Author Archive

The Yoga Teacher by Alexandra Gray

by on Thursday, January 19th, 2012

Grace is tired of her life. Her boyfriend, Harry, hasn’t had a job in years, and she’s sick of supporting him when he refuses to help himself. Her job as a pharmaceutical sales rep is unrewarding and does not provide her any inspiration. The only thing in her life she enjoys is yoga: Swami D’s yoga center provides Grace the chance to unwind and reflect on her miserable life.

Alexandra Gray’s The Yoga Teacher is about leaving your comfort zone – leaving everything comfortable and warm and forging forward into the unknown. Grace finds many rewards but also many hardships along the way. In the end, it is about pursuing those things in life that keep you fulfilled and ending those that disappoint you.

The one thing about The Yoga Teacher that may give readers some pause is its pace. Though the book is short, the first quarter of the book moves very slowly. It makes sense because it parallels the movement in Grace’s life: at the beginning, Grace’s life is slow and boring – there is nothing in it to excite her. Then, as she begins to make decisions to change her life, the pace of the narrative picks up, as does her story. Though it is an effective method (the reader really feels the despondency in Grace’s life), it may turn some readers off.

The novel also provides some interesting information about yoga, which readers unfamiliar with the practice may find valuable. It will undoubtedly inspire some to think about joining local yoga classes.

While The Yoga Teacher could be read as a mid-life crisis book due to Grace’s age (she is 40), it is more broadly book about an unhappy woman who decides that, against all odds, she will somehow find a way to be happy. It is thoroughly enjoyable, with a quirky cast of characters that any reader will love. I recommend it to any women who find the premise interesting, as well as anyone who wants to learn more about yoga.

The Practice of the Six Yogas of Naropa by Glenn H. Mullin

by on Friday, January 13th, 2012

The Tibetan tradition known as the Six Yogas of Naropa is one of the most popular tantric systems with all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Structured and arranged by the eleventh-century Indian masters Tilopa and Naropa from various Buddhist tantric legacies, this system of yogic practice was carried to Tibet by Marpa the Translator a generation later. These six yogas–inner heat, illusory body, clear light, consciousness transference, forceful projection, and bardo yoga–continue to be one of the most important living meditation traditions in the Land of the Snows.

This book on the Six Yogas contains important texts on this esoteric doctrine, including original Indian works by Tilopa and Naropa, and writings by great Tibetan lamas. It contains an important practice manual on the Six Yogas as well as other works that discuss the practices, their context, and the historical continuity of this most important tradition.

Iron Yoga by Anthony Carillo

by on Tuesday, January 10th, 2012

Bodysculpting meets yoga in this revolutionary workout from Ironman triathlete Anthony Carillo. Learn to combine yoga poses with upper-body work for super-fast results. Add more power to your yoga routine! Developed by Anthony Carillo when he was training for the ‘super bowl’ of triathlons, the Ironman World Championship, the Iron Yoga method has quickly become one of the hottest fitness routines on the East Coast, and Carillo’s innovative approach has already been featured in Men’s Journal, Yoga, Fitness, Men’s Fitness, Elle, and on CNN.

Synthesis of Yoga by Sri Aurobindo

by on Thursday, January 5th, 2012

The Synthesis of Yoga is Sri Aurobindo’s principle work on yoga, comparing the methods of the various schools of traditional yoga, and providing the comprehensive way for following the true path to Divine consciousness. It is the primary work on Integral Yoga, the system of yoga that Sri Aurobindo developed.

The book originally appeared in serial form in Arya, published between 1914 and 1921.

Synthesis on Yoga is divided into four parts: the Yoga of Divine Works, of Integral Knowledge, of Divine Love, and of Self Perfection. The first three correspond to the three-fold yoga of the Bhagavad Gita (i.e. karma-, jnana-, and bhakti-yoga), while the last (incomplete) section gives Sri Aurobindo’s own development and synthesis of these three paths.

Sri Aurobindo revised the text of the book during three distinct periods. These are: In the 1920s, mostly minor corrections to certain chapters; a full-scale revision during or around 1932, with a view to publishing The Synthesis as a book; and during the early 1940s, further work on the later chapters of Part I, as well as beginning two new chapters, which he apparently intended to add to this part, but which he abandoned before completion. During the later part of the 1940s, Sri Aurobindo lightly revised the entire first part of the Synthesis while preparing it for publication.

Better Sex Through Yoga

by on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

Bring the ancient practice of yoga from the mat into the bedroom—with electrifying results!

There’s no doubt about it: Yoga is sexy. With skimpy yoga outfits, graceful moves, deep breathing, and poses like Downward Dog, it’s no wonder yoga can leave you feeling a little turned on. Now the Better Sex Through Yoga program allows you to bring that yoga-sexiness right into the bedroom—and take your sex drive to unimaginable new heights.

A combination of traditional yoga poses, Pilates, and dance, along with twenty mind-blowing sex positions, Better Sex Through Yoga is guaranteed to tone up your body and turn up the heat on your lovemaking. Targeting the muscles of your sexual core to strengthen your pelvis, hips, and abdomen, the program also works the PC muscles, a little-known muscle group that prolongs and intensifies sexual pleasure. Each of the routines will increase your stamina, enhance your flexibility, and jumpstart your libido for deeper, longer, more frequent orgasms. You can try:

The Honeymoon… ignites the spark and gets you in the best sexual shape of your life
Hot Date Prep… leaves you feeling frisky, relaxed, and glowing as you head out the door
Bedtime Bootie… fast, loose, and hot, this quickie routine revs you up before hitting the sheets
Flexy Makes Sexy… opens the door for incredible new positions and heightened sexual pleasure
And seven more steamy yoga sequences

Soon your sex life will be sizzling and you’ll be feeling more confident in the bedroom and beyond. Working out has never been this good—or satisfying!