How Yoga Works

by Michael Roach

The Yoga Sutra is the great motherbook of all the yoga works ever written; it was composed by the Indian master Patanjali some 2,000 years ago.

The Sanskrit text is written in 210 brief, cryptic verses whose meaning has long ago sunk into darkness; the many, confusing modern attempts to explain them bear little resemblance to each other, which is just a sign of how difficult this priceless little book can be.

Geshe Michael Roach is an honors graduate of Princeton University and the first westerner in the 600-year history of Sera Mey Tibetan Monastery to be awarded the degree of Geshe, or Master of Buddhism. He is known for his business bestseller, The Diamond The Buddha on Managing Your Business & Your Life.

Using a database of almost half a million pages of ancient Asian literature, Geshe Michael has produced a fresh, clear, and immediately usable translation of the Yoga Sutra in the form of a wonderful novel about a young Tibetan woman who uses the wisdom to transform the corrupt world around her into a paradise on earth.

How Yoga Works has been acclaimed as a must-read for anyone who does yoga and who wants to know what the Yoga Sutra really says. It is an especially popular reading for yoga teacher training courses throughout the world, and as a personal daily guide for spiritual inspiration.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality, Health, Philosophy, Self Help, Audiobook, Inspirational

406 pages, Paperback

First published January 9, 2004

About the author

Geshe Michael Roach was born in California and graduated from Princeton University with honors. He has also received the Presidential Scholar Medallion from the President of the United States, at the White House.

He was the first American to complete and receive the “Geshe” degree after 25 years of study with Sera Mey Buddhist Monastery of India. At the same time, he helped to found Andin International Diamond Corporation in New York City, which grew from a small investment to $250 million USD in annual sales, and was purchased in 2009 by super-investor Warren Buffet. Geshe Michael’s profits from Andin International were used almost entirely to create and support several charitable organizations.

Reviews

[Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really wanted to like this book. Yoga teachers who I respect highly recommended it. I don't object to the content but rather to the vehicle--a dramatic tale ostensibly set in an ancient Indian kingdom.

First, I have a low tolerance for historical inaccuracy in fiction. Details of language, culture, dress, science and technology--did anybody edit the text for that? For example, the story, set in the 11th or 12th century, BCE, contains casual dialogue about oxygen and the respiratory system--none of which was understood for another half millennium!

It's similar to "Jonathan Livinston Seagull" in its approach to Eastern philosophy and spirituality. Both books require a certain suspension of disbelief (one has talking seagulls, the other an empowered, literate, polyglot, Middle Ages Tibetan peasant woman who travels alone with her companion lap dog).

It might suit a teenage reader--the story is geared to engage the reader in order to introduce the philosophy and practice of yoga according to the teachings of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. If you overlook the anachronistic dialogue, plot devices, and other implausible details, you can get a reasonable overview of Patanjali's teachings, with some interpretation and examples for the lay reader.

Too much chaff for me to sift through, personally.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with many reviewers that the vehicle used to teach the essence of yoga is rather weak. The credibility of the characters, setting and language are quite incredulous for a tale set in 1000AD, and the writing style for a novel-like book is rather amateurish and long-winded.

But if you set aside the weaknesses of the story-telling, which is merely a vehicle used to teach yogic philosophy, then you would find that there are gems for personal growth. This book sets out to teach core points of yoga set out in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, the “bible” of yoga. Few yoga students, and even teachers, would have read the 3,000 year-old Yoga Sutras. But even though the philosophy is put across simply, almost in a child-like manner, it would baffle you if you are a complete newbie to yogic ideas. This is because words like "winds" (for prana), "channels and choke-points" (nadis and chakras) and the principles behind a basic practise would be completely baffling.

Here, you would learn about yoga beyond yoga postures and get to understand more about nadis (energy channels, especially the moon and sun nadis) and chakras, and how they are linked to physical and spiritual health. The book also gives two superb analogies to help us remember : 1) the bamboo stick 2)The horse and the rider

The bamboo stick with dirt trapped in its hollow represents us with our bad thoughts, choked up energy and uneven health. We can knock on the bamboo to get the dirt out - this refers to physical practices like yoga postures and pranayama that prepares one for lighter heart and mind for better health, to help it get ready for meditation and deeper knowledge. Or we can clear the bamboo from within, using kinder and better managed thoughts and meditation.

The rider represents our thoughts, riding on the horse which is our prana or our energy channels. The rider must control the horse, and not the other way round. Anger is one of those ways when the horse just bolts off without the rider.

