The Spiritual Teachings of Yoga

by Jo Manuel, Mark Forstater

There is an ancient philosophy behind yoga practice that is rarely taught in the west. The ancient wisdom of Yoga gives us a way of life, a path, that is at least five thousand years old. The word yoga actually means union, and the ‘union’ which the word implies represents a union on all levels of the union of the soul with the Divine, the union of the mind and body, the union of the heart and spirit, the union of one soul to another, as well as the union of the self to all of nature. This book presents the key philosophical texts from the Yoga Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita, the Vedas, and the Upanishads in an accessible and poetic manner. Through these texts we explore the key recurring themes which are common to all the main schools and systems of yoga. It shows how these philosophical teachings can be incorporated into our lives and into our yoga practise in order to deepen the yoga experience.

308 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2008

Reviews

[Alison S ☯️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a useful complement to my weekly yoga class. Recommended for anyone wanting to find out more about the philosophy underpinning the physical aspects of yoga. A nice selection of passages taken from three different texts. I listened to the audio version which was greatly enhanced by the three narrators.

[MRS Y M SOMERVILLE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative

I read this book prior to starting a yoga teacher training course. For me it challenged some of my beliefs and helped me to question these. I found d I do I g this I identified with lots of aspects of the book and struggled with other aspects. I look forward to a group discussion to deepen my understanding. Sometimes I found the language in the book meant it did not flow for me and I would have to read a chapter or paragraph again to fully comprehend which is why I rated it 4

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read chapters of this book while going through my yoga teacher training. This book was clearly written and easily read and a great help to understanding the philosophy underpinning yoga

[Jane Thomsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

First part was good for me, but as the book went on, I found I was not gaining anything from it.

[Pauly Morphous · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone only one year into their yoga practice, this was the right book at the right time for me.
Mark Forstater distills a lot of the teachings in the first half into a very effective overview of the main aims and broad history of yoga, articulating in effective terms many ideas and feelings you will have likely had along the course of your own journey.
The second half of the book deals with the Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita. While the Upanishads again offer many pertinent lessons, they do tend to repeat themselves a lot as presented in this section of the book but the portion relating to the Bhagavad Gita shifts back up a gear at the end and offers some more context and insight.

In summation, a wonderful overview I would recommend for anyone but especially for yoga neophytes.