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The Deeper Dimension of Yoga: Theory and Practice
An in-depth primer on the history, philosophy, spirituality, and current practices of yoga, from a respected scholar and longtime yoga practitioner
Here is a comprehensive survey of the full breadth and depth of the 5,000-year-old Yoga tradition, emphasizing its potent philosophy and spiritual vision. Georg Feuerstein demonstrates that Yoga is much more than a system of physical exercises—it is a profound path of self-transformation that encompasses a range of teachings, practices, and sacred texts that can help us cultivate wisdom, balance, and inner freedom, as well as physical health.
Feuerstein is one of the few Western scholar-teachers of Yoga whose writing and teaching penetrate the full richness and depth of this ancient tradition. Here he offers a collection of essays touching on all facets of the discipline.
Topics
• The different branches and styles of Yoga
• The ethical teachings of Yoga
• Yoga and vegetarianism
• Meditation and mantras
• Choosing a teacher
• Tantric Yoga
• The experience of ecstasy
Here is a comprehensive survey of the full breadth and depth of the 5,000-year-old Yoga tradition, emphasizing its potent philosophy and spiritual vision. Georg Feuerstein demonstrates that Yoga is much more than a system of physical exercises—it is a profound path of self-transformation that encompasses a range of teachings, practices, and sacred texts that can help us cultivate wisdom, balance, and inner freedom, as well as physical health.
Feuerstein is one of the few Western scholar-teachers of Yoga whose writing and teaching penetrate the full richness and depth of this ancient tradition. Here he offers a collection of essays touching on all facets of the discipline.
Topics
• The different branches and styles of Yoga
• The ethical teachings of Yoga
• Yoga and vegetarianism
• Meditation and mantras
• Choosing a teacher
• Tantric Yoga
• The experience of ecstasy
432 pages, Paperback
First published July 8, 2003
89 people are currently reading
548 people want to read
About the author
Georg Feuerstein
127 books101 followersGeorg A. Feuerstein was an Indologist and, according to his associate Ken Wilber, among the foremost Westerns scholar-practitioners of yoga. After doing his postgraduate research at Durham University in England, he moved to the United States, eventually settling in Canada with his wife and sometime co-author Brenda.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 28, 2012
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a veritable treasure chest of information, insight, ideas and inspiration for practice, contemplation and just about everything having to do with yoga.
Unlike the previous Feuerstein book I reviewed (The Path of Yoga), this is not an integrated text but rather a collection of essays and musings by the author. Even if you didn't know this, you would quickly suspect it since, while the sections of the book are arranged thematically (general orientation, ethics, practices, etc.), the "chapters" all have a self-contained feel to them. There is also the sense that many were originally part of some larger unit and so when they end they sometimes do so rather abruptly. You're ploughing into the meat of some topic, turn the page, and-wham!-you're on to the next "chapter." This can be a bit jolting, but not all the essays are like this-most have a fully rounded, finished feel to them-but it's often enough that you start expecting/bracing for it. Because the book consists of essays you will also get a fair bit of repetition which, for some people, may be annoying, but for others, who want to drum certain points/facts into their heads, may well be ideal. As for a more in-depth review of the book's contents, with a collection of essays, touching on highlights is the usual approach, and that's what I'll do here.
Clearly Feuerstein has thought a lot about Yoga. As noted, there is something of a"treasure chest" feel to the book; you never know what's up next until you turn the page. And while the vast majority of pieces aim at being informative, many are reflective as well, though only one can be truly called self-revealing. That would be "Crossing the Boundary between Hinduism and Buddhism via Tantra-Yoga," which describes Feuerstein's "conversion" (if that's the right word-probably not) from Hindu yoga to Buddhist yoga (ala Vajrayana). Easily the best of the reflective pieces is #62, "Faith and Surrender: A New Look at the Eightfold Path," a brilliant essay I would heartily recommend for multiple rereadings.
As a scholar though Feuerstein excels at dispensing information. He does this in breadth by touching on just about every conceivable application and type of yoga (I never even knew there was such a thing as buddhi-yoga!), and depth: for example, an eleven page essay on OM reveals this all-important seed mantra's rich textual and cultural legacy. A couple dozen regular volumes might be necessary to cover this much ground and there's no way every topic can be considered in depth; for that you'll have to seek other books. But wait! Dr. Feuerstein has most graciously already considered your predicament and provided an illuminating overview entitled "Introducing the Great Literary Heritage of Hindu Yoga"! An excellent little piece unto itself, an annotated bibliography of books is appended to it, citing quality tomes on general yoga, the Vedas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads, Patanjali, the Epics, Gita, Tantrism and more. All you incurable bibliophiles out there should do three prostrations in Georg's direction. (BTW, he lives in Canada.)
