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Ananda Yoga has been taught to many thousands of students and yoga teachers over the last thirty years. Designed to give valuable benefits on many levels—physical, mental, emotional—its highest purpose is to tune practitioners into the body’s subtle energy flows, allowing them to experience the full spiritual dimensions of each posture. Most Ananda Yoga postures are done with affirmations to help the practitioner expand the benefits of yoga beyond the body, into the mind and soul.

This unique book teaches hatha yoga as it was originally intended: as a way to uplift your consciousness and aid your spiritual development. Kriyananda’s inspiring affirmations and clearly written instructions show you how to attune yourself to the consciousness of each pose, so that each yoga posture becomes a doorway to life-affirming attitudes, clarity of understanding, and an increasingly centered and uplifted awareness.

Covers the basic principles of hatha yoga including standing poses, relaxation poses, spinal stretches, sitting poses, and inverted poses—all with photographs. Also includes suggestions for routines of varying lengths for both beginning and advanced students.

Book: Ananda Yoga by Swami Kriyananda
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This unique guide shows both the yoga enthusiast and the yoga novice how to use hatha yoga postures and techniques to physically connect with Jewish spirituality.

“If you are curious about hatha yoga, Aleph-Bet Yoga provides a safe introduction to the basic yoga postures and techniques. If you are one of the tens of thousands of Jews who already practice hatha yoga, Aleph-Bet Yoga will connect your yoga to something explicitly Jewish. With its Jewish content and intent, Aleph-Bet Yoga will enhance rather than interfere with your religious identity.”
—from the Introduction

As we move our bodies through the Hebrew aleph-bet, turning toward the inner meaning of the letters, we can tap into the deep connections between our body, mind and spirit.
Drawing on the sacred texts and mystical writings of Judaism, combined with the insights of yoga teacher Steven Rapp, Aleph-Bet Yoga is an East-meets-West experience for our whole selves.
Aleph-Bet Yoga makes it easy for anyone to incorporate yoga into their life, and combines the physical and spiritual aspects of Judaism. It features step-by-step instructions, photographs clearly demonstrating each yoga pose, and insightful words to inspire and guide us in connecting the spiritual meaning of the Hebrew letters to our yoga practice.

Book: Aleph-Bet Yoga by Steven A. Rapp
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Insomnia is the most common disorder of sleep. It’s also one of the most frequent reasons a person visits a doctor. About 10% of people have some ongoing insomnia nightly, and roughly half the adults in our culture have some trouble with insomnia–a huge number considering how debilitating insomnia can be!

Yoga Therapy is a revolutionary new approach to working with common physical and mental ailments. Combining yoga postures with the latest in conventional and alternative medical treatments, each book in the Yoga Therapy series presents a fresh, effective approach to healing.

In Yoga Therapy for Overcoming Insomnia, an experienced medical doctor and an acclaimed professional yoga teacher share the ingredients that support a good night’s sleep. You’ll discover simple and important steps to help prepare you for sleep. And, you’ll learn how to use Ananda Yoga, a relaxing series of gentle stretches, breathing exercises, and positive thoughts—all of which have been proved to be helpful in insomnia.

You’ll discover:

Everything you ever wanted to know about sleep.
Types, causes, and treatments of insomnia.
How to create good “sleep habits.”
Instructions for simple yoga postures and breathing exercises to lead you into sleep.
How to use “self-talk” affirmations to relax your mind and body.
Yoga Therapy is clear and comprehensive. Most people can easily practice and enjoy these exercises and suggestions immediately. Get ready for a good night’s sleep!

Book: Yoga Therapy for Overcoming Insomnia by Peter Van Houten
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One of the greatest ancient texts of yoga is the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Here in this book the focus is on the centrepiece of Patanjali’s work known as Ashtanga, the Eight Limbs of Yoga. The Ashtanga system is articulated in the Sadhana Pada.

It provides a blue-print for living a conscious life, engendering personal transformation and ultimately experiencing self-realization. It is not the only system in Yoga. There are many different pathways and techniques in this sacred science.

The limbs do, however, give us great guidance and insight into the heart of Yogic practice and philosophy, while offering us the opportunity to grow, heal and thrive. They are synergistic and as we weave them into our lives there arises a tapestry of spiritual awakening.

Patanjali’s Ashtanga provides a proven and time-tested pathway for this self-extraction, like a prescription from the Divine for what ails us in body, mind and soul.

In exploring the Eight Limbs of Yoga, the author delves into how relevant this ancient system is for our modern times, and provides observations and, most importantly, practices to help you embody, live and benefit from this wisdom.

The author provides both a modern perspective on the Sutras and a series of practices to bring them into your everyday life.

Book: The 8 Limbs of Yoga by Bhava Ram
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Swami Rama’s The Royal Path: Practical Lessons on Yoga introduces Raja Yoga as a discipline that extends far beyond physical exercises. Its subject is the relationship between daily conduct, attention, meditation and self-development. Readers who are interested in why traditional yoga pays so much attention to the mind may find this book particularly rewarding.

What is Raja Yoga?

Raja Yoga is often described as the “royal path.” In the book’s traditional presentation, physical practice is only one part of a broader program involving mental discipline and ethical commitment. Swami Rama approaches it as a step-by-step path, rather than simply as a set of postures to improve flexibility.

What does the book teach?

The publisher, the Himalayan Institute, describes an introduction to Raja Yoga’s exercises, mental disciplines and ethical commitments. It emphasizes the practical side of traditional yoga: beginning with conduct and attention in ordinary life and exploring how these can support deeper meditation. The book’s original short description highlights physical practice, mental training and moral reflection as its foundations.

Who might find it useful?

The strongest audience is readers interested in yoga philosophy and meditation, whether they are starting to explore these subjects or returning to them after years of physical practice. A person looking for hundreds of pose photographs or a modern workout calendar may find it less relevant. In this book, the “practice” is as much about patterns of thought and behaviour as movement.

Can you use the principles without becoming a yoga expert?

You can begin with the accessible ideas: noticing distractions, setting aside a quiet period and reflecting on how you respond to daily situations. More intensive meditation or breath-control techniques should be approached gradually and, where appropriate, with experienced guidance. The NCCIH meditation overview describes both potential benefits and limitations of the research. Spiritual claims about enlightenment are matters of tradition and personal belief, not clinical outcomes.

Is the book still available?

Yes. Himalayan Institute’s shop lists The Royal Path: Practical Lessons on Yoga as a paperback with an add-to-cart option. This is a direct, current route to the original work, not a replacement title.

Related reading on Veggie-Blog: Practice and Doctrine of Yoga and The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga.

Book: The Royal Path: Practical Lessons on Yoga by Swami Rama
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