness, the sheer pleasure in being alive. Returning to this collection, one is gladdened to find that quality verse seasons with time. The ink illustrations by Akiko Tanimoto are suitably sinuous, balletic strokes to match the stripped down wisdom of the poems, the collection’s gentle instructions and admonitions.
Rereading books like ‘Yoga Heart’ can be a singular pleasure. Leza Lowitz, author, translator, editor, art critic, lecturer and yoga teacher, clearly lives a fruitful, creative life, one held firm by a carefully cultivated balance and equipoise few of us are able to achieve. Perhaps that is the key to the experiential quality of these poems. In the same manner that yoga exercises are repeated and perfected, these brisk, crystalline lines of verse can be re-summoned from that spot in the mind that accommodates a convergence of the physiological and spiritual. The elimination of distractions that is fundamental to yoga is evident in the verse itself, whose subtlely crafted essence and compressed imagery, in common with classical Japanese poetry, results in an intensifying and exalting of experience. With these liberating poems the writer inveighs us to, “Turn down the volume/of the world/ Turn up the sacred pulse.” There are no paeans to individual love or passion here, but both are manifest in the infinitely broader concepts of giving, compassion, and joyfulness, the sheer pleasure in being alive. Returning to this collection, one is gladdened to find that quality verse seasons with time. The ink illustrations by Akiko Tanimoto are suitably sinuous, balletic strokes to match the stripped down wisdom of the poems, the collection’s gentle instructions and admonitions.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2012
This book is not only aesthetically beautiful (cover, illustrations, font and paper) but is filled with poetry that is perfect for meditative contemplation on Buddhist teachings. Whether you are a yoga teacher who would like to share some sacred and honest words with your students or just to savour the poems which are completely relatable to life for yourself, this book is perfect. The fact that all the author's proceeds go to helping those suffering from the Tohoku Earthquake of 2011, completely embodies the teachings of this special book. A great gift idea!
2 people found this helpful
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