Initially, yoga postures may help improve one’s health but ultimately, we would still grow old and our health would deteriorate anyway – so what’s the point? This is one of the main existential questions asked in the book. Here the bad and good karmic seeds are explained, how they are planted, how they grow and expire. So there are lessons for us on how to plant a beautiful garden – as this means we can determine our destiny. To plant good seeds – exercise kindness, compassion, good thoughts and do kind deeds. To avoid planting bad seeds, avoid lying, stealing, hatred, anger, unkindness and causing harm to others. The book explains that death occurs when our good karmic seeds run their cause.

Interestingly, there is a kind of higher good seed that would not expire. This requires one to, while thinking and doing something good and kind for another, to focus on that idea with joy, and focus on it extending infinitely to benefit all living creatures. And there is also a way to prevent bad seeds from ripening – by contemplation on the wrong deed, to own it, and to resolve never to do it again.

Wonderful, isnt’ it? Very good lessons for everyone, even if you find the tale a little lame.

Om Shanti.

*And this book has inspired me to read the Yoga Sutras. I have attended some basic lessons on it, but it is time to start reading it, even if it would take a while to complete or more than a life-time to understand. I.K. Taimini’s well-respected translation and commentary has sat on my bookshelf for 4 years. Time to take the dust off the jacket.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

It will probably resonate more for yogis, but everybody should read this--it's full of wonderfully quotable bits to sink your thoughts into. Both during and after reading it, I find myself thinking of it throughout my day. There are some small parts I'm still not sure I agree with on a philosophical level (more specifically, existential and ethical)--but even those points of contention are worthwhile ideas for me to contemplate.

Apparently (based on others' reviews), there are some concerns about historical and translation inaccuracies. If true, I don't think they detract from the value of this book.

It's this simple: Having read this book is making my life better.

[Barbara Gunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The other reviews are correct when they say that there are historical inaccuracies, and that the story is amateurish, but I feel they are missing the point. It's a lovely book, which does a fantastic job of demonstrating the principles of yoga in the style of Sophie's World. It helped to crystallise the reading I had done on the subject of meditation and it made me very happy just reading it. This is one of those books that I will return to again & again.

I would recommend that everyone read this book, not just those interested in yoga or meditation.

[Kyarra Keele · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept of the book is beautiful and I did learn a lot from it. I gave it 3 stars because I feel that it was drawn out too much. It became difficult to keep reading about 3/4 of the way through. I do appreciate the book but I would not exactly go out of my way to recommend it.

[Karen Fiedler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It puts the philosophy of yoga into a comprehensible, engaging, and enjoyable story. I have read it 3 times to date.

[Brono · Rating 5 out of 5]

If your eyes slip through this lines and you've wondered/asked many times about yoga I urge you to make room for this reading, no matter how busy you may be. Perhaps this simple novel will enrich you same way it did to me.

"Hey yoga teacher, have you read 'how yoga works'?" - that was how I got introduced to this sacred book.

At the time my only possible answer was "no, I haven't" and what a delight to have hands to carry this book, eyes (behind glasses) allowing me to read and an intellect to process and understand every single line of it and also to have part of me (the author - because we are truly not separate from each other) who's inspiration and dedication brought such a precious work.

For those who already committed themselves to the practice of yoga and for those aspiring or even giving the smallest thought about it I invite you to embark on the journey of truly understanding 'how yoga works' from inside out. It's a therapy and you are in control...of breath, thoughts, and so on.

If the image you have of yoga is that of "sorry I can't even touch my toes" or "I can't get upside down" then you're on the right track. I mean you've got all you need in your hands. This precious book! The one you can always refer to when a little reminder is necessary.

I sincerely cannot find words that could best describe how this book has changed the way I approach yoga as a student and teacher. How this book has clarified the misunderstanding we've all created about the world and life in general - things that cannot last, seems to us as if they will - II.5A

Your mind is the core of a vehicle called body...and it's up to you to feed it intelligently. Let's together find a way of minimising the suffering of this world. Let's together plant the seeds of good deeds.

'How yoga works' is perhaps the most comprehensible book I've read about yoga containing the secrets or clarifications you need to know in order to heal your body, your heart and mind.

"If you read one yoga book this year, let it be this one. Few are as valuable."

