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Into the Heart of Truth: The Spirit of Relational Yoga
A description of Relational Yoga. The book outlines the history of Yoga and provides practices to help the reader develop in-depth self-awareness. It explains the relationship of Yoga to all of life.
208 pages, Paperback
First published July 27, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 29, 2020
By John McAfee (JM)
This little book is equal parts metaphysical and practical - JM starts in the metaphysical questions of What is Truth? What is reality? and Who am I?, then he proceeds into the practical application of using Ujjayi Meditation to improve our relationships.
I love reading books about yoga and “Truth” books also compel me, so this was both informative about some yogic thought and practice AND it scratched my itch to know more about what is true and what is not.
In the “About Truth” section, JM gives us an introduction to his writing style and overall mission - first to unpack our relationship to the world; next, to understand who is doing the relating (“who am I?”); and finally, to explain how yoga can help improve our relationships - to ourselves, to others, and to our world.
JM is quick to admit the subjectivity of truth and how we are often delusional in our ability to grasp it. On page 57 he makes one of his primary claims - that we are the world - we are one with the totality of all things. He says that “no entity exists to observe the ‘not-me’ from a position of separateness.” This implies that we may think we are objective observers of the world apart us, but we cannot be objective because we too are the world, and our opinions and observations can at best be subjective. Our observations become distorted by the ego as it has “divided the world and placed disproportionate importance on that tiny piece it has carved out for the “I”.” (39)
He goes on to say that our ability to see the world clearly is more or less contingent and correlational to our ability to see ourselves clearly. On page 117, JM defines yoga as a “set of tools for constructing a mirror in which we can see ourselves clearly.” He then uses the remainder of the book to show how the particular technique of Ujjayi meditation - routinely & ritualistically applied - can help us to see ourselves and our world more clearly.
I really enjoyed the pictures throughout. I don’t have a tattoo yet, but there are some interesting illustrations throughout that might look good as a tattoo. JM does a great job of keeping the information bite-sized with manageable chapter lengths to make his work digestible. This book is linear - as its arguments build upon each other as the book unfolds.
For me it has reaffirmed the practicality of the belief that we are in unity with all things. This belief - even if false - is one that can literally get me out of my head and expand my sphere of care and compassion to all things - not just to myself and my own interests. True or not, it is an idea that helps me be a better person and in some small way, that makes the world a better place. This book has also encouraged me to practice more ujjayi breathing throughout my day and practice. I’ve also been using it recently while meditating and it has been soothing and empowering. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars because JM is careful and respectful as he imparts what he has learned, but he also gives us a powerful tool to use and enjoy.
This little book is equal parts metaphysical and practical - JM starts in the metaphysical questions of What is Truth? What is reality? and Who am I?, then he proceeds into the practical application of using Ujjayi Meditation to improve our relationships.
I love reading books about yoga and “Truth” books also compel me, so this was both informative about some yogic thought and practice AND it scratched my itch to know more about what is true and what is not.
In the “About Truth” section, JM gives us an introduction to his writing style and overall mission - first to unpack our relationship to the world; next, to understand who is doing the relating (“who am I?”); and finally, to explain how yoga can help improve our relationships - to ourselves, to others, and to our world.
JM is quick to admit the subjectivity of truth and how we are often delusional in our ability to grasp it. On page 57 he makes one of his primary claims - that we are the world - we are one with the totality of all things. He says that “no entity exists to observe the ‘not-me’ from a position of separateness.” This implies that we may think we are objective observers of the world apart us, but we cannot be objective because we too are the world, and our opinions and observations can at best be subjective. Our observations become distorted by the ego as it has “divided the world and placed disproportionate importance on that tiny piece it has carved out for the “I”.” (39)
He goes on to say that our ability to see the world clearly is more or less contingent and correlational to our ability to see ourselves clearly. On page 117, JM defines yoga as a “set of tools for constructing a mirror in which we can see ourselves clearly.” He then uses the remainder of the book to show how the particular technique of Ujjayi meditation - routinely & ritualistically applied - can help us to see ourselves and our world more clearly.
I really enjoyed the pictures throughout. I don’t have a tattoo yet, but there are some interesting illustrations throughout that might look good as a tattoo. JM does a great job of keeping the information bite-sized with manageable chapter lengths to make his work digestible. This book is linear - as its arguments build upon each other as the book unfolds.
For me it has reaffirmed the practicality of the belief that we are in unity with all things. This belief - even if false - is one that can literally get me out of my head and expand my sphere of care and compassion to all things - not just to myself and my own interests. True or not, it is an idea that helps me be a better person and in some small way, that makes the world a better place. This book has also encouraged me to practice more ujjayi breathing throughout my day and practice. I’ve also been using it recently while meditating and it has been soothing and empowering. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars because JM is careful and respectful as he imparts what he has learned, but he also gives us a powerful tool to use and enjoy.
December 20, 2017
An in-depth look at the creation of self-image and the use of "relational" yogic techniques to free oneself from the illusion that the ego is real. Discusses the illusion of our self-image and the role its development has in our lives. Also discusses the breath and how it offers us an escape route to the machinations of thought. I've read this book 3-4 times in the past 15 years. Each time I get something insightful from it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews