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Home > Archive > Yoga > September 2005 > Yoga book recommendation?
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Yoga book recommendation?
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| Paul H 2005-08-17, 8:56 am |
| Can anyone recommend a good Yoga book. I mainly practice for the physical
benefits and occasionally get a chance to get into meditation. But I do want
to get more into the breathing/meditation/spirituality of Yoga and would
like to read up on it, techniques, history, examples etc..
Thanks,
Paul
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| omjaroo 2005-08-17, 6:01 pm |
| Paul,
Can't even imagine a better book for what you describe. Might cost you
a couple of dollars for a used copy. It's one of the most valuable
books I own
Yoga: The 8 steps to health and peace
by Richard L Hittleman
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...539253?v=glance
Jared
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| hbkta@aol.com 2005-08-17, 10:56 pm |
|
Paul H wrote:
> Can anyone recommend a good Yoga book. I mainly practice for the physical
> benefits and occasionally get a chance to get into meditation. But I do want
> to get more into the breathing/meditation/spirituality of Yoga and would
> like to read up on it, techniques, history, examples etc..
>
> Thanks,
>
> Paul
Of course you do expect to pay for any such advice, do you not?
I suggest you read them all.
any thing more specific than that would require advance payment of
consultation fee.
Will that be cash, mastercard, visa, or american express?
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| Shava_X 2005-08-17, 10:56 pm |
| On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 13:41:58 +0000, Paul H wrote:
> Can anyone recommend a good Yoga book. I mainly practice for the physical
> benefits and occasionally get a chance to get into meditation. But I do want
> to get more into the breathing/meditation/spirituality of Yoga and would
> like to read up on it, techniques, history, examples etc..
>
> Thanks,
>
> Paul
40 Days to Personal Revolution by Baron Baptiste might by in line with
what You are looking for. (Hardcover ISBN : 074322759X Softcover ISBN :
0743227832 ) You may find His other books interesting too...
Light on Yoga by B. K. S. Iyengar (ISBN 0805210318) also might be
something You would enjoy. Light on Pranayama is supposed to be a
detailed guide to Yoga breathing exercises (ISBN : 0824506863).
For breathing and meditation, take a look at some of the works by Andrew
Weil. Hid audio book "Breathing: The Master Key to Self-Healing" is great
(ISBN : 156455726X). He has also published an audio book on meditation
titled "Meditation for Optimum Health" co-authored with Jon Kabat-Zinn
(ISBN : 1564558827).
And i have heard good things about "Living Yoga: Creating a Life Practice"
by Christy Turlington (ISBN : 0786868066), but i have not read that
particular book, or any other She may have written.
Barnes & Noble describes it as "...an intellectual and spiritual, as well
as physical, exploration of yoga."
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| Paul H 2005-08-18, 8:58 am |
|
<hbkta@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1124323129.222273.236380@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>
> Paul H wrote:
>
> Of course you do expect to pay for any such advice, do you not?
> I suggest you read them all.
> any thing more specific than that would require advance payment of
> consultation fee.
> Will that be cash, mastercard, visa, or american express?
Anything, as long as it keeps you off the streets.
;o.
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| hbkta@aol.com 2005-08-18, 8:58 am |
|
Paul H wrote:
> <hbkta@aol.com> wrote in message
> news:1124323129.222273.236380@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>
> Anything, as long as it keeps you off the streets.
>
> ;o.
Cash is best.
Where do I send the bill?
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| Paul H 2005-08-19, 9:01 am |
|
<hbkta@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1124363062.685212.131660@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
>
> Paul H wrote:
>
> Cash is best.
> Where do I send the bill?
Earth.
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| Yogananda's "Autobiography of a Yogi" is a good book about the lives,
supernormal powers and experiences of many masters of spiritual yoga.
It's online for free reading via
http://www.geocities.com/thehiddengate/yoga/index.html but is still in
print and easily available from bookshops and libraries. The copyright
on its original 1946 edition expired because it was not renewed during
the 28th year after publication, as was required by law at that time,
so it fell into the public domain.
The half dozen or so books by Yogi Ramacharaka are, on the whole the
best introduction to the esoteric philosophy ever written, as far as I
know, despite a few imperfections. His "Science of Breath" and
"Fourteen Lessons in Yogi Philosophy and Oriental Occultism" used to be
online at arfalfa.com but I think that site has been taken down now.