[Mike S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for people who are interested in yoga but don't know much about it. And I don't mean just the outer practice of poses and stretches, the book goes into some of the inner practice and how powerful they can be when done along with the outer practices, enhancing their effects. It does this within the setting of a heart-warming story, and frequently quotes and explains some of the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali. I looked forward to reading this book every day until it was finished, the story really drew me in, I felt attached to the characters and very curious to know what was going to happen next.

If you're a complete yoga beginner like me and curious about the meaning of yoga - this book can help you appreciate how deep and profound the experience of yoga can be, and how it goes far beyond the outer poses and stretches.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

More parable than literature. How Yoga Works is a demonstration of the power of the Yoga Sutras to heal and transform, using an unbound historical setting and improbable circumstances for illustration. Using simple terms such as “channels” for nadis and “choke points” for chakras, the story brings ancient teachings to life in moments of chilling insight, although much of the writing in between those moments is filled with halting dialogue and cartoonish episodes. Regardless, the novel accomplishes its task of explaining the Yoga Sutras to an audience of modern yoga instructors.

The story is conveyed in first person by an adolescent female yoga master, inexplicably named Friday, who is travelling from Tibet to Varanassi, India with her little dog named Long-Life when they are detained and imprisoned in an obscure border village under false charges by the drunkard, Sergeant Ravi. Ravi’s superior, the haunted Captain Kishan, appoints Friday as his personal yoga instructor, and the bulk of the book takes place in his office during their weekly yoga sessions. As the yoga cures Kishan’s back, it also changes his life and the lives of everyone he works with. This eventually leads to a surprising magnitude of transformation, when the unbelievable backstories of the other staff and prisoners in that jail are suddenly revealed.

The historical context of this story was a big problem for me. It is set in 1101 in northern India near Varanassi, and Kishan mentions at one point that the Realm is in it’s 14th dynasty, six centuries after the “Great Council”. The only kingdom in that area that was 600 years old at the time was Karchulis, but none of the details in the narrative match the historical realities of the Karchuli kingdom. Worse, the narrator often seems to forget she is not living in 21st century America, regressing to beginning sentences with “like” (119), admonishing students not to eat and talk while driving a “cart” (233), and using scientific terms that were not yet invented (e.g. cell division of a human embryo (245), respiration in terms of oxygen and carbon dioxide (72), planetary formation from star dust (360), etc.). The author is trying to bring teachings to life by demonstrating them in real life, but pulls the carpet of “real” out from under the reader. I found it jarring.

Personally, I find the cosmic-retribution idea of karma difficult to swallow; I find that a more secular version of Buddhist ethics - consequentialism and virtue ethics - lead us to the same path of awakening and flourishing in a more honest way. If you are like me, you might want to skim through pages 181-312, almost all of which are long-winded, tortured, and condescending dialogues explaining the concept of karma “seeds”. And this brings me to another point of contention: The author explicitly warns us not to add to or leave out important parts of the tradition (269), a strategy of intransigence that is common among religions, but it also consigns spiritual tradition to irrelevance due to the inevitability of cultural evolution. It is also particularly ironic coming from Mr. Roach.

Michael Roach, at the time of publication, was a 51-year-old teacher of Tibetan Buddhism from Pheonix, Arizona. He had several major accomplishments under his belt: graduated from Princeton, ordained as a Gelugpa monk by the Sera Monastery in India and later earned the rare degree of “Geshe”, succeeded in his business venture as a jewelry manufacturer in New York, founded two successful charities, and authored a popular book “The Diamond Cutter: The Buddha on Managing Your Business”. He had been travelling the world as a business consultant draped in robes … and he had secretly married his student (Christie McNally, a recent NYU graduate) who is twenty years his junior, despite monastic vows of celibacy. News of his secret marriage emerged and Roach was admonished to resign his monks robes. He refused, claiming he had not broken his vows because McNally was not human; she was an incarnation of the goddess Vajrayogini. What? In 2000, he had quit the diamond business and moved to the Arizona desert to begin a three-year silent retreat McNally and four other female followers. I’m not the first to wonder at their goddess status.

Since the publication of this book, Roach and McNally purchased a house in Arizona funded by followers, founded the Diamond Mountain Center, and led a series of retreats. They divorced in 2009, and Roach left McNally in charge of the center. One year later, McNally married Ian Thorson, her attendant. Then, in a bizarre series of events detailed by the New York Times and Rolling Stone, McNally and Thorson were both kicked out of the retreat they were leading after a series of erratic and violent episodes. They then fled to a cave in the nearby mountains where they stayed for two months until Thorson died of dehydration and exposure. McNally survived, although I’m not certain where life led her from there. Roach, who did not remarry, went on to write “The Karma of Love: 100 Answers for Your Relationship” and found the Diamond Cutter Institute, offering leadership and business guidance using “new-ancient” principles.

