Original Yoga : Rediscovering Traditional Practices of Hatha Yoga

Widely respected yoga teacher and author Richard Rosen draws on ancient yoga encyclopedias to explain how yoga was practiced before it became popular in the West. He compares the three main existing sources known to yoga scholars to describe how complex and rich the practice of yoga once was. It included systematic teachings on personal hygiene, good health, and good relationships, and other practices of yoga that went far beyond just the physical postures. Each section of the book offers a guided practice session of ancient poses and breathing techniques to enable readers to connect to the roots of their yoga and to offer a framework from which to understand the sequences they use in their regular sessions.

Part history, part philosophy, part yoga instruction manual, this book clears up some of the confusion and misconceptions about the development of yoga, both traditional and modern. Richard Rosen draws from ancient yoga manuals, which combine philosophy with postures and meditations, to show how traditional practice compares with what we do today. He is an engaging, experienced guide who reveals the development of modern yoga through the centuries and shows how the ancient yogis did it.

Each section offers a guided practice session of ancient poses and breathing techniques to enable readers to connect to the roots of their yoga and to provide a framework for understanding the sequences they use in their regular sessions.

Introduction : the time has come to talk of many things Traditional Hatha yoga Channels and circuits: modern nadis The six acts (shat karma) Asana through the ages The 32 poses Seals (mudra) and bonds (bandha) Pranayama Meditation Appendix 1 : practice guidelines Appendix 2 : the literature of Hatha yoga. Compares traditional and contemporary yoga practices and dispels myths about true yoga, in a book that also teaches poses and practices from yoga's ancient history in India. Original