But some of them are still available online for free reading via
http://www.geocities.com/thehiddengate/yoga/index.html
That site also has links to books by other teachers like Swami
Sivananda, Sri Ramana Maharishi etc. But I think its best to start with
the books by Ramacharaka and Yogananda as a good introduction to the
higher teachings.
I'd just mention two things.
First, as you are no doubt aware, the basic sitting posture that is
advised for meditation and the breathing exercises is the lotus
posture, the cross legged posture in which the buddha is usually
depicted, with the right foot on the left thigh and the left foot on
the right one. But most Westerners can't sit in it. However, If they
had a hot bath for about 15 minutes beforehand (not a shower, it must
be a hot bath) most of them would probably be able to sit in the lotus
posture if they tried it immediately afterwards.
Also, re the simple method of rhythmic breathing which Ramacharaka
calls the Complete Breath. Instead of basing ones rhythmic time on
one's pulsebeats, which might be variable or undetectable from time to
time its probably better to base it on the tick of a metronome or a
casette tape on which one has tapped out the seconds according to a
watch for half an hour. If it causes dizziness til you get used to it,
which does happen sometimes, breathe in and out of a paper bag until
you feel better.
As for holding one's breath for a few seconds after each exhalation and
inhalation, most yoga teachers don't seem to bother with it and I can't
see any point to it. Inhaling counting from one to six seconds and
beginning the exhalation at the next count of one and exhaling to the
count of six is probably best. You don't have to worry about filling
the lungs completely, the rhythm is more important than the length of
breath. The method of combining abdominal, thoracic and clavicular
breathing to constitute the Complete Breath is described in "Hatha
Yoga" by Ramacharaka, which is, again, at
http://www.geocities.com/thehiddengate/yoga/index.html
A description might also still be available by doing a google search on
"Yesudian, blood pressure, Moebius". By the way, there is a book by a
European doctor named Tirala on the cure of high blood pressure by some
sort of breathing exercises, possibly this one. An English translation
is available from Mokelumne Health Research and it can be ordered
online, but I haven't read it.
In his book "Yoga and Health" which is now out of print, Selvarajan
Yesudian advised that this exercise should be practised for one minute
half an hour before each of the three main meals on the first day, and
increased by one minute each day for the next six, Then, if
comfortable, increase to half an hour once daily for the next two
months at least. But I knew someone who mastered it easily and
perfectly in a week, so its an individual thing. The important thing
is, after your daily practice, leave well alone, and don't force
yourself to keep breathing that way, just let the breath flow
naturally. And if you practice meditation immediately after the
breathing practice, forget all about the breathing because with the
mind fixed on breathing, full attention can't be given to the
meditation.
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| Dave ©¿©¬ 2005-08-22, 9:04 am |
| Howdy!
I have a few books by Yogi Ramacharaka. There is one thing to keep in mind
when reading them,,,
They were written before 1910 so some of the references to modern science
may be dated.
I found in one of his "Yoga Lessons" books that while the information seems
very fragmented at the beginning, it comes together by the last lesson.
"Yogi Ramacharaka" was, in fact, just a pen name for an American (William
Walker Atkinson.) He wrote quite a few books under his own name and only
used "Yogi Ramacharaka" for his yoga books. I strongly suspect that he was
ghost writing for one (or more) of the yogis who came to the west from India
around 1900.
For more information, see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogi_Ramacharaka
If you can not find his books at an online bookstore, they can be purchased
from:
Kessinger Publishing's Rare Reprints
http://www.kessinger.net
--
Namaste
Dave ©¿©
"Ego sum quis ego sum quod ut est quicumque ego sum"
http://www.howdydave.com
"jaj" <j_jarred@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1124523573.914028.101250@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
<snip>
>
> The half dozen or so books by Yogi Ramacharaka are, on the whole the
> best introduction to the esoteric philosophy ever written, as far as I
> know, despite a few imperfections. His "Science of Breath" and
> "Fourteen Lessons in Yogi Philosophy and Oriental Occultism" used to be
> online at arfalfa.com but I think that site has been taken down now.
> But some of them are still available online for free reading via
> http://www.geocities.com/thehiddengate/yoga/index.html
>
| |
| Dave ©¿©¬ 2005-08-24, 5:54 pm |
| Howdy!
Another good resource for books is:
D.K. Agencies
http://www.dkagencies.com/
They sell books from India. IMO if you are looking for information about
yoga, you might want to investigate getting a book written by an Indian and
published in India!
