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Bill N Stephanie Hello everyone! My name is Stephanie and I,'m new to the group. I,'ve been practicing yoga for 20 years and have just begun to really delve into the yogic literature in the last 5 years. I'm pretty quiet,so you may not always hear from me,but I will comment at times.


message 2: by Meryl (new)

Meryl Landau (meryldavidslandau) | 813 comments Mod
Welcome, Stephanie! I assume Bill is your significant other?

You'll find some good suggestions on this site for both serious nonfiction and fun fiction and memoirs.


Bill N Stephanie Hi Meryl, yes! our actual sign on name is Bill and Stephanie, but only the Bill part shows up in Goodreads. Thanks for starting this group. I've been lloking for something like this to help in my yoga journey!


message 4: by Meryl (new)

Meryl Landau (meryldavidslandau) | 813 comments Mod
Welcome, Steph! There are a lot of books recommended on this site in the various threads. A fun one for summer if you haven't read it yet is the sassy memoir Yoga Bitch.


message 5: by Robert Steven (new)

Robert Steven Goldstein | 19 comments Yes, welcome to this terrific group, Steph. Meryl does a great job keeping the various discussions fresh and interesting. As for a summer-read recommendation, you might like "Breathe" by Kate Bishop. It was the focus of our group discussion a month or two ago and was pretty much universally enjoyed.


message 6: by thefreediver (new)

thefreediver | 1 comments Hi everyone, I'm Cristian and I practice yoga since 2004. I'm new to goodreads and as someone mentioned I am more of silent type. I tink this is why I liked yoga in the beginning!


message 7: by Shanna (new)

Shanna (shannaj) | 4 comments Hello, my name is Shanna. I am 24. I have been practicing yoga since the age of 15. For 7 years prior to age 15 I couldn't walk on my right foot due to dabilitating pain from chronic nerve damage. After finally getting proper treatment that helped, yoga helped me get mobility back, helped me rebuild muscle I lost and helped me in a very spiritual sense as well. I love yoga and I want to continue to learn more about it and plan to practice it for the rest of my life. I'm excited to see where this journey takes me and of course I feel blessed to be able to practice such a fine art form after being immobile for so long. It humbles you and you learn to be real grateful for the simple things. I'm looking forward to being a part of this group and learning as much about yoga as possible. Smilez : D


message 8: by Robert Steven (new)

Robert Steven Goldstein | 19 comments Your journey to Yoga thus far has been a beautiful and inspiring story. Welcome to the group, Shanna. All the best as you continue on your path, which I hope is a long and happy one.


message 9: by Shanna (new)

Shanna (shannaj) | 4 comments Thanks for the welcome, glad to be here and its good to hear my story is inspiring. If any good comes from it, its that I can not only be humbled but reach out and inspire other people too. I'm excited to be here and hope this journey is a long and happy one too.


message 10: by Dharmesh (new)

Dharmesh Yadav | 3 comments Hi! I am Dharmesh, new to the group and as far as I know myself, I wouldn’t be coming around much. All of the members here seem to be very accomplished in their respective fields-associated with Yoga and are very sincere and diligent in their practices which makes me more hesitant to even think of saying something in this group. I am not eligible to say anything at all, but a fool as I am, I couldn’t withhold myself and here I am.
The aim of Yoga (the theme on which this group is based) as per my knowledge is attainment of Moksha, liberation, self-realization or enlightenment (one and the same things) and not getting a physically perfect body. Of course, one gets physical benefits by doing yoga, these are you can say-side effects of yoga, but definitely not the aim. What everyone is doing is taking a very long route. It’s like inventing light or anything for that matter from the scratch in the time when you can actually dispel the darkness by flick of a switch. What I mean to say is, if we are actually after Moksha (getting free from the cycle of birth and death) then we shouldn’t concentrate upon hatha yoga, though undoubtedly it would take you to your desired goal but it would be like starting from a scratch which means taking a very long route.
There’s a better way-yoga of devotion/bhakti or surrender. I am reproducing below extract from the book of Swami Ramdas who was saying that only by the grace of God, we are able to do anything, in fact even the desire to walk on this path is a result of God’s grace and man thinks that he is the doer; he is the controller of his destiny. On hearing this one of his disciples asks:

“Q: If we have not the grace of God, there is no use of struggling for the attainment of peace.

Ramdas: Our efforts do end in our knowing that our efforts can achieve nothing. We think we will be able to realize God and we struggle without knowing that by His grace alone we can really find Him. We fail at every step. Then we surrender ourselves to Him and are flooded with grace.”

This we learn through taking long and hard route and finally we realize, we are nothing, we cannot do it on our own and then we surrender completely to God. Then why not now, why take a long and arduous path.
I think I’ve taken too long and I’ll be thrown out so I’d better take leave. Parting lines from Srimad Bhagvad Gita:

Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, Better indeed is knowledge than formal practice; better than knowledge is meditation; better than meditation is the renunciation of the fruit of the action (surrender in love); peace immediately follows this.


message 11: by Meryl (new)

Meryl Landau (meryldavidslandau) | 813 comments Mod
Hi Dharmesh:

Thanks for your comments; most interesting. People come to yoga for various reasons, and I don't believe one is more right than any other. I for one love meditation and the connection to my higher self, but I'm not too interested in ending the cycle of birth and death as the Hindus see it: I happen to like having a physical body. Which is why I love the physical hatha poses as well. In my view it's all delicious--and all spiritual/godly.

