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| |  | Keyword Search: Murray Perahia | Home » Hatha Yoga Pradipika | | | | | | | Description: | | Hatha Yoga Pradipika (Light on Hatha Yoga) includes the original Sanskrit text compiled by Maharshi Swatmarama with a translation and thorough commentary in english by Swami Satyananda and Swami Muktibodhananda. This text elucidates the entire science of hatha yoga(asana,pranayama,shatkarma,mudra and bandha) as it was conceived and practised not only for healthand fitness but for awakening the vital energies:pranas,chakras and kundalini shakti.It points out that hatha yoga is not just a physical practice but a process of cellular transmutation from gross to subtle to divine.Thus hatha yoga was considered to be the foundation of all higher yogas. Line drawings and diagrams illustrate the text. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Swami Muktibodhananda | | Paperback:
| 642 pages | | Publisher:
| Bihar School of Yoga | | Publication Date:
| September 01, 1998 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 8185787387 | | Product Length:
| 0.39 inches | | Product Width:
| 0.39 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.39 inches | | Product Weight:
| 1.87 pounds | | Package Length:
| 8.3 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.3 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.4 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.8 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 7 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
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Fantastic PradaipikaJul 14, 2010
Amazing compendium of old and new wisdom brought forward with clarity and sympathy by Swami Muktabodhananda. Recommended for all students of Hatha, Raja, Rajadiraja yoga. Traces the history and the cultural/spiritual context in easy-to-understand language mixed with Sanskrit spice.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Another GREAT textFeb 24, 2010
If you are familiar withthe Bihar School of Yoga text, you will know how wonderful their books and insights are. Their research stems not only from a spiritual point of view but from a scientific and medical one.
I had only the mildest of thought of what I might find in this text as I was purchasing it. I figured it would be an indepth book on the religious aspects of the system we know as Yoga. Was I mistaken... Here I found a work so compelling and utterly educating. I can not understand why I hadn't purchased this book earlier. On my quest to understand Yoga and why I do the asana's, pranayama's, mudra's and meditation, I came into contact with the Bihar School of Yoga's great work Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha/2008 Fourth Revised Edition and was blown away. Then came several more books from this school. Every one of these books have taught me something more than what I could ever hope to find on the internet. I delved further into learning true Yoga. This book is no different.
Each text in here begins with the original sanskrit writing. Then follows the engish translation of the sanskrit. Lastly, but in no way less important, follows the translation and expansion of these great writings by Swami Satyananda and Swami Muktibodhananda, giving insight on how things can be done in todays world owing to dramatic change of living and the spreading of these teaching all over the world, adapting it to everyones personal situation. Throughout they suggest that a guru is obtained to walk you through the changes and insights you will likely experience while practicing. I agree with this, but I feel they do such a great job on coaching throughout the book that you can get pretty far without one. I guess that is why these books are used in their Masters and Doctorate Yoga program in Bihar, India. Also, when read carefully, you will notice that they also mention that no matter what your spiritual/religious beliefs this book can still be used to bring you closer to it, to feel it and also to bring you closer to yourself and humanity. This book is for everyone.
Reading this book alone is a journey in of itself. Another great from the Bihar School of Yoga. To go anymore indepth than I already have would take alot more space. I highly recommend this book to any and all who are looking for a guide for a safe practice toward True Yoga (connection with the supreme). Enjoy.
Other books of theirs to consider (they have helped me understand how life and our bodies really work - inside and out, how disease manifests and how to heal) something I have yet to find in via my doctors ...
Dynamics Of Yoga
Yogic Management of Asthma and Diabetes
The Practice of Yoga for the Digestive System
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
into the depths of Hatha YogaMar 03, 2009
Wow, I had no idea the depths of Hatha Yoga until I picked up this book. I think here in the West we have mostly come to know of yoga - even hatha yoga - as the yoga postures and some breathing exercises. The Pradipika really brings the Hatha yoga experience to a whole new level, one that I think many people here are not ready for! A must read for any yoga teacher.
51 of 52 found the following review helpful:
A treasure trove of hard-to-find information!Jan 13, 2008
The preceding reviews do a good job of appraising this book.
I'd just like to add that this is one of the single most expansive, detailed, and frankly, unbelievably-generous books on the esoteric practices of Hatha yoga I have ever encountered. To be quite honest, this book made me realise, in stark terms, how lacking in depth and genuine content (by relative comparison with this book) a large proportion of the English-language books on Hatha yoga are. Most such books concentrate on the basic practical mechanics of learning how to mimic various selections of the familiar asanas, with some commentary and a few philosophical statements from the author, perhaps with a few disjointed interpretations from the Upanishads thrown in for good measure. That is not meant as a criticism in itself as it can be a valid and useful approach and they have no pretences to be any more than they set out to achieve. Neither am I suggesting that all such books are to be found lacking - indeed, many are excellent in their own right, provided your notion of yoga is not that of 'union with the divine' (Erich Schiffmann's 'Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness', for example, is a great Western book that, to some limited extent, bridges the gap a little, in the sense that it does discuss the idea of 'running energy' through one's asanas, rather than treating them purely as musculoskeletal exercises). All I am trying to point out is that, with some notable exceptions such as Erich's work, many Western books on Hatha yoga cover a rather well-trodden path, such that one could pick 3 out of 100 of these books and garner pretty much all the knowledge contained in the other 97.
