The Bhakti-yoga Handbook A Guide for Beginning the Essentials of Devotional Yoga This book is a guide for anyone who wants to begin the practice of bhakti-yoga in a practical and effective way. This supplies the information, the principles, the regular activities or sadhana, and how to have the right attitude in applying ourselves to attain success on the path of bhakti-yoga, which is uniting with God through love and devotion. This outlines a general schedule for our daily spiritual activities and a typical morning program as found in most Krishna temples that are centered around devotional yoga. In this way, you will find the explanations on how to begin our day and set our mind, what meditations to do, which spiritual texts are best to study, and how we can make most everything we do as part of bhakti-yoga. All of these can be adjusted in a way that can be practiced and applied by anyone by anyone regardless of whether you are in a temple ashrama or in your own home or apartment. Such topics include: The secret of bhakti-yoga and its potency in this day and age, The essential morning practice, the best time for meditation, The standard songs and mantras that we can use, as applied in most Krishna temples, Understanding the basics of the Vedic spiritual philosophy, such as karma, reincarnation, the Vedic description of the soul, etc., How Vedic culture is still as relevant today as ever, Who is Sri Krishna, How to chant the Hare Krishna mantra, Standards for temple etiquette, The nine processes of bhakti-yoga, a variety of activities from which anyone can utilize, How to make our career a part of the yoga process, How to turn our cooking into bhakti-yoga, How to set up a home altar or temple room, depending on what standard you wish to establish, How to take care of deities in our home, if we have Them, How to perform the basic ceremonies like arati, How to take care of the Tulasi plant if you have one, And the spiritual results you can expect to attain through this yoga. All of the basics and effective applications to get started and continue with your practice of bhakti-yoga is supplied so you can progress in a steady way, from beginner to advanced.

The four types of yoga are covered in length in the current book, along with its philosophy, psychology, and practise techniques. It provides a comparison of the four yogas, outlining their similarities and distinctions. By destroying the ego, karma yoga, also known as the yoga of selfless action, aims to address the issue of ignorance. We are tethered to this world by attachment because of the ego, which was born out of ignorance. The practise of bhakti yoga involves inward purification. Bhakti-central yoga's thesis is that love is the most fundamental human emotion. Love is cosmocentric and divinely inspired in its most pure form. Raja-yoga ignites the flame of awareness of the self within in order to reach the Divine.

A guide to Bhakti Flow Yoga, a style of yoga that emphasizes a seamless connection between the breath and the movements of the body--by a popular San Francisco-based yogi. This is a comprehensive guide to the history and practice of Bhakti Flow Yoga, a synthesis of Bhakti yoga (the yoga of devotion) and Vinyasa Flow. This book describes • the foundations of Bhakti Flow Yoga, with an historical overview and an explanation of the basics of practice • the energetic side of this practice, including subtle body, meditation, sound (Nada Yoga), prana, pranayama, koshas (sheaths of the subtle body), chakras, nadis (energy pathways), and bandhas (energy locks), and more • the Bhakti Flow Yoga lifestyle: An overview of Ayurveda, including the doshas (constitution), nutrition, taste, and digestion, along with recommended Ayurvedic diet guidelines for general health. The section on vegetarianism offers practical advice on making the diet work for you. • the practice of Bhakti Flow Yoga: The section is divided into pose families, which include Basics, Standing Poses, Standing Balance Poses, Core, Arm Balances and Inversions, Backbends, Seated Poses and Twists, and Restorative Poses. The author unpacks each of the yoga poses, with details on both physical and spiritual considerations of each pose. There are also discussions on drishti (point of focus), how to start a home practice, and practical tips for pregnant students or those with high blood pressure. Rusty Wells includes two sample sequences, along with recommendations on sequencing in general. The Beginner's Sequence is gentle, complete, and accessible for all body types. The Surya Flow 1 Sequence is an example of a strong one-hour vinyasa practice that can easily be a launching pad for more creativity. Wells also provides valuable insights on teaching yoga.

Presents an introduction to the principles of Hatha yoga and provides explanations and illustrations of the physical postures and relaxation and breathing exercises, and an introduction to meditation.

AARP Digital Editions offer you practical tips, proven solutions, and expert guidance. The remarkable benefits of yoga, which include improved flexibility, balance, muscle tone, endurance, and vitality, only hint at the extraordinary power of this deeply spiritual practice. When adhered to and practiced mindfully, yoga can unlock readers’ full creative potential, their capacity for love and compassion, and ability to find success in all areas of their lives. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga brings spirituality back to yoga. It shows how the Seven Spiritual Laws play a crucial role in yoga’s path to enlightenment while providing readers with a wealth of meditation techniques, mantras, breathing exercises, and yoga poses. Whether a newcomer to yoga or an experienced practitioner, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga is a portal to yoga’s deeper spiritual dimension and a beautiful step to a happier, more harmonious, and more abundant life.