You might want to join the upcoming discussion on the Gnani yoga lectures book; very philosophy based.

Much love-
Meryl


message 12: by Dharmesh (new)

Dharmesh Yadav | 3 comments thanks, you're right and all paths do meet and criss cross each other and different path appeals to our different temperaments and I suppose each path gives great joy.


message 13: by Susan (new)

Susan G. (susangclark) | 3 comments Hi to all! I am Susan. I'm looking forward to keeping in touch with this group. I began a class in Iyengar-inspired yoga about fifteen years ago, started a (almost) daily home practice five years ago, and designed and built a yoga ropes wall in my practice room two years ago. Yes, I'm a zealot for full inversions!

I also love to read, make people laugh, cook, and write.

Namaste!
Susan


message 14: by Monette (new)

Monette Chilson (monettechilson) | 66 comments Mod
Welcome, Susan! I am one of the three moderators on this site and a fellow Iyengar enthusiast. I am so impressed with your in-home rope wall. How difficult/expensive was that to build? I bet the group would enjoy any plans, drawings or photos you'd like to share!

I am the author of a book on yogic spirituality from an interfaith perspective (Sophia Rising: Awakening Your Sacred Wisdom Through Yoga). I am interested in the mystic roots of many faith traditions and am currently moderating a discussion within this group on a 100+ year old yogic philosophy book—Series of Lessons in Gnani Yoga (by American yogi William Walker Atkins, aka Yogi Ramacharaka). We just started reading a few weeks ago. Free copies of the book are available several places online because of its public domain status (classics are great that way!). Please join us if you're interested in the philosophy that guided many of those who pioneered yoga in the United States.

Enjoy the group—namaste!

Monette
www.SophiaRisingYoga.com


message 15: by Susan (new)

Susan G. (susangclark) | 3 comments Hi, Monette. Thanks for the welcome! Answers to questions about building my yoga rope wall will be included in a book I'm finishing (Swanky Yoga Ropes Wall: How to Build Yours and Enjoy a Flexible Spine, Healthy Weight & Balanced Life) that will contain instructions, photos, plans, shopping lists, and a section teaching how to tie the ropes. (I'll be relieved to release it; it has been more challenging than I ever expected.)

Your book sounds very interesting. I live in central North Carolina, where I would say that religion and yoga are rarely mentioned together. I visited your website and greatly appreciated your Power Hour plan, especially the need to focus on breath. Breath has become a new focus for me, after many years of focus on asanas. I will look into the discussion group!

Susan
www.susangclark.com


message 16: by Chad (new)

Chad I will download the book and start reading it! Looking forward to the group discussion. Namaste.


message 17: by Monette (new)

Monette Chilson (monettechilson) | 66 comments Mod
Susan,

I will look forward to your book. Let us know when it's available. I know the challenges of birthing a book very well!

I spend my summers in the mountains of North Carolina (Highlands). Do you ever get up that way? I'll be speaking at Wild Goose Festival near Asheville and also at Cashiers Valley Fusion and Yoga Highlands this summer. Would love to meet up if it works out.

Talk soon…

Monette


message 18: by Monette (new)

Monette Chilson (monettechilson) | 66 comments Mod
Chad wrote: "I will download the book and start reading it! Looking forward to the group discussion. Namaste."

Great! Welcome, Chad. I am finding much that I like about the book so far, although my brain is aching from trying to wrap itself around the necessary, but mind-bending, concepts of a reality unconstrained by time and space. I'll post another discussion started on the end of Lesson One in the coming week. Happy reading!

Namaste,
Monette

www.SophiaRisingYoga.com


message 19: by Chad (new)

Chad Great! Thanks.


message 20: by Chad (new)

Chad I received your book in the mail this week and it looks great! Is there a formal book group for this or shall I just plow in?


message 21: by Monette (new)

Monette Chilson (monettechilson) | 66 comments Mod
Hi, Chad! Are you talking about my book (Sophia Rising: Awakening Your Sacred Wisdom Through Yoga) or our current group read (A Series of Lessons in Gnani Yoga)? In either case, plow in! If you are reading mine, here's a link to the reader's guide that will give you some questions to ponder:

http://www.sophiarisingyoga.com/Sophi....

If there were interest in the intersection of faith & yoga among this group, I would be happy to lead a discussion.

We do have a thread for discussing the Gnani Yoga book (titled "Gnani Yoga," I think). I have posted a couple of longish prompts. You can read those and respond, but feel free to address aspects of the book that struck a chord with you as well.

Glad to have you joining the discussion!

Namaste,
Monette

www.SophiaRisingYoga.com


message 22: by Chad (new)

Chad Sorry Monette, but I just saw your comment from two weeks ago. I was referring to your book and I will give a proper update tomorrow. I will also check out the other discussion thread about the yoga book.Thank you.


message 23: by Meryl (new)

Meryl Landau (meryldavidslandau) | 813 comments Mod
Chad:

There's a newish and currently empty folder on this site for people to write up short book reviews for books that haven't been read by the group. It would be great if you could write up a little review of Monette's book in that folder.

Thanks!


message 24: by K (new)

K Hello! I love yoga!


message 25: by Monette (new)

Monette Chilson (monettechilson) | 66 comments Mod
Kristen, you have found your tribe then! This is the place to discuss books that inspire our yoga--on & off the mat. Feel free to chime in with questions & comments. Welcome!


message 26: by Monette (new)

Monette Chilson (monettechilson) | 66 comments Mod
Chad, so excited that you're reading my book. Look forward to your comments!


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