--
Namaste
Dave ©¿©
"Ego sum quis ego sum quod ut est quicumque ego sum"
http://www.howdydave.com
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In chapter 13 of his book "Science of Breath" which is online at
http://www.arfalpha.com Yogi Ramacharaka wrote:
"The Yogi bases his rhythmic time upon a unit corresponding with the
beat of his heart. The heart beat varies in different persons, but the
heart beat unit of each person is the proper rhythmic standard for that
particular individual in his rhythmic breathing. Ascertain your normal
heart beat by placing your fingers over your pulse, and then count: "1,
2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6," etc., until the rhythm becomes
firmly fixed in your mind. A little practice will fix the rhythm, so
that you will be able to easily reproduce it. The beginner usually
inhales in about six pulse units, but he will be able to greatly
increase this by practice.
"The Yogi rule for rhythmic breathing is that the units of inhalation
and exhalation should be the same, while the units for retention and
between breaths should be one-half the number of those of inhalation
and exhalation."
>From that, one could get the impression that breathing in and out to
the count of six, and holding the breath while counting 1, 2, 3 would
mean that the period of retention and between breaths was one-half the
period of those of inhalation and exhalation but it wouldn't be,
because the period between two counts and not the counts themselves is
the true unit.
If you spread 5 fingers in front of you (counting the thumb as a
finger) you can see that there are 4 spaces, or units, between them.
Likewise, if you inhale while counting from 1 to 7, that is 6 units.
And if, when finishing inhaling at the count of 7, you count 1, 2, and
begin the exhalation at the next count of 1, there is a period of 3
units between breaths. You can count them on 4 fingers.
Years ago I was glancing through a book titled "Yoga Postures for
Higher Awareness" I think it was, by Kriyananda, and read something to
the effect that the practice of deep rhythmic breathing with retention
of breath for a set period every day will tend to continue as one's
normal method of breathing, but without the pause. If so, that might
explain why some yoga teachers teach it without the pause at all.
But if one lived and worked in a place with a very smoky or dusty
atmosphere deep breathing might not be a very good idea. For raja yoga
purposes it could be replaced with the practice of simply watching the
breath, which can be very effective. Its described in a chapter of 5
pages in the section titled "Techniques" in the book "This is Reality"
by Roy Eugene Davis" which I think is out of print nowadays but a
secondhand copy might be obtainable through http://www.bookfinder.com
| |
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|
In chapter 13 of his book "Science of Breath" which is online at
http://www.arfalpha.com Yogi Ramacharaka wrote:
"The Yogi bases his rhythmic time upon a unit corresponding with the
beat of his heart. The heart beat varies in different persons, but the
heart beat unit of each person is the proper rhythmic standard for that
particular individual in his rhythmic breathing. Ascertain your normal
heart beat by placing your fingers over your pulse, and then count: "1,
2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6," etc., until the rhythm becomes
firmly fixed in your mind. A little practice will fix the rhythm, so
that you will be able to easily reproduce it. The beginner usually
inhales in about six pulse units, but he will be able to greatly
increase this by practice.
"The Yogi rule for rhythmic breathing is that the units of inhalation
and exhalation should be the same, while the units for retention and
between breaths should be one-half the number of those of inhalation
and exhalation."
>From that, one could get the impression that breathing in and out to
the count of six, and holding the breath while counting 1, 2, 3 would
mean that the period of retention and between breaths was one-half the
period of those of inhalation and exhalation but it wouldn't be,
because the period between two counts and not the counts themselves is
the true unit.
If you spread 5 fingers in front of you (counting the thumb as a
finger) you can see that there are 4 spaces, or units, between them.
Likewise, if you inhale while counting from 1 to 7, that is 6 units.
And if, when finishing inhaling at the count of 7, you count 1, 2, and
begin the exhalation at the next count of 1, there is a period of 3
units between breaths. You can count them on 4 fingers.
Years ago I was glancing through a book titled "Yoga Postures for
Higher Awareness" I think it was, by Kriyananda, and read something to
the effect that the practice of deep rhythmic breathing with retention
of breath for a set period every day will tend to continue as one's
normal method of breathing, but without the pause. If so, that might
explain why some yoga teachers teach it without the pause at all.
