Rtu Vidy

The book ?tu Vidy? emerged in search of answers to questions asked by adolescent girls and women in India during the author’s interactions with them as part of Menstrual Health workshops, conducted over a span of a decade across rural India. In an attempt to decode menstrual practices, the author undertook a journey across India and studied various indigenous knowledge systems such as ?a?-Dar?ana, ?yurved, Tantra, Cakra, Y?g, ?gama ??stra, Jyotis?a ?a?stra, and several sub-texts from these categories. As a result, the book goes beyond just describing cultural practices and takes a deep dive into explaining the scientific and logical reasoning behind the origin of these practices. This book is for all Indian women who have unanswered questions pertaining to menstrual practices, for menstrual researchers who will find a treasure trove of potential areas for research pertaining to menstrual health, for sportswomen to discover the ancient techniques that worked in sync with women’s periods and not against it, and also for the feminist who assumes that cultural practices around menstruation are a taboo that needs to be done away with. The correct understanding of the science behind menstrual practices, as given in this book, will help women prevent menstrual difficulties, develop a positive attitude toward menstruation, and learn to work in sync with nature’s cycles. ?tu (pronounced as ruthu) is one of the terms for menstruation in Sanskrit. Vidy? means knowledge. ?tu Vidy? is the author’s attempt to bring together various indigenous knowledge systems that provide information about the science of menstruation, which is relevant even to this day.

The book Rtu Vidya emerged in search of answers to questions asked by adolescent girls and women in India, during the author’s interactions with them as part of Menstrual Health workshops, conducted over a span of a decade across rural India. In an attempt to decode menstrual practices, the author undertook a journey across India and studied various indigenous knowledge systems such as ?a?-Dar?ana, ?yurved, Tantra, Cakra, Y?g, ?gama ??stra, Jyotis?a ?a?stra, and several sub-texts from these categories. As a result, the book goes beyond just describing cultural practices and takes a deep dive into explaining the scientific and logical reasoning behind the origin of these practices. The book seeks to provide answers to questions asked my many Indian women pertaining to menstruation such as the reason for certain food restrictions, physical exertion, menstrual seclusion, restrictions on touching others, avoiding cooking, not visiting temples and so on. The correct understanding of the science behind menstrual practices, as given in this book, will help women prevent menstrual difficulties, develop a positive attitude towards menstruation and learn to work in synchronization with nature’s cycles. Rtu (pronounced as ruthu) is one of the terms for menstruation in Sanskrit. Vidya means knowledge. Rtu Vidya is the author’s attempt to bring together various indigenous knowledge systems that provide information about the science of menstruation which is relevant even to this day.

Women and Sabarimala is an answer to the question “why aren’t women of menstrual age allowed to enter Sabarimala?” This book presents a never-before discussed perspective on the science behind the restrictions on women in the Sabarimala temple. Women and Sabarimala is a rare book and is written from a woman’s perspective, explaining the nature of the temple through India’s traditional knowledge systems, such as Ayurveda, Chakras, Tantra and Agama Shastra. At the same time, the author’s personal experiences simplify the understanding of these deep sciences, providing a glimpse into how temples impact the human physiology and, in particular, women’s menstrual cycles. This book will change the way Hindu temples, especially Sabarimala, are perceived and experienced.

Representing the first comprehensive analysis of Gaga and Ohad Naharin's aesthetic approach, this book follows the sensual and mental emphases of the movement research practiced by dancers of the Batsheva Dance Company. Considering the body as a means of expression, Embodied Philosophy in Dance deciphers forms of meaning in dance as a medium for perception and realization within the body. In doing so, the book addresses embodied philosophies of mind, hermeneutics, pragmatism, and social theories in order to illuminate the perceptual experience of dancing. It also reveals the interconnections between physical and mental processes of reasoning and explores the nature of physical intelligence.

This book offers an accessible and lively look at yoga philosophy and psychology. Following the model of the eight limbs of yoga the authors engage the tradition from its foundational ethics to the highest states of consciousness. Based on 30 years of research and practice, it connects the insights of this ancient tradition to our lives and the challenges facing us today. This work will appeal to a broad audience including scholars, yoga teachers and practitioners. and general readers who have an interest in philosophy, meditation and psychology.

Kathopaniñad is a unique Upaniñad which starts with a kathä (a story) of a young boy who is ready to face the Lord of Death in his quest for Truth to know what lies beyond death. He asks the very pertinent and philosophical question, ‘Is there or is there not, and if it is what is it?’ In short, this teaching is an extravaganza of spiritual knowledge and meditation that guides a student step by step to the glorious state of immortality, peace and bliss.

Did women in ancient Bh?rat recite the Veda-s, perform agnihotra and wear the yajñopav?ta? Who were R?s?ika-s, Brahmav?dini-s and Yogin?’s, and how did they attain that state? Why are the rules of religious practices similar for women and the ??dra var?a? Can women and the ??dra var?a officiate as temple arcaka-s, and how would this impact them and the temple? Var?a Vidy? provides answers to all those who wish to know the science behind the dharma?a?stra rules for women and the ??dra var?a. Going beyond the sociological understanding of var?a based on j?ti-gu?a-karma, this book takes a deep dive into the biological basis of var?a dharma to answer questions about women and the ??dra var?a, especially in the context of religious practices. More than 100 sa?sk?tam verses from smr?ti-s (Manu, Y?jñavalkya, Par??ara, etc.), the Bhagvad G?t?, ?r?mad Bh?gavatam, Upanis?ad-s and Tantra texts have been covered in this work, revealing their subtle meaning. Several published studies and modern scientific theories have also been included to ease the understanding of the present generation. The book not only answers burning questions of the present time but also explains the science behind the spiritual path prescribed for women and the ??dra var?a. In the process of decoding the rules for women and the ??dra var?a, the science of var?a dharma itself stands revealed as an unintended consequence.

Passionate and forbidden love clashes with tradition and caste in a changing India. Kamala Kumari is more than a Gemini Studio starlet: she's a classical dancer trained in the age-old line of Devadasis, a caste set in place a thousand years ago when girls were first dedicated in south Indian temples to serve the gods and men. From the promise of art and devotion, the sacred dancers fell into the hands of priests who both exalted and betrayed them. Beautiful, brilliant and proud, Kamala struggles to escape the old ways, entangling her Indian assistant, Dutch lover, and his young American wife. With its turbulent passions amid social upheavals, The Last Devadasi takes readers on a sensual feast in the 1970s palm-shaded trading city of Madras.