My 8-year-old identity was splintered more than once after our family's illegal escape from New York city into a 13-year exile in communist Czechoslovakia and China. My parents, captivated and dominated by the teachings of Marx and Lenin fled the United States in the 1950's to fulfill the vision of a communist future. Uprooted, we fled from one country to the next to escape the FBI who were searching for us. We ultimately settled in Czechoslovakia. This country became the anchor for my personal roots, my friends, my culture, my security. As abruptly as we left the United States, after thirteen years without warning we returned. I had no say in whether I go back with my family or Io remain in Czechoslovakia. After my return to the States I struggled with confusion and internal chaos. Where do I belong? What is my identity? Grieving the loss of my Czech self I was resistant to Americanizing. Dependent on political forces that controlled our lives during my growing up I did not have the skills to define my own path in a country that was alien to me. I was adrift in my lack of identity, searching for my place and a way of integrating the discordant parts of myself. At age 57 I attended my first yoga class. Unsettled, unsure, awkwardly participating in an unknown world of postures and poses. Uncertain about returning for the next class I indecisively placed my hand on the doorknob to open it to go into the room; I hesitated, should I go in? Should I leave? Should I stay? And so started the most powerful and transformative relationship between my mind and my body. My relationship with yoga postures, my breath, and the study of yoga philosophy, gave me a structure for reconnecting with emotions I subconsciously suppressed as a way of surviving conflicting realities. In my final letter to my deceased parents, I write about our differing paths: mine a more private, internal one initiated by yoga; theirs an outward directed one to change the world, and how I reconciled our differences. This is my story about my fractured early experiences, and how through yoga I developed a stronger sense of self, a process that helped heal past wounds, and become one.

The definitive book of yoga therapy, this groundbreaking work comes to you from the medical editor of the country’s premier yoga magazine, who is both a practicing yogi and a Western-trained physician. Beginning with an overview of the history and science of yoga, Dr. McCall describes the many different techniques in the yoga tool kit; explains what yoga does and who can benefit from it (virtually everyone!); and provides lavishly illustrated and minutely detailed instructions on starting a yoga practice geared to your fitness level and your health status. Yoga as Medicine offers a wealth of practical information, including how to: •Utilize yogic tools, including postures, breathing techniques, and meditation, for both prevention and healing of illness •Master the art of becoming more in tune with your body •Communicate more effectively with your doctor •Adopt therapeutic yoga practices as either an alternative or a complement to surgery and to expensive, sometimes dangerous medications •Practice safely Find an instructor and a style of yoga that are right for you. With twenty chapters devoted to the work of individual master teachers, including such well-known figures as Patricia Walden, John Friend, and Rodney Yee, Yoga as Medicine shows how these experts have applied the wisdom of this ancient holistic practice to twenty different conditions, ranging from arthritis to chronic fatigue, depression, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, infertility, insomnia, multiple sclerosis, and obesity. Defining yoga as “a systematic technology to improve the body, understand the mind, and free the spirit,” Dr. McCall shows the way to a path that can truly alter your life. An indispensable guide for the millions who now practice yoga or would like to begin, as well as for yoga teachers, body workers, doctors, nurses, and other health professionals.

A comparative statement of the various religious dogmas concerning the soul and its destiny, and of Akkadian, Hindu, Taoist, Egyptian, Hebrew, Greek, Christian, Mohammedan, Japanese and other magic. Thirty chapters deal with topics like Modern Spiritualism On The Soul Hindu Souls Egyptian Souls Chaldean Souls Greek And Roman Souls Neoplatonism On The Soul Christian Souls Relic Worship Chinese Souls Japanese Souls The Possibility Of A Spiritual World Considered Religion In General The Evolution Of Social Virtue Hindu Yoga Chinese Yoga Egyptian Yoga Akkadian Yoga Mohammedan Yoga Hebrew Yoga Yoga Of The Essenes ... and many more ...