Basically, things turned out differently in real life.

[Maiga Milbourne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roach and McNally again seek to explain Buddhist spiritual principles, this time to an audience interested in the practice of yoga. They develop a sort of fable as a vehicle. Thousands of years ago in a small border town between India and Tibet, an 18 year old Tibetan woman who has studied yoga with a master, passes with her dog. She's incarcerated and begins transforming the jail and its inhabitants through her teaching of yoga. I just kept thinking a historian would cringe repeatedly at the simple premise. I'm no authority on women's roles in Tibet nor India during this time period but I highly doubt one would be taught yoga nor free to travel alone. Having a woman transmit these teachings appealed to my sense of feminism but also felt a little patronizing because I know the yoga's lineage is primarily through male instructors. I wonder if there's a way to involve respect for women with historical accuracy.

The ideas explored through this story are powerful. Complicated ideas were made much clearer thanks to the authors. It's worth reading simply to gain a better comprehension of Buddhist thought, but the story is pretty juvenile.

[Jennifer Hrabota · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very mediocre as a story, but a nice explanation of yoga philosophy. The historical inaccuracies in the characters' style of speech and interactions was a little hard to overlook, however the overall message delivered was a good one. I wouldn't recommend it as the only book on yoga for someone to read, but some of the analogies and presentations of concepts did make certain things more clear as well as stick in my mind. I love the knocking on the pipes analogy. :)

3stars may be a little generous, but it was more than ok. (just not necessarily as a story)

[Cristina Bica · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a nice story that depicts the ancient teachings of Patanjali. It was too slow on certain parts and some ideas too elaborated. I guess it’s the purpose to repeat, but I found it too much :) I liked the ideas and the full gear of yoga, with the silent sitting, the channels and the light body concepts.

[Esther · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me lo regaló mi maestra de yoga. Para los amantes de esta disciplina, es muy revelador y plantea mucho en lo que poder trabajar en las meditaciones y en la sadhana (práctica del yoga).
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La mayor parte del libro es un cuento, dotado de fábulas y parábolas. Entretienen y son muy reflexivas. Y otra parte más “teórica “ de la tradición y cultura india del yoga.
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Pero no es un libro redondo.... en asboluto. Es bastante repetitivo.
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La edición es lamentable (hacer sin h, cientos de comas y tildes sin poner.....) Mi edición es de 2016.
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A pesar de lo negativo, volveré a él, seguro. He subrayado muchísimas cosas en las que trabajar.

[Junky's Wife · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book inspired me to start my own karma journal. I have really been surprised by how influential it has been on my behavior and my life in general. Even if you aren't interested in yoga (like, in the sense that you don't go stand on one leg and pretend to be a tree), the book is worth reading. It's as much a spiritual explication of the Yoga Sutras as it is a cool novel. There's actually much less stuff about the postures than you might expect. Don't let the title mislead you...it's no step-by-step guide. It'll change the way you think about everything you do.

[Theresa]

I just can't with this writing style.

[Madison Mariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I have physically practiced yoga on and off for a decade now, this was my introduction to the philosophy of yoga, recommended to me by one of my old yoga teachers.

I see a lot of debate of the choice of vehicle for these teachings of the yoga sutra, a fictional story starring a young Tibetan girl in 10th century India. But I thoroughly enjoyed the story, and the characters- it explained lessons in a very simple, yet inspirational way.

Already on my spiritual journey, it’s motivated me to go ahead and make very specific changes (honestly, overdue hard decisions) to get myself into better alignment.

I already have several more yoga books lined up to improve my understanding of the philosophy and the develop a deeper personal practice, but I’m very happy that I started with this particular book.

[Kristina Kudryavtseva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was ready for this book and it completely blew my mind and possibly changed my life. Thank you.

“There are other worldviews which can simply destroy an entire civilization, unnoticed. The idea that war could end violence. The idea that the number of things you have in your house, or the size of your house, could even remotely make you happier. The idea that you obtain things by competing aggressively with others who want those same things, and not by doing the exact opposite.”

[Julia Polikarpova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Хороша, если не хочется читать что-то серьёзное и сложное, но хочется понять в общих чертах, что такое йога и что же в неё вкладывали изначально. Что европейское представление о йоге - это лишь верхушка из всего, что она скрывает, являясь скорее религией и способом мировоззрения, а не просто набором упражнений.

[Jam Pilarca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a decent story on the gift of yoga and how it can transform one's life if we let it. A bit heavy-handed with the writing and definitely takes its liberties with its use of metaphors. I can see it as insightful for those new to yoga or younger readers - less so if you have a familiarity with yoga's history and philosophy.

[Suz · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a daunting book at first - with the length and unclear setting in the beginning, but once I was invested in the characters, I wanted to know how the situations played out.

[Isabel González · Rating 5 out of 5]

Merece mucho la pena leerlo, me ha encantado de principio a fin.

[Dorothy Hartley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent and approachable overview of the yoga sutras for the contemporary reader, but as a narrative it fell flat for me

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great way of encompassing a swathe of yoga teachings in a story.

[Pao Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is perfect for the ones interested in Yoga and taking your Yoga practice beyond. This book contains key information on living a healthy spiritual life, being good to others and personal evolution.

It may be sometimes hard to follow (at the end, since it gets more abstract each time) but it is a great mix between Patanjali’s knowledge and the application of it on a daily basis. The story is algo really emotive.

[Harrison Burchett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly amazing book if you appreciate perspective.

[Rina Escasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pre-read for my YTT! I enjoyed this book, it’s not perfect & I do have outstanding questions, but I think it’s a book worth reading and gets me excited to further my yoga knowledge through YTT & be able to teach and influence others in a positive way. After reading, K and I have found ourselves reflecting on our daily actions & how they contribute to our life experiences whether directly or more karmically. I find at the very least, yoga is a positive way of living that drives positive change in ourselves and those around us. Super cool!

[Nina McKee · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful narrative way to enjoy the principles of the yoga sutra :')

[Britt Skrabanek · Rating 5 out of 5]

How Yoga Works was on our recommended book list when I did my Yoga teacher training , as we didn't have room in our jam-packed schedule to make it a required read.

It took me a while to come around to it, thinking in some way that it wasn't as important as the other books I read during my training. I was pleasantly surprised.

I can absolutely see how this book would not be for anyone, especially if you prefer Yoga learnings straight up. But for a fiction lover, I adored the storyline surrounding each theme. It broke up some of the heavy lessons, making it easier to digest.

Best of all, there is a young female protagonist—something we rarely see in Yoga books, if ever. Throughout the story she whips those she encounters into shape, both mentally and physically. As she touches each life, the reader sees how Yoga works its magic.

This is not only a book for Yogis or Yoga teachers. It's an accessible read for anyone searching for an actionable way to improve their lives.

Highly recommend it if you're looking for enlightenment with a splash of entertainment.

[Catherine Denholm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this book for 200 hour teacher training. I enjoyed the fictional story of Friday teaching yoga philosophy to the Captain, and eventually others in the community. The book weaves the Sanskrit text written by Master Patanjali 2,000 years ago into Friday’s teachings. There are many metaphors throughout, eg, horse and rider (breath/wind and thoughts/mind), good and bad seeds (karma). Good seeds represent kindness, compassion, kind deeds, good thoughts. Bad seeds represent anger, jealousy, lying, stealing, causing harm to others. We obviously want more good seeds than bad in our personal gardens (heart and mind). Explains how yoga is more than poses and breath, it includes stillness/meditation where you think good thoughts towards others and how you can help them, followed by setting an intention. Lessons teach us to be kind and show compassion to others. I got a little lost towards the end explaining the “clear light”, very spiritual in explanation, will need to read again. Look forward to dissecting this a bit in teacher training.

[Alex Boon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great lessons in here and a few really good metaphors. The story is average at best and hugely historically inaccurate as others have noted. This can be forgiven in my opinion because the book is not intended to be a historical novel and the ideas needed to be conveyed in a way that modern readers will grasp. However, I can't forgive the short section on abortion and it's apparent violation of ahimsa in the author's opinion. This idea that an embryo is a person on conception and so must be preserved at all costs is frankly demeaning to women and their right to choose what happens inside them. I require a more balanced opinion in a book about yoga. I honestly believe a paragraph like that has the potential to cause considerable harm to a potentially vulnerable readership. That aside, it was a decent enough treatise on the Sutras but I think they are best explored as commentary with anecdotes than as a novel.