In contrast to many of the Western yoga books, then, Swami Muktibodhananda's treatment of Swatmarama's classic 'Hatha Yoga Pradipika', delves DEEP into Hatha yoga practices with an authenticity and generosity which are awe-inspiring. Page after page, I kept pinching myself, grinning at what an absolute treasure this book is. Topics and practices which the vast majority of Western so-called yoga 'gurus' have CLEARLY never experienced (and in many cases, never even bothered to learn about even on an intellectual level) are not only given their rightful place within this discussion of the Hatha tradition, but are elucidated in a depth which is both a treat and an inspiration. BSY/YPT publications are widely-revered by sincere yoga practitioners, owing to their invariably detailed and authentic approach. For the uninitiated Western yogi/yogini, they discuss topics which have rarely, if ever, been widely available in print.
As a general rule, the BSY/YPT books are written by authors who have actually experienced what they are writing about (some extremely esoteric practices, way, way beyond the understanding of the general public), and who have been initiated by masters of yoga. Of course, no matter how authentic such writings are, simply reading them will not provide the reader with true understanding of the practices, since only physically practicing them oneself can lead to true understanding (a primary reason for a guru being so beneficial when embarking upon such a course of practice).
That being said, the sincere practitioner in the West, who generally does not have the luxury of a guru, has to begin somewhere and BSY/YPT books are undoubtedly some of the best sources in the world for English-speakers to learn about such practices.
With this in mind, if you are sincerely interested in Yoga for its true purpose, rather than simply for the Westernised 'keep-fit; get-chilled' interpretation, and various variations thereof, then RUN, don't walk, to buy a copy of this book; it is *E-S-S-E-N-T-I-A-L* reading for anyone wanting to learn the REAL, AUTHENTIC, and rarely-discussed Hatha Yoga practices. Swatmarama and Muktibodhananda have bestowed an immense gift upon the world with this masterpiece.
This is, in my humble opinion, one of the best, and best-value English-language books available in the world today on Hatha yoga. All the BSY books that I own are excellent and head and shoulders above the crowd, but 'Hatha Yoga Pradipika' is one of the best, even of these.
Speaking of BSY/YPT (Bihar School of Yoga / Yoga Publications Trust) books, Satyananda's 'Kundalini Tantra' is also a highly-informative and enjoyable read (and if you're really interested in Kriya, as a related topic, then I recommend Hariharananda's book 'Kriya Yoga' because although he doesn't describe the actual methodology of Kriya techniques, he does provide very interesting discussion on scientific principles relating to Kriya practice and the cakras).
Not so 'readable', but fantastic if you want to REALLY *PRACTICE* TRUE Yoga, and are not intimidated by the prospect of proceeding upon an extended-duration course of learning, is Satyananda's 'A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya'. Owing to it's seemingly-high cost, I bought this book with some trepidation but it is simply incredible and worth 10 times (yes, really) its price IF you are SERIOUS about practising Yoga with the sincere ideal of achieving spiritual growth of the very highest levels. This book contains such a concentrated breadth, depth and profundity of wisdom, it's quite extraordinary (...and if you'd like to learn where to go once you've mastered the 20 core kriyas, though this might take several lifetimes, the BSY title 'Dharana Darshan-Yogic,Tantric and Upanishadic Practices of Concentration and Visualization' by Swami Niranjanananda contains interesting discussion about progressing to Laya techniques - held by some to be the absolute pinnacle, and, frankly, probably unattainable for all but a tiny fraction of even the sincerest and most dedicated sadakhas. Nonetheless, it makes for fascinating reading and provides wider context for your kriya practice. Incidentally, Shyam Sundar Goswami's 'Layayoga: The Definitive Guide to the Chakras and Kundalini' is about as detailed a text as one is likely to find on the topic of Laya yoga, but be warned that it is intimidating in the extreme - even just attempting to read it coherently is a challenge, such is the depth and detail of this text).