Prana is the universal principle of energy or force. It is a vital, all pervading force. It may be either in a static or dynamic state. It is found in all forms, from the highest to the lowest, from the ant to the elephant, from the unicellular amoeba to man, from the elementary form of plant life to the developed of animal life. Prana is force on every plane of being, from the highest to the lowest. Whatever moves or works or has life is but an expression or manifestation of Prana. It is Prana that shines in your eyes. It is through the power of Prana that the ears hear, the eyes see, the skin feels, the tongue tastes, the nose smells and the brain and the intellect perform their functions. The smile of a young lady, the melody in music, the power in the emphatic words of an orator, the charm in the speech of one’s beloved, are all due to Prana. Fire burns and the wind blows through Prana. Rivers flow and planes move in the air through Prana. The steam engines work and trains and cars move through Prana. Radio waves travel through Prana. Prana is electron, force, magnetism and electricity. It is Prana that pumps the blood from the heart to the arteries or blood vessels. Prana does digestion, excretion and secretion. It is expended in thinking, willing, acting, moving, talking and writing. A healthy, strong man has an abundance of Prana or nerve-force or vitality. It is supplied by food, water, air, solar energy, etc. The supply of Prana is taken up by the nervous system. It is absorbed in the process of breathing. The excess is stored in the brain and nerve centers. When the seminal energy is sublimated or transformed, it supplies an abundance of Prana to the system. It is stored up in the brain in the form of spiritual energy.

Born on the eve of China’s Cultural Revolution, Ping Fu was separated from her family at the age of eight. She grew up fighting hunger and humiliation and shielding her younger sister from the teenagers in Mao’s Red Guard. At twenty-five, she found her way to the United States; her only resources were $80 and a few phrases of English. Yet Ping persevered, and the hard-won lessons of her childhood guided her to success in her new homeland. Aided by her well-honed survival instincts, a few good friends, and the kindness of strangers, she grew into someone she never thought she’d be—a strong, independent, entrepreneurial leader. “She tells her story with intelligence, verve and a candor that is often heart-rending.” —The Wall Street Journal “This well-written tale of courage, compassion, and undaunted curiosity reveals the life of a genuine hero.” —Booklist (starred review) “Her success at the American Dream is a real triumph.” —The New York Post

Transform your yoga practice into a force for creating social change with this concise, eloquent manual of social justice tools and skills. Skill in Action asks you to explore the deeply transformational practice of yoga as a way to become an agent of social change and work toward a just world. Through yoga practices and philosophy, this book explores liberation for ourselves and others, while asking us to engage in our own agency—whether that manifests as activism, volunteer work, or changing our relationships with others and ourselves. To provide a strong foundation to begin this work, Michelle Cassandra Johnson clearly defines power and privilege, oppression, liberation, and suffering, and invites you to make changes in your life that promote equality and freedom for all. This revised and expanded edition offers journaling practices and prompts in each chapter; includes more material on how power and privilege inform the yoga industry; explains how to integrate justice into teaching the eight limbs of yoga; and offers ways to support people as they move through their resistance and discomfort in the face of injustice. This edition also offers a fuller look at how the yamas and niyamas—the ethical precepts of yoga—can be studied in order to create a more just world, and it offers more support for yoga teachers seeking to radicalize their yoga.

‘‌‘The Synthesis Of Yoga’‌’ by Sri Aurobindo. In this book Sri Aurobindo analyzes the various systems of Yoga and synthesizes them into his conception of Integral Yoga. He points out, every system of Yoga stresses some part of the psychological division of human consciousness as the basis for realization and union with the Divine.

An often surprising and always sure-footed survey of the magic of yoga and Calcutta's role in bringing it to the world' JOHN ZUBRZYCKI 'Interweaving historical facts with Armstrong's own experiences ... the result is a book which is neither an autobiography nor a purely scientific work - quite a unique mixture ... it moves me' CLAUDIA GUGGENBÜHL 'I wish I was doing what he is doing [in Calcutta Yoga]' BISHWANATH GHOSH The epic story of how Buddha Bose, Bishnu Ghosh and Yogananda took yoga from Calcutta to the rest of the world. In Calcutta Yoga, Jerome Armstrong deftly weaves the multi-generational story of the first family of yoga and how they modernized the ancient practice. The saga covers four generations, the making of a city, personal friendships, and shines light on the remarkable people who transformed yoga and made it a truly global phenomenon. Along the way, we also meet the people who founded the schools of yoga that are so well known today. Enriching the cast of characters are the internationally renowned B. K. S. Iyengar, Mr Universe Monotosh Roy, even as the book uncovers the truth about Bikram Choudhury, the founder of Bikram Yoga. We follow them and others from the streets of Calcutta to the United States, London, Tokyo and beyond, where they perform astounding feats and help revise Western perceptions of yoga. Cleverly researched and enjoyably anecdotal, Calcutta Yoga gives a holistic picture of the evolution of yoga, and pays homage to yogic heroes previously lost from history, while highlighting the pivotal early role the city of Calcutta played in redefining the practice. A culmination of rigorous fieldwork and numerous interviews, this book is as much about yoga as it is about history, relationships and human nature.