But if one lived and worked in a place with a very smoky or dusty
atmosphere deep breathing might not be a very good idea. For raja yoga
purposes it could be replaced with the practice of simply watching the
breath, which can be very effective. Its described in a chapter of 5
pages in the section titled "Techniques" in the book "This is Reality"
by Roy Eugene Davis" which I think is out of print nowadays but a
secondhand copy might be obtainable through http://www.bookfinder.com
| |
|
|
In chapter 13 of his book "Science of Breath" which is online at
http://www.arfalpha.com Yogi Ramacharaka wrote:
"The Yogi bases his rhythmic time upon a unit corresponding with the
beat of his heart. The heart beat varies in different persons, but the
heart beat unit of each person is the proper rhythmic standard for that
particular individual in his rhythmic breathing. Ascertain your normal
heart beat by placing your fingers over your pulse, and then count: "1,
2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6," etc., until the rhythm becomes
firmly fixed in your mind. A little practice will fix the rhythm, so
that you will be able to easily reproduce it. The beginner usually
inhales in about six pulse units, but he will be able to greatly
increase this by practice.
"The Yogi rule for rhythmic breathing is that the units of inhalation
and exhalation should be the same, while the units for retention and
between breaths should be one-half the number of those of inhalation
and exhalation."
>From that, one could get the impression that breathing in and out to
the count of six, and holding the breath while counting 1, 2, 3 would
mean that the period of retention and between breaths was one-half the
period of those of inhalation and exhalation but it wouldn't be,
because the period between two counts and not the counts themselves is
the true unit.
If you spread 5 fingers in front of you (counting the thumb as a
finger) you can see that there are 4 spaces, or units, between them.
Likewise, if you inhale while counting from 1 to 7, that is 6 units.
And if, when finishing inhaling at the count of 7, you count 1, 2, and
begin the exhalation at the next count of 1, there is a period of 3
units between breaths. You can count them on 4 fingers.
Years ago I was glancing through a book titled "Yoga Postures for
Higher Awareness" I think it was, by Kriyananda, and read something to
the effect that the practice of deep rhythmic breathing with retention
of breath for a set period every day will tend to continue as one's
normal method of breathing, but without the pause. If so, that might
explain why some yoga teachers teach it without the pause at all.
But if one lived and worked in a place with a very smoky or dusty
atmosphere deep breathing might not be a very good idea. For raja yoga
purposes it could be replaced with the practice of simply watching the
breath, which can be very effective. Its described in a chapter of 5
pages in the section titled "Techniques" in the book "This is Reality"
by Roy Eugene Davis" which I think is out of print nowadays but a
secondhand copy might be obtainable through http://www.bookfinder.com
| |
|
|
In chapter 13 of his book "Science of Breath" which is online at
http://www.arfalpha.com Yogi Ramacharaka wrote:
"The Yogi bases his rhythmic time upon a unit corresponding with the
beat of his heart. The heart beat varies in different persons, but the
heart beat unit of each person is the proper rhythmic standard for that
particular individual in his rhythmic breathing. Ascertain your normal
heart beat by placing your fingers over your pulse, and then count: "1,
2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6," etc., until the rhythm becomes
firmly fixed in your mind. A little practice will fix the rhythm, so
that you will be able to easily reproduce it. The beginner usually
inhales in about six pulse units, but he will be able to greatly
increase this by practice.
"The Yogi rule for rhythmic breathing is that the units of inhalation
and exhalation should be the same, while the units for retention and
between breaths should be one-half the number of those of inhalation
and exhalation."
>From that, one could get the impression that breathing in and out to
the count of six, and holding the breath while counting 1, 2, 3 would
mean that the period of retention and between breaths was one-half the
period of those of inhalation and exhalation but it wouldn't be,
because the period between two counts and not the counts themselves is
the true unit.
If you spread 5 fingers in front of you (counting the thumb as a
finger) you can see that there are 4 spaces, or units, between them.
Likewise, if you inhale while counting from 1 to 7, that is 6 units.
And if, when finishing inhaling at the count of 7, you count 1, 2, and
begin the exhalation at the next count of 1, there is a period of 3
units between breaths. You can count them on 4 fingers.
Years ago I was glancing through a book titled "Yoga Postures for
Higher Awareness" I think it was, by Kriyananda, and read something to
the effect that the practice of deep rhythmic breathing with retention
of breath for a set period every day will tend to continue as one's
normal method of breathing, but without the pause. If so, that might
explain why some yoga teachers teach it without the pause at all.
But if one lived and worked in a place with a very smoky or dusty
atmosphere deep breathing might not be a very good idea. For raja yoga
purposes it could be replaced with the practice of simply watching the
breath, which can be very effective. Its described in a chapter of 5
pages in the section titled "Techniques" in the book "This is Reality"
by Roy Eugene Davis" which I think is out of print nowadays but a
secondhand copy might be obtainable through http://www.bookfinder.com
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