Note that there is some overlap between most of the BSY/YPT titles (in terms of outlining the practical methodology of certain yogic techniques) when placed alongside 'A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya', owing to it's encylopaedic scope. However, 'A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya' does not flesh out the topics in depth - it describes what their fundamental purpose is, how to go about practising them, and how they relate to one another, as the books title accurately implies. Therefore, if you want to understand, in more detail, the history, variations, philosophical implications, and sundry details etc. then you will still need, as your practice progresses, the other titles in the BSY/YPT catalogue, such as 'Hatha Yoga Pradipika'. To be honest, if you're serious about learning Kriya yoga techniques, then no matter how encyclopaedic your reference books, you should still be earnestly seeking a guru who has actually walked the path before you. Neither the finding nor the actual learning is an easy task, of course.
Please bear in mind that my interest in the book 'A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya' reflects the fact that my interest in yoga is primarily for the true purpose of yoga - a path of purification, on all levels, with the eventual aim of achieving union with the infinite. Readers who care for yoga only for the purposes of achieving good physical health (a perfectly legitimate reason, in its own right) would probably be better served by practical asana textbooks such as:
'Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness' by Erich Schiffmann
'The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga' by Vishnu Swami Devananda
'Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha' by Swami Satyananda
'Classical Hatha Yoga' by Swami Rajarshi Muni
In summary, 'Hatha Yoga Pradipika' thoroughly upholds the BSY/YPT tradition of providing close-to-bullet-proof yoga education (to the extent that the printed medium permits) and is a book for the enthusiast rather than the casual yogi/yogini. If you ARE such an enthusiast you will find the book a highly-rewarding read. Based, as it is, upon the seminal work of Swami Swatmarama, the lions share of the credit must go to him. However, Swami Muktibodhananda (and her overseer, Swami Satyananda) have been very generous in their elucidation of Swatmarama's sanskrit writings, often discussing details which extend beyond the literal interpretation of Swatmarama's statements, but which are deemed to be useful to the modern reader, either to provide a broader context, or to include actual techniques relating to those originally stated, which may improve or supplement them, to the benefit of the sincere practitioner. It is this generous treatment of the material, and the trustworthy source of the interpretations, which makes this book such a gem.
My only possible criticism of this book is the discussion on Khechari Mudra, which, though I am not advanced enough to have experienced it personally, does appear to be rather at odds with the superbly frank and detailed discussion provided the topic in Swami Rajarshi Muni's 'Classical Hatha Yoga'. That is not to say that Swami Muktibodhananda's discussion of Khechari Mudra is incorrect, but I would advise readers to additionally read Swami Rajarshi Muni's discussion of the practice in his book, rather than considering 'Hatha Yoga Pradipika' to represent 'the last word' on that particular practice. Actually, if you are serious about Hatha yoga, in the deeper sense, rather than just keeping fit, I very firmly recommend Swami Rajarshi Muni's outstanding 'Classical Hatha Yoga', too, as it delves deeply into the topic in a manner that compliments 'Hatha Yoga Pradipika' very well indeed. Note that Swami Rajarshi also discusses the subtle energetic and spiritual effects of asanas, which is a key point of the more authentic purpose of asanas.
That minor concern aside, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this interpretation of 'Hatha Yoga Pradipika' and I'd like to personally thank Swami Muktibodhananda for her huge efforts in bringing this wonderful book of Swatmarama's within the grasp of modern practitioners who may not be fortunate enough to practise under the guidance of a guru, in an ashram environment.
Incidentally, if you find yourself standing at a crossroads with regard to whether you want to move from an initial interest in Westernised yoga, towards the more traditional, spiritually-focused side, then you'd be wise to read Theos Bernard's two books 'Heaven Lies within us' and 'Hatha Yoga, The Report of a Personal Experience' (note that these often go out of print but then reappear a couple of years later - contact Harmony Publishing in the UK). Also, a frankly brilliant read is Yogi Manmoyanand's 'Sivananda Buried Yoga', which I've read since originally posting this review and which 'Ad Rosam Per Crucum' also recommended in their insightful Comment herein. Yogi Manmoyanand's work is one of the single best books I've ever read, in terms of his own disillusionment with inauthentic and Westernised interpretations of yoga, and his intent to set the record straight, having eventually found a guru who knew, and taught him, the real deal, up in the Himalayas. He discusses some really cool stuff relating to the fabric of the universe in relation to how TRUE asana practice should unfold. Mindblowing stuff that I've never seen anywhere else and which, at last, helped me understand the WHY of asana in true spiritual practice.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
A essential book for the serious hatha yoga practitionerNov 25, 2007
I read this book from cover to cover and relished in its depth and scope of the many hatha yoga practices and techniques regarding asanas, pranayamas, mudras and meditation . Although some of the practices are not for the novice (particularly some of the ayurvedic cleansing techniques), and the text is historically reflective of its general bias towards men with regard to many of the practices, it is, overall, a wonderful translation of an ancient text. For those who want to move away from new age dribble, I highly recommend this book and feel it is a "must-have" for any serious yoga practitioner.
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