The Yoga S¿tras of Patañjali III - Vibh¿ta P¿da, Chapter on Special Powers, A Coloring Book

The Yoga S¿tras of Patañjali presents the reader with a set of practical instructions for living a deeply meaningful life. The text contains 196 terse statements, or "s¿tras" (literally "threads"), sewn together into four distinct chapters. Written almost two thousand years ago by the Indian sage Patañjali, the Yoga S¿tras has had vast influence on the Indian philosophical traditions for several millennia, especially on yoga philosophy and its practices.

This third chapter of the Yoga S¿tras-the Vibh¿ti P¿da, or the Chapter on Special Powers-is all about the power of a sustained yoga practice. In yogic parlance, "vibh¿ti" is often translated as "special powers". But the roots "vi" and "bh¿" together also imply "growth" and "expansion". The Monier Williams Sanskrit English Dictionary lists a number of other meanings of "vibh¿ti"-"abundant", "powerful", "mighty", "glorious", and "majestic", to name a few.

In this chapter, Patañjali folds in the remaining three ingredients of the eight-fold path of yoga-dh¿rä¿, dhy¿na, and sam¿dhi. The previous five ingredients in the second chapter-yama, niyama, ¿sana, pr¿¿¿y¿ma, and praty¿h¿ra (PYS II.29-55)-have prepared the practitioner for a deeper level of practice. Dh¿rä¿ binds the mind to one object. Yet, because the mind is fickle and wants to flit about here and there, the practitioner's task is to repeatedly place the mind on that object, or in its general vicinity. There is a point, however, where the mind stays upon that object, even if briefly, and the focus is transformed. This is dhy¿na-the wide angle narrows and there is a flow of attention toward that single object with greater ease. When the mind empties completely of conceptual debris and the object of meditation is the only thing on the mental menu, that is sam¿dhi. Together these three are called säyama (PYS III.1-4).

This third book is inundated with sacred geometrical patterns, Arabic arches, and celestial motifs fashioned in Madhubani, the folk art tradition of Northern India. This coloring book--and indeed, the entire series--draws upon the timeless tradition of the Yoga S¿tras to engage people in a new and lively way that calms the mind, relieves stress and anxiety, and enhances overall well-being. It is also a great resource for a deeper, more transformative understanding of the text.

A propos de l'auteur

Like many people in the United States, Rebecca Polack's first introduction to yoga was at a gym-the YWCA in downtown Minneapolis. Yoga was still a foreign practice to most people 40 years ago, and yoga classes at the Y whetted Rebecca's appetite for a more comprehensive understanding of the practices. With that in mind, she quickly moved to study Iyengar yoga with William Prottengeier in 1987. After moving to New York City in 1996, she sought to deepen her practice of postures and breathing techniques at the New York Iyengar Institute with Genny Kapuler, the late Mary Dunn, and Judy Freedman. Yoga was fast becoming a way of life for Rebecca, and New York City offered an exciting array of yoga schools. Eager to learn still more about yoga and its practices, Rebecca studied in depth with Cyndi Lee and Dharma Mittra. In 1997, she became a Yoga Alliance certified Yoga teacher through OM Yoga. She studied Ashtanga yoga with Eddie Stern and Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, and took advanced teacher trainings with Rodney Yee, Dr. Jeffrey Migdow, MD, and Nischala Joy Devi. The teacher appears when the student is ready. In 1997, Rebecca met Om Prakash Tiwari-the highly-respected master of pranayama and former Director of the Kaivalyadhama Yoga Research Institute in Lonavala. Possessing a wealth of knowledge about yoga, both culturally and historically, O.P. Tiwari imparted to Rebecca the nuances of the yoga practices and its philosophy. His teacher, the eminent yogi and freedom fighter, Swami Kuvalayananda, established the Kaivalyadhama Institute in 1924-the first institute of its kind in India and the world-to study yoga from a modern scientific perspective. In order to create a "radically inclusive" yoga scene in NYC, Rebecca co-founded the New York Yoga Teachers Association in 1998 with Karen Safire and Cyndi Lee to promote conversation and community across the varied schools of yoga. She was the board chair for the first three years of the organization's operation. She has also been involved in the teaching and training of new yoga teachers, with special emphasis on teaching pranayama.In 2003, Rebecca moved to San Francisco to pursue graduate-level studies in yoga and South Asian philosophy. She holds a Doctorate in Philosophy and Religion at the California Institute of Integral Studies (2014) with a concentration in Yoga Studies. In addition to her academic studies, Rebecca has been blessed to study South Asian philosophy and Sanskrit in the traditional way-especially the Yoga S¿tras of Patañjali-with O.P. Tiwari, the late Dr. Ram Karan Sharma, and Shanta and Indira Bulkin of the Yoga Society of San Francisco. She has lectured on the modernization of yoga in New York City, Mumbai, Pune, Lonavala, and San Francisco. Rebecca resides in San Francisco.

Détails du produit

• Auteurs: Rebecca Polack
• Edition: Bl¿ Lotus Publications
• Langues: Anglais
• Format d'édition: Livre de poche
• Sortie: 13.12.2022
• EAN: 9781737326427
• ISBN: 978-1-73732-642-7
• Pages: 128
• Dimensions: 216 mm x 216 mm x 9 mm
• Poids: 384 g
• Catégorie: Livres de conseils > Santé > Relaxation, yoga, méditation, training autogène