Discover the endless benefits of Iyengar yoga for the mind, body, and spirit with this step-by-step guide. Explore the physical, mental, and spiritual benefits of yoga from the renowned B.K.S Iyengar. This enchanting, holistic health guide will become an essential part of your everyday approach towards a happy and healthy life. Inside the pages of this illustrated guide to Iyengar yoga, you’ll discover: • The complete authoritative teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar for mind, body, and holistic health, with easy-to-follow instructions • More than 50 step-by-step yoga sequences, devised by one of the world's leading authorities on hatha yoga • Classic Iyengar poses illustrated with a 360-degree presentation to provide views from all angles Whether you are new to yoga, searching for a starting point, or looking to perfect your technique, learn Iyengar yoga with the world-renowned guru B.K.S Iyengar. This yoga book is an authoritative illustrated guide in which the guru himself guides you through over 55 yoga poses, each illustrated in full color. Iyengar even explains his philosophy throughout the book – it's like having yoga classes with him as your own instructor! This visual guide makes yoga accessible for people of all ages and abilities as part of your path to holistic health and self-care. Work through specially developed yoga sequences to alleviate over 80 ailments, ranging from asthma and arthritis to varicose veins. Whatever your goal in doing yoga, this book might just be exactly what you need to achieve it!

The Bhagavad-gita is a classic of Indian spiritual literature, and has remained an important book for thousands of years. Many western poets and philosophers have been influenced by its deep insights and its timeless wisdom. Many of the great spiritual teachers of India have also written commentaries on it. It is considered the core of some of the deepest levels of spiritual knowledge known to humanity. So, this is a very powerful book. This introduction, using numerous verses, shows many of the reasons why it has kept its popularity, and how many of its topics and the guidance that we find within it can easily be applied today, not only for our spiritual development, but for solving common everyday problems as well. Everyone can benefit from it. Some of the topics within this present volume include: The Bhagavad-gita and Principles for Good Management and Leadership; Good Work Ethics; Dealing with Stress; How to Attain Peace of Mind; Heightening Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem; Dealing with Sorrow and Death; Attaining Fearlessness; As a Psychological Guide; Meditation According to Bhagavad-gita; The Supreme Yoga; Bhagavad-gita as a Key to Spiritual Enlightenment; Bhagavad-gita and Establishing World Peace; Thirty-one Days to Liberation on the Vedic Path based on Bhagavad-gita; The Gita's Ultimate Purpose; What should be your next step; and much more. This book is a key to opening the possibilities in the ways the Bhagavad-gita can be of assistance to us and lead us to a higher understanding of who we are and the purpose of life.

We long for boundless love as we long for home. But how can we find our home our meaning and purpose if we don't know our self? Wise-Love is an exploration of the self, or consciousness, guided through the meditative eyes of saints, sages, seers, and mystics. We discover that the self's most charming characteristic -- part of its unchanging nature is that it is a lover, a lover only when ordinary love evolves into wise-love. Pranada, a devoted pilgrim and teacher, illuminates bhakti's wisdom school of heartfulness and shows why mindfulness can never satisfy the self. Joy comes from an awakened heart not a stilled mind.The first part of Wise-Love explores the nature of self/consciousness and how we interface in the world with our physical and subtle body (mind, intelligence, and ego). Understanding the distinctions between our real and false selves, we can answer the questions Who am I? What is my purpose? How can I be happy? The second half examines the nature of matter, the world of consciousness, karma, faith, mysticism, the efficacy of sacred sound, the maha-mantra, kirtan, humility, depth compassion, and how to culture wise-love. Each chapter unfolds with an understanding of matter and consciousness to present a key that unlocks our eternal nature so that we can experience the unbounded joy of the self in our daily lives.When we encounter the self, we're automatically introduced to our Divine Inner Suitor and our loving relationship. Filled with insight and fresh perspectives, Wise-Love offers a map for the journey to our home of eternal affection, where a porch light is always lovingly lit, and a warm embrace from our Divine Other awaits.Secretly nestled in the Upanishads and extolled in the Bhagavad Gita, bhakti yoga shines as the crown jewel on the head of India's timeless wisdom about consciousness and how to live one's meditation. Often over-simplified as devotion, bhakti is the method of experiencing the self and its Essence/Source. This concise, comprehensive handbook exploring the meaning of bhakti's sophisticated philosophy promises to enrich you wherever you are on the spiritual path.

A succinct, approachable guide to the origins, development, key texts, concepts, and practices of yoga. Yoga is practiced by many millions of people worldwide and is celebrated for its mental, physical, and spiritual benefits. And yet, as Daniel Simpson reveals in The Truth of Yoga, much of what is said about yoga is misleading. For example, the word “yoga” does not always mean union. In fact, in perhaps the discipline’s most famous text—the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali—its aim is described as separation: isolating consciousness from everything else. And yoga is not five thousand years old, as is commonly claimed; the earliest evidence of practice dates back about twenty-five hundred years. (Yoga may well be older, but no one can prove it.) The Truth of Yoga is a clear, concise, and accessible handbook for the lay reader that draws upon abundant recent scholarship. It outlines these new findings with practitioners in mind, highlighting ways to keep traditions alive in the twenty-first century.