Kundalini Yoga for the West: A Foundation for Character Building Courage and Awareness

by Sivananda Radha

Yoga for the West is a practical guide for building character, increasing awareness and discovering one’s inner potential. Exploring each cakra, Swami Radha asks questions for reflection and presents clear directions for exercises and practices on such subjects as mind and consciousness; the senses; sex, birth, and death; and the emotions and finer feelings. For the thoughtful and serious student, the book provides a comprehensive, step-by-step program for understanding Kundalini yoga. As Swami Radha says in A Word from the Author, "the purpose of this book is to give the tools by which those who wish to cooperate with the process of evolution can do so. There is no mystification about the awakening of Kundalini, yet this process leads to the mystical experience." The book is richly illustrated. The hardcover edition of the book includes glossy color prints of the cakras, while the paperback edition includes black and white line drawings.

Genres: Philosophy, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Religion, Hinduism, Personal Development, Meditation

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Swami Sivananda Radha, born Sylvia Hellman was a German yogini who emigrated to Canada and founded Yasodhara Ashram in British Columbia. She established a Western-based lineage in the Sivananda tradition and published books on several branches of Yoga.

Reviews

[Vittoria]

Gonna start reading because I will be starting a 6 week Kundalini course. My favorite kind of Yoga...beautiful blend of the spiritual, meditative and physical. Other yoga practices feel like they emphasize the physical first, and then comes the spiritual. But whatever path fits, they all produce results. Just have to find the one that fits your personality.

[Joseph]

a fairly interesting book on kundalini its history and made to approach the western mind .

[Melanie]

Beautiful interactive exploration of the spiritual aspect of Kundalini Yoga. If acted upon, can take the practitioner to the point of being ready for more advanced exploration with a guru.

[Cherie]

A very thorough (if not, a bit, as my friend Ally would say "woo woo") look at kundalini yoga, the chakra system, and a deeper way of living. Neat meditation activities

[Joel]

A very good explication of kundalini and its action in the chakras and, as a result, in a person’s life. Swami Radha explains the chakra system as it's traditionally understood in the Far East and South Asia. (Here and there, this somewhat—or even markedly—contrasts with popular “new-age” versions.) She assimilated this while a personal disciple of Sivananda Saraswati of Rishikesh. Swami Radha conceived and wrote the book for serious students willing and capable of firmly committing to a strict discipline. In any case, the book may at very least be a valuable read or useful reference for anyone on an inward path.

[david]

this book was great and came to me at a perfect time.

[Satendra Deo]

Not an easy read.

[david]

Worth a quick read

Not a lot of clear instructions there is some methods but a lot of fluff would love some thing clearer

[Carly Colon]

Great book easy to understand while reading but so much information that I’ll have to look back at it multiple times to really digest it. It’s always like that for books like this though!