Beyond Power Yoga

FROM SWEAT TO SAMADHI: The Path of ASTANGA YOGA Beyond Power Yoga presents and explores the complete journey of the classical astanga yoga system, from power yoga to meditation and liberation. Bender Birch's first book, the groundbreaking Power Yoga, introduced one level of astanga yoga to mainstream America -- a high-heat, high-energy mind/body workout. Now, Beyond Power Yoga presents all eight levels, or limbs, of this ancient method -- a total practice for body and soul. Drawing a parallel between astanga yoga's eight limbs and the mind/body energy centers (chakras) of Eastern philosophy, Bender Birch shows us how we can balance and heal our body, focus and relax our mind, amplify and direct our energy (prana), and ultimately reclaim our spiritual connection to Universal Consciousness. Each chapter offers specific practices to help the reader uncover and experience the insights of the astanga yoga journey. The YAMAS: Exploring the Fundamentals The NIYAMAS: Doing the Work ASANA: Practicing the Postures PRANAYAMA: Breathing Mindfully PRATYAHARA: Turning Inward DHARANA: Developing Concentration DHYANA: Experiencing Meditation SAMADHI: Living Joyfully Presented in the down-to-earth illuminating style and inspiring voice of the author, illustrated with easy-to-follow photos, plus a special wall chart of the asana sequences, Beyond Power Yoga offers a short form of the dynamic mind/body power yoga method, then journeys through the deeper levels of spiritual practice.

THE OFFICIAL YOGA PROGRAM OF THE NEW YORK ROAD RUNNERS CLUB Power Yoga is a unique combination of dynamic breathing and strong, flowing movement, which creates a high-heat, high-energy workout. Unlike any other yoga program, Power Yoga is a choreographed sequence of postures that flow into one another, building strength, unwinding tight joints, and loosening muscles. Beautiful photographs and clear instructions guide you through this effective and popular routine. Based on the classical and original yoga system called astanga, Power Yoga is a complete mind and body workout that develops concentration and reduces stress. With its focus on mindful breathing and body heat, Power Yoga goes beyond the relaxation benefits of traditional yoga to offer a route to health and fitness that athletes of all levels will embrace.

Expand your energy and raise your sense of personal power with power yoga, the athletic and dynamic style of yoga that delivers high intensity and quick results. In Power Yoga: Strength, Sweat, and Spirit, you will learn the poses, practices, and philosophy of this fitness- and focus-boosting training method to strengthen your body and awaken your spirit. This potent practice is a complete workout on its own, but it also offers tremendous benefits when combined with other workouts and sports. In addition to physical strength, stamina, and flexibility, the dynamic movements of power yoga challenge you to develop focus, balance, and purpose that extend to life beyond the yoga mat. Dozens of warm-up, power, peak, and cool-down poses are presented in full color, and adaptations to modify or intensify each pose allow you to customize your practice for maximum effectiveness and safety. Sequences ranging from 5 to 60 minutes—including sport-specific sequences for running, cycling, team sports, and high-intensity activities—offer options that match your goals and lifestyle, and the 28-day plan can be adjusted into a plan that works for you, based on the results you want. Power Yoga: Strength, Sweat, and Spirit is your vehicle for creating extraordinary physical and spiritual results that you will notice quickly and be able to maintain for a lifetime. Become your most powerful self with power yoga.

Perfect for those who want a total body and mind workout.

War leaves more than physical scars. Military service men and women today bear invisible wounds-PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), anxiety, depression-all just as real and painful. This book gives you tools for finding your way as a warrior-whether deployed or in a civilian environment-and adapting to a peaceful life at home. Yoga and meditation have scientific support as a means for relaxing the stress response, sharpening mental acuity, boosting immunity and recovery time, and promoting a general sense of health and psychological well-being. Beryl Bender Birch developed the methods described in Warrior Pose while working with civilians and first-responders in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. They include yoga postures, breathing techniques, relaxation and "yoga sleep," meditation, and more. In Rear Admiral (ret.) and former Navy SEAL Tom Steffens' words, "Beryl never takes any subject lightly, trust me, and her insight into the mind-body-spirit connection for military members and veterans results from an in-depth study that she undertook to get this right."

Inspired by his time spent with wise sages in Asia in the 1930s, Paul Brunton (1898-1981) wrote The Hidden Teaching Beyond Yoga (and its companion volume The Wisdom of the Overself) at the request of these remarkable teachers, who recognized that he had a significant role to play in the transmission of Hindu Vedanta and Buddhism to the West. Brunton's books are a profound re-creation of the teachings of those two philosophical schools of thought, informed by the insights of deep meditation. Clearly written without the specialized vocabulary found in those traditions, the books speak directly to the contemporary spiritual seeker. The Hidden Teaching Beyond Yoga is a step-by-step guide to actually experiencing the spiritual truth that reality is formed within our consciousness rather than outside us in the world of material things. Brunton's expert analysis of perception, grounded in science, is designed to awaken us to our sacred foundation and to transform our personality into a mirror of that reality. Brunton prepares us for this journey by describing the attitudes, mental disciplines, and character traits that are beneficial for success in this quest. This new edition has been updated to incorporate the author's final revisions and includes an introduction by the Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation. Contents Foreword by The Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation 1.Beyond Yoga 2.The Ultimate Path 3.The Religious and Mystic Grades 4.The Hidden Philosophy of India 5.The Philosophical Discipline 6.The Worship of Words 7.The Search After Truth 8.The Revelation of Relativity 9.From Thing to Thought 10. The Secret of Space and Time 11. The Magic of the Mind 12. The Downfall of Materialism Epilogue: The Philosophic Life Appendix 1: Some Misconceptions Cleared Up Appendix 2: Additional Resources from The Notebooks of Paul Brunton, Compiled by the Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation Editors

A book with step-by-step photos offers specific instructions and advice for beginners and advanced practitioners, as well as those struggling with injuries. Original.

How do we co-create safer yoga and spiritual communities? Through dogged investigative work, careful listening to survivor stories of assault and abuse, and close analysis of the cultic mechanisms at play in the sphere of Pattabhi Jois’s Ashtanga community, Matthew Remski’s Practice and All Is Coming offers a sober view into a collective and intergenerational trauma. It also offers a clear pathway forward into enhanced critical thinking, student empowerment, self-and-other care, and community resilience. Concluding with practical tools for a world rocked by abuse revelations, Practice and All Is Coming opens a window on the possibility of healing— and even re-enchantment. While Mathew Remski is the courageous, insightful, and compassionate author of this informative, challenging, and thought-provoking book, this book is clearly a group effort. Equal parts theory, training manual, expose, and memoir, Practice and All is Coming ... is a foray into the difficult topics of personal agency, spirituality authority, and cult dynamics. In addition to his clearly articulated understanding of the problems inherent in many spiritual schools, Mathew provides hope for healing the confusion and anguish that arise in the heart of sincere practitioners when they are betrayed by the revered powers in which they have placed their trust. If you practice or teach yoga, please consider this book an essential companion on your path. Christina Sell, author of Yoga From the Inside Out, My Body is a Temple, and A Deeper Yoga.