There's very little one can complain about regarding this book. Feuerstein is a writer of clarity and concision, thoughtfulness, depth and sensitivity, not to mention vast knowledge--the man may have read just about everything on the subject. The only, ONLY gripe I might have is a slight tendency-which, frankly, coming from the pen of a scholar is rather ironic-toward a sort of textual fundamentalism. For example, writing on the Mahabharata he repeatedly refers to the war the poem describes as the greatest ever fought on Indian soil and even speaks of "the godman" Krishna as a historical person. This kind of thing comes up more than once-and invariably caused my face to screw up in an incredulous squint-so I have to assume Feuerstein actually believes these things. Suffice to say, I would grant Krishna less historicity than Moses or Lao-tzu, and as for the battle, while I suspect the story has its roots in some historical event(s), I doubt its fidelity to facts in any way exceeds that of the Iliad or the romances of King Arthur.
That being said, buy the book! You won't regret it; Feuerstein's writings will lead you on to richer yogic horizons!
Unlike the previous Feuerstein book I reviewed (The Path of Yoga), this is not an integrated text but rather a collection of essays and musings by the author. Even if you didn't know this, you would quickly suspect it since, while the sections of the book are arranged thematically (general orientation, ethics, practices, etc.), the "chapters" all have a self-contained feel to them. There is also the sense that many were originally part of some larger unit and so when they end they sometimes do so rather abruptly. You're ploughing into the meat of some topic, turn the page, and-wham!-you're on to the next "chapter." This can be a bit jolting, but not all the essays are like this-most have a fully rounded, finished feel to them-but it's often enough that you start expecting/bracing for it. Because the book consists of essays you will also get a fair bit of repetition which, for some people, may be annoying, but for others, who want to drum certain points/facts into their heads, may well be ideal. As for a more in-depth review of the book's contents, with a collection of essays, touching on highlights is the usual approach, and that's what I'll do here.
Clearly Feuerstein has thought a lot about Yoga. As noted, there is something of a"treasure chest" feel to the book; you never know what's up next until you turn the page. And while the vast majority of pieces aim at being informative, many are reflective as well, though only one can be truly called self-revealing. That would be "Crossing the Boundary between Hinduism and Buddhism via Tantra-Yoga," which describes Feuerstein's "conversion" (if that's the right word-probably not) from Hindu yoga to Buddhist yoga (ala Vajrayana). Easily the best of the reflective pieces is #62, "Faith and Surrender: A New Look at the Eightfold Path," a brilliant essay I would heartily recommend for multiple rereadings.
As a scholar though Feuerstein excels at dispensing information. He does this in breadth by touching on just about every conceivable application and type of yoga (I never even knew there was such a thing as buddhi-yoga!), and depth: for example, an eleven page essay on OM reveals this all-important seed mantra's rich textual and cultural legacy. A couple dozen regular volumes might be necessary to cover this much ground and there's no way every topic can be considered in depth; for that you'll have to seek other books. But wait! Dr. Feuerstein has most graciously already considered your predicament and provided an illuminating overview entitled "Introducing the Great Literary Heritage of Hindu Yoga"! An excellent little piece unto itself, an annotated bibliography of books is appended to it, citing quality tomes on general yoga, the Vedas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads, Patanjali, the Epics, Gita, Tantrism and more. All you incurable bibliophiles out there should do three prostrations in Georg's direction. (BTW, he lives in Canada.)
There's very little one can complain about regarding this book. Feuerstein is a writer of clarity and concision, thoughtfulness, depth and sensitivity, not to mention vast knowledge--the man may have read just about everything on the subject. The only, ONLY gripe I might have is a slight tendency-which, frankly, coming from the pen of a scholar is rather ironic-toward a sort of textual fundamentalism. For example, writing on the Mahabharata he repeatedly refers to the war the poem describes as the greatest ever fought on Indian soil and even speaks of "the godman" Krishna as a historical person. This kind of thing comes up more than once-and invariably caused my face to screw up in an incredulous squint-so I have to assume Feuerstein actually believes these things. Suffice to say, I would grant Krishna less historicity than Moses or Lao-tzu, and as for the battle, while I suspect the story has its roots in some historical event(s), I doubt its fidelity to facts in any way exceeds that of the Iliad or the romances of King Arthur.
That being said, buy the book! You won't regret it; Feuerstein's writings will lead you on to richer yogic horizons!
September 21, 2020
Not a decolonized look at yoga. Detailed review to come.
***Full Review***
Georg Feuerstein is definitely a scholar and he know a lot more about the academic study of yoga than me. Now that I got that out of the way, I found Deeper Dimension of Yoga an uneven collection of essays that feels dated due in part to the internet and the author's colonial and patriarchal perspective of yoga.
Some essays devoted to answering questions like what yoga publications to read (Yoga Journal lol) and how to find a yoga teacher seemed like random blog articles while others were very long rambles that made vague and generic points about terrorism and environmentalism. I much preferred the essays where Feuerstein is educational but even these are somewhat tedious, encompassing lists of translated words, which I guess are handy as a quick reference.
I took a lot of issue with the guru chapter that was a shrug roll that stacks a teacher's abuse against a teacher's skill. No no no. Gurus who abuse their students are not gurus and leaders absolutely need to be held accountable to their actions. Ahimsa, non-harming, is the first yama, ethical code to observe with other life forms.
I'm just disappointed because despite Feurestein's wealth of learning and knowledge, it is simply an adequate look at the theory and practice of yoga. It is nothing essential or immediate to read. Some essays are powerful such as his discussions on the yamas and niyamas, but overall I was happy to finish the book and move on.
***Full Review***
Georg Feuerstein is definitely a scholar and he know a lot more about the academic study of yoga than me. Now that I got that out of the way, I found Deeper Dimension of Yoga an uneven collection of essays that feels dated due in part to the internet and the author's colonial and patriarchal perspective of yoga.
Some essays devoted to answering questions like what yoga publications to read (Yoga Journal lol) and how to find a yoga teacher seemed like random blog articles while others were very long rambles that made vague and generic points about terrorism and environmentalism. I much preferred the essays where Feuerstein is educational but even these are somewhat tedious, encompassing lists of translated words, which I guess are handy as a quick reference.
I took a lot of issue with the guru chapter that was a shrug roll that stacks a teacher's abuse against a teacher's skill. No no no. Gurus who abuse their students are not gurus and leaders absolutely need to be held accountable to their actions. Ahimsa, non-harming, is the first yama, ethical code to observe with other life forms.
I'm just disappointed because despite Feurestein's wealth of learning and knowledge, it is simply an adequate look at the theory and practice of yoga. It is nothing essential or immediate to read. Some essays are powerful such as his discussions on the yamas and niyamas, but overall I was happy to finish the book and move on.
November 4, 2012
the first book i ever really read on yoga. it's like diving into the deep deep end.
April 24, 2019
The best book to read on Yoga to gain insight to the philisophical dimensions, written by a an amazing scholar and yogi.
September 5, 2024
“Spiritual practitioners learn to be humorous about everything, including themselves. Life is seen from a new perspective: as a strange play in which we are all willy-nilly involved and which we can either misunderstand and suffer or understand and transcend even while still being fully engaged in its drama.”
November 23, 2009
I am re-reading this book as part of an online course given by the author. This book is unlike many of Feuerstein's other Yoga texts--it covers territory similar to his The Yoga Tradition but the chapters are short and relate to a very specific Yoga topic. It is also highly readable. It would serve as a wonderful learning text for beginner or experienced yogi.
11/2009--just completed the reading for the course. This book is a must-accompaniment to anyone who wants to understand all of Yoga.
11/2009--just completed the reading for the course. This book is a must-accompaniment to anyone who wants to understand all of Yoga.
November 5, 2019
This collection of essays provides many-sided information about the topic of Yoga: Its origin, history, its transformation through the ages, philosophy and practice and much more. Rereading with different questions in mind provides a different perspective.
March 10, 2022
Too repetitive. Collage of previous articles published here and there. Commercial book. I would expect much better both from the author and the publisher. Few gems like extensive bibliography on Indian classics or few concepts well explained doesn’t justify such a huge repetitive work.
August 22, 2019
A few chapters spoke more to me than others. Lots of terminology, making it difficult to read smoothly at times. A very interesting read nonetheless.
June 26, 2021
- didn’t finish
November 7, 2013
This book answers each and every why I have ever asked myself about my yoga practice. There is a complete history from ancient to modern times. There are clear reasons for each of the practices and what I can expect to accomplish. There is a wonderful section on shavasana with deep information I have not seen anywhere. This is the book holds the answer to why yoga is important for anyone who truly wants to experience the personal and its connection to the universe.
A Must read for an practitioner.
A Must read for an practitioner.
October 13, 2012
This is somberly and thoughtfully written, with a style midway between scholar and a practitioner. It covers many topics in Yoga, all in short essay form (a few pages per topic). No graphs; text only. Which may be limiting in its descriptive power. This book decidedly covers nearly all things outside of a typical asana-oriented yoga book: no picture, no instruction, just commentaries and opinions. With only a few exceptions, it is well-balanced and well-resourced.
April 11, 2021
An introduction to the Yoga tradition. A lot of the advice seemed rote, and the uncritical praise for and insistence on the importance of a guru was a difficult take for an individualist American. It does seem to have a fairly extensive account of Yoga spiritual vocabulary, and I think this might be a better reference book for someone currently beginning a practice than as an introduction for a pure beginner.
December 1, 2013
Georg Feuerstein is (was) the quintessential North American yoga author and expert on yoga philosophy. His interpretations are honest, deep and true. His writing style makes the ancient texts accessible. This book shows us the relevance of yoga's teachings in our current culture, addressing the world's issues and society.
January 15, 2008
it's a series of disparate articles that were brought together under one cover, so it inevitable reads that way. still, it's a good comprehensive brush on yoga theory and practice.
October 17, 2009
I didn't read this book cover-to-cover. It is more of a keep-your-nightstand, and read a chapter that speaks to your moment, then read it again reference for yogic insights.
Currently reading
February 21, 2010i love this book. i am half way through but now its in buffalo. I hope it can be sent or I'll see it soon enough.
Read
March 15, 2014An essential reference for yoga philosophy. Do not expect to see spandex-clad downward dogs. Yamas and Niyamas, Mudras, Mantras, emptiness, tantra, the whole zenchilada.
August 27, 2015
Pretty weird and complicated writing style, but gives very insightful overview of overall yoga tradition. Wouldn't recommend as a first book on yoga.
April 2, 2009
ch. 59
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews