Philosophy of Hatha Yoga

This extraordinary introduction to the philosophy of hatha yoga is indispensable. Clear and easy to follow, Philosophy of Hatha Yoga views hatha within the framework of raja yoga, as promulgated by Patanjali, in the Yoga Sutra, the most authoritative text on the science of yoga.

Because hatha is not merely a system of physical experience, this book emphasizes the paramount role that the mind plays in the posture; it demonstrates how to elevate the practices of hatha to an inner spiritual experience and explain how the practice of hatha yoga can serve as a means to prepare for meditation and the awakening of the kundalini force.

Pandit Usharbudh Arya, D. Litt., is the director of the Meditation Center in Minneapolis, and President of the sadhana Mandir trust ashram in Rishikesh, India, where he makes his home. A prolific writer and speaker, he is the author of numerous books, including Super conscious Meditation, Mantra and Meditation, Meditation and the Art of Dying, and Yoga-Sutras of Patanjali, Volume I, as well as two thousand hours of recorded cassette courses on all aspects of the practice and philosophy of meditation. Ordained as a swami in the early 1990s, he is now known as Swami Veda Bharati.

Contents:

    Preface

1.  Watching the Mind Watching the Body

2.  Worship

3.  Karma Purification

4.  The Whole Body Language

5.  Kundalini - The Coiled-Up Energy

6.  Hatha Yoga: Gateway to the Subtle Body