Yoga for the Three Stages of Life: Developing Your Practice As an Art Form, a Physical Therapy, and a Guiding PhilosophyEssential reading for those looking to customize their practice to life's changing needs. • Includes sections on vedic chanting, throat breathing, and exercises for women. • Presents a unique portrait of T. Krishnamacharya and his teachings. For 33 years Ramaswami studied with the legendary T. Krishnamacharya, teacher of B.K.S. Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, and T.K.V. Desikachar and perhaps the most influential figure in the field of yoga in the last 100 years. Since that time he has developed Krishnamacharya's teaching into what may be the most highly evolved program available for making yoga a way of life, rather than simply a routine. In seventeen chapters Ramaswami lays out the whole philosophy of yoga, including principles for right living, postures, breathing practices, meditation practices, and mental disciplines. Key to Ramaswami's teaching is the focus on adapting yoga to individual needs and to different stages of life. During the early part of life, learning yoga as a physical art form is most beneficial for the self-confidence and discipline it instills. In middle age, yoga should focus on physical therapy and maintaining optimum health as far into life as possible. In the last stages of life, the practitioner will be ready to focus on the ultimate goal of yoga--true understanding of the philosophy behind it and the realization of truth. |
Contents
My Studies with Śrī T Kriṣṇamācārya and Others 2 The Story of Patañjali | |
What Is Yoga? | |
Advanced Yoga | |
Mantrayoga | |
The EightPart Yoga and Its Ten Commandments | |
Standing Postures | |
Sarvāṅgāsana and Śīrṣāsana | |
Prone Postures and the Spine | |
Paścimatānam | |
Padmāsana and Other Postures for Yoga Sādhana | |
Yogic Breathing Exercises and Their Health Benefits | |
Yoga for Women | |
Yoga Texts | |
Antaraṅga Sādhana | |
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Common terms and phrases
abdominal ācārya achieve ankles apāna arms overhead āsanas aśvamedha avidyā balance bandha bend benefits Bhagavad Gītā bhūtas body Brahman called chanting chapter chest citta darśana devas devotee dhyāna exhalation feet fingers floor guṇas haṭhayoga Haṭhayogapradīpikā heels helps hips Īśvara jālandhara bandha japa kaivalya kapālabhāti karma keep your palms kleśas knees kriyā kriyāyoga kumbhaka Lord Śiva lower Mahābhāṣya mantras meditation mental mind movement mudrās muscles nāḍīs neck nirodha one’s padmāsana Patañjali pelvic position posture prakṛti prāṇa praṇava prāṇāyāma press your palms pūjā puruṣa raise your arms recitation right leg sādhana Śakti samādhi samasthiti Saṃhitā Sāṃkhya saṃskāras saṃyama Śaṅkara sarvāṅgāsana śāstras sattvic shoulders siddhis side śīrṣāsana sitting Śiva slowly Smṛti spine Stay sthiti stretch sūryanamaskāra sūtra svādhyāya tāḍāsana Taittirīya tapas teacher texts thigh trikoṇāsana uddīyāna bandha ujjāyī Upaniṣad utkaṭāsana vairāgya vajrāsana variations vāyu Vedānta Vedas Vedic vinyāsas Viṣṇu vṛtti Yajur Veda yoga yoga practice yogābhyāsī Yogasūtras yogi yogic