The deeper dimension of yoga: theory and practice

Description

1. What is yoga? -- 2. Mapping yoga -- 3. Yoga: what for? -- 4. Yoga: for whom? -- 5. Guidelines for selecting a yoga teacher, yoga therapist, or class -- 6. Ten fundamental principles of yoga -- 7. Is yoga a religion? -- 8. Yoga as art and science -- 9. The yoga of science -- 10. Traditional definitions of yoga -- 11. Yoga in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism -- 12. Forty types of Hindu yoga -- 13. The tree of Hindu yoga -- 14. Styles of hatha-yoga -- 15. Crossing the boundary between Hinduism and Buddhism via tantra-yoga -- 16. Vajrayana Buddhist yoga -- 17. Introducing the great literary heritage of Hindu yoga -- 18. Yoga symbolism -- 19. Approaching spiritual practice -- 20. The twelve steps of spiritual recovery -- 21. Happiness, well-being, and reality -- 22. The quest for happiness -- 23. Spiritual discipline -- 24. Life is an earthquake -- 25. Samsara means running around in circles -- 26. Spiritual friendship -- 27. The guru: dispeller of darkness -- 28. The guru function: broadcasting reality -- 29. Understanding the guru -- 30. Holy madness -- 31. Grace has a place in yoga -- 32. Tapas, or voluntary self-change -- 33. The art of purification -- 34. Obstacles on the path according to Patanjali -- 35. In praise of study -- 36. Silence is golden: the practice of Mauna -- 37. Die while you live and last-hour yoga -- 38. Living in the dark age (Kali-Yuga) -- 39. Yoga and terrorism -- 40. Yoga begins and ends with virtuous action -- 41. Is nonharming (Ahimsa) an old-fashioned value? -- 42. Nonharming according to Jaina yoga -- 43. Yoga and vegetarianism -- 44. The practice of eco-yoga -- 45. Overcoming greed -- 46. Authenticity, integrity, unity -- 47. The power of truth -- 48. Compassion -- 49. Ethical guidelines for yoga teachers -- 50. Asanas for the body and the mind -- 51. Shava-asana, or corpse posture -- 52. The breath of life -- 53. Cultivating wisdom -- 54. Buddhi-yoga -- 55. Jnana-yoga: the path of wisdom -- 56. "That art thou" -- the essence of nondualist yoga -- 57. Discernment and self-transcendence -- 58. Karma-yoga: the way of self-transcending action -- 59. Bhakti-yoga: "Worship me with love" -- 60. Degrees of love -- 61. The Kriya-yoga of Patanjali -- 62. Faith and surrender: a new look at the Eightfold Path -- 63. Mantra-yoga: Sounding out the depth within -- 64. The Gayatri-mantra -- 65. The sacred syllable Om -- 66. Mudras: gestures of wholeness -- 67. Taraka-yoga: seeing the light -- 68. Yantra-yoga: divine geometry -- 69. What is tantra? -- 70. Sex, asceticism, and mythology -- 71. Pathways to relaxation and meditation -- 72. What is meditation? -- 73. Prayer in yoga -- 74. The ecstatic state -- 75. The serpent power and spiritual life -- 76. Who or what is the self in self-realization? -- 77. Emptiness -- 78. Liberation -- Glossary: key Sanskrit terms of Hindu yoga.;"Here is a comprehensive survey of the full breadth and depth of the 5,000-year-old Yoga tradition, emphasizing its potent philosophy and spiritual vision. Georg Feuerstein demonstrates that Yoga is much more than a system of physical exercises-it is a profound path of self-transformation that encompasses a range of teachings, practices, and sacred texts that can help us cultivate wisdom, balance, and inner freedom, as well as physical health. Feuerstein is one of the few Western scholar-teachers of Yoga whose writing and teaching penetrate the full richness and depth of this ancient tradition. Here he offers a collection of essays touching on all facets of the discipline. Topics include: 1. What is yoga? -- 2. Mapping yoga -- 3. Yoga: what for? -- 4. Yoga: for whom? -- 5. Guidelines for selecting a yoga teacher, yoga therapist, or class -- 6. Ten fundamental principles of yoga -- 7. Is yoga a religion? -- 8. Yoga as art and science -- 9. The yoga of science -- 10. Traditional definitions of yoga -- 11. Yoga in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism -- 12. Forty types of Hindu yoga -- 13. The tree of Hindu yoga -- 14. Styles of hatha-yoga -- 15. Crossing the boundary between Hinduism and Buddhism via tantra-yoga -- 16. Vajrayana Buddhist yoga -- 17. Introducing the great literary heritage of Hindu yoga -- 18. Yoga symbolism -- 19. Approaching spiritual practice -- 20. The twelve steps of spiritual recovery -- 21. Happiness, well-being, and reality -- 22. The quest for happiness -- 23. Spiritual discipline -- 24. Life is an earthquake -- 25. Samsara means running around in circles -- 26. Spiritual friendship -- 27. The guru: dispeller of darkness -- 28. The guru function: broadcasting reality -- 29. Understanding the guru -- 30. Holy madness -- 31. Grace has a place in yoga -- 32. Tapas, or voluntary self-change -- 33. The art of purification -- 34. Obstacles on the path according to Patanjali -- 35. In praise of study -- 36. Silence is golden: the practice of Mauna -- 37. Die while you live and last-hour yoga -- 38. Living in the dark age (Kali-Yuga) -- 39. Yoga and terrorism -- 40. Yoga begins and ends with virtuous action -- 41. Is nonharming (Ahimsa) an old-fashioned value? -- 42. Nonharming according to Jaina yoga -- 43. Yoga and vegetarianism -- 44. The practice of eco-yoga -- 45. Overcoming greed -- 46. Authenticity, integrity, unity -- 47. The power of truth -- 48. Compassion -- 49. Ethical guidelines for yoga teachers -- 50. Asanas for the body and the mind -- 51. Shava-asana, or corpse posture -- 52. The breath of life -- 53. Cultivating wisdom -- 54. Buddhi-yoga -- 55. Jnana-yoga: the path of wisdom -- 56. "That art thou" -- the essence of nondualist yoga -- 57. Discernment and self-transcendence -- 58. Karma-yoga: the way of self-transcending action -- 59. Bhakti-yoga: "Worship me with love" -- 60. Degrees of love -- 61. The Kriya-yoga of Patanjali -- 62. Faith and surrender: a new look at the Eightfold Path -- 63. Mantra-yoga: Sounding out the depth within -- 64. The Gayatri-mantra -- 65. The sacred syllable Om -- 66. Mudras: gestures of wholeness -- 67. Taraka-yoga: seeing the light -- 68. Yantra-yoga: divine geometry -- 69. What is tantra? -- 70. Sex, asceticism, and mythology -- 71. Pathways to relaxation and meditation -- 72. What is meditation? -- 73. Prayer in yoga -- 74. The ecstatic state -- 75. The serpent power and spiritual life -- 76. Who or what is the self in self-realization? -- 77. Emptiness -- 78. Liberation -- Glossary: key Sanskrit terms of Hindu yoga.