The classic manual on Hatha Yoga. This affordable, definitive edition of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika contains the original Sanskrit, a new English translation, and full-page photographs of all the asanas.

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Brian Dana Akers brings us a new translation set with the English following the Sanskrit verse by verse. His style is straightforward, clear and elegant. He does not make the mistake of trying to translate yogic terms that are really not translatable, e.g., "nadi," "prana," "bandha," "mudra," etc. Instead he invites us to use a dictionary of yoga. He also makes the sly suggestion in his brief but graceful Introduction that "the scientifically minded do some empirical research. In a peaceful country, in a quiet place, free of all anxieties..." (p. xii)

Well, I have done some small research and I can tell you that Svatmarama knows whereof he speaks. I can also say along with Akers that I do not recommend some of Svatmarama's practices, (some of the "cleansing" mudras are unnecessary today; indeed they are dangerous) and clearly the old master exaggerates. However, his intention was not hyperbole. He spoke instead in what is called an "intentional language" that would guide teachers and advanced practitioners without confusing or revealing too much to beginners. This way of speaking is also called samdhya-bhasha ("twilight language") according to Georg Feuerstein. Thus a practice that allows one to become "young, even if old" may be distinguished from another practice that "destroys death," which in turn may be distinguished from one which leads to the place where "time is not."

Even though I first encountered the text almost 25 years ago and have read it several times, I did indeed find a dictionary helpful. I used Georg Feuerstein's definitive The Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga (1997), but could have also used an English-Sanskrit dictionary to explore the more secular meanings of some words, which might have given me a better feel for some of the nuances of expression used by Svatmarama. To really appreciate Svatmarama's text perhaps this from Feuerstein might be helpful: "Language has the curious capacity to both disclose and veil the truth, and since ancient times the masters of India's spirituality have been especially sensitive to the possibilities and the limitations of linguistic communication." (Opus cited, p. 167) Rather than throw himself into the briar patch of Svatmarama's expression, Akers has wisely stepped to the side and let the text speak for (and against) itself.

But what is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika? It is simply a course in how to obtain samadhi, or liberation or freedom from the pairs of opposites that dominate our lives. It begins with asana and pranayama and ends with transcendence. All of the postures so familiar to us, and all of the breathing exercises have but one purpose: meditation leading to pushing aside the veil of ignorance that characterizes ordinary existence. It takes a long time to get there. The "empirical research" that Akers recommends will be a project of years (unless of course one is particularly gifted).

What is not mentioned in Svatmarama's delineation are the ethical and spiritual considerations called the yamas and niyamas that we find in Patanjali. I recommend that the Hatha Yoga Pradipika be studied in conjunction with Patanjali's celebrated sutras as aids to your practice. They have much in common, but there are some significant differences. Svatmarama makes no concessions to political correctness nor to social or religious considerations. His text is indeed striking in its terse and single-minded, even profane, ambition. Quite simply there is a problem: bondage to samsara. And there is a solution: hatha yoga leading to raja yoga leading to liberation.

Brian Dana Akers and the people at YogaVidya are to be complimented for bringing this text to the general public and for doing so in a most attractive manner. This is the book you want after you have finished with the popular texts.

25 of 25 found the following review helpful:

The classical Hatha Yoga Manual with Sanskrit & EnglishOct 19, 2004
By Joanna Daneman
This is a unique translation of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Sometime in the 15th Century, Yogi Svatmarama put down his principals of the practice of Yoga. Many of these include the mysteries of Kundalini --the coiled center of energy close to the base of the spine. But there is a lot more here for the student of yoga, including photos of the various "asanas" or positions, health, diet and mental hygiene. If you read Sanskrit, this would be a treasure. If you don't, you still have a line-by-line translation of this ancient and honored work. It's like listening to the yogi himself as he lectures his disciples. Fascinating reading--and if you are a practicing yogi or yogini, you'll find this insightful.

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:

Simple and lucid translationFeb 07, 2010
By Ashwini Aragam
If you have ever glimpsed at an ancient Indian writing, you are bound to be stuck with the interpretation of the author - whether you agree or disagree. With his translation of the 'Hatha Yoga Pradipika', Brian Dan Akers does a wonderful job of keeping his aim of interpretation to the reader. The translation is simple and clear; loyal to the original text. The English translation juxtapositioned with the Sanskrit text provides clear insight into what Svatmarama had in mind. You can see a lot of thought has gone into making this text clutter-free and simple.

As with many aged Indian texts, you will find the verses often flowery or redundant, but that is the way it was. Brian manages to stick to his objective of passing this ancient text to the reader in its original sense as you can read from his acknowledgement. What I like about this text is that I can go back to the 'source' and quickly read up on an asanas or a mudra as it was taught by the teacher. This gives me the freedom to mould my yoga experience with the ancient teachings. As with other publications from the publisher - [...] - you will find many clear contextual photographs that aid your interpretation. Now I can rest assured when I travel I can take a whole set of Yogic teachings - Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Shiva Samhita, Gherand Samhita and Bhagavad Gita - along with me without burdening the baggage. These books are a must have in your Yoga libraray for their original content and conciseness.

A translation you can readMay 10, 2012
By cutter
Far too often The Hatha Yoga Pradipika is translated in to wooden clunky verses speckled with Sanskrit. While the translator renders most of the text clearly some lines such as "rub the body with water born of fatigue" are needlessly wordy. We would understand if he had left it at "rub your body when it sweats." The speckling of untranslated Sanskrit is less than other translations I have read in the past, and that in its self makes the book worth buying. Having read two of the translators books now I notice that they do not have many notes or a glossary. Both would be helpful, but by no means void the text. Indeed the text written in such a way that the relevance of hatha to raja yoga is very clear, as is the relevance to Kundalini Shakti. The sections on mudras have no pictures but many points are covered in the text and the translation so clearly I could follow along without trouble. Other parts about Kundalini are not so clear, though that is part of the text and not the translators fault. (The Shiva Samhita does a better job of explaining this in my opinion). Oddly enough, the long descriptions forth section is very helpful in training the mind to discern the subtle anatomy in the third section. In addition, the forth section leads in to raja yoga directly.

An ideal basic translation, without excessive adornmentFeb 01, 2012
By Dennis2468 "Dennis2468"
I found all of the other reviews of this book to be very helpful, so am writing this review to emphasize that this book consists of a very basic translation of the original work which I found, as a beginning student, quite accessible (as opposed to being esoteric and full of weird terms).

I second another reviewer's comment that the writer's translation style is "straightforward, clear and elegant".

I will add, in this review, a comment about where this book fits into the overall study of yoga. This book is one of the basic reference texts. Not the only one, but its value is that it is short, and contains JUST the translation of the basic text by the same name (Hatha Yoga Pradipika) that was originally published in the fifteenth century, in Sanskrit.

I think it would be difficult for anyone to just take this book and start learning yoga from scratch. One could do that, but most people will probably want to work with an instructor, and/or use videos which can be downloaded from the internet. Anyone starting yoga would also be well advised to try several different instructors, if that is possible, and practice with the style that seems to resonate best.

I only started doing serious reading about yoga after I began to learn and practice Ashtanga Yoga, which -- unfortunately, I think -- wasn't until about three years into my own practice. Now, I consider this book to be a basic and indispensible reference source. Many other books might refer to its translations, but for what it is -- a simple and unadorned translation of the actual original text -- it is very useful. Kind of like having a "pocket" dictionary to walk around with when you are in a foreign country, compared to having a big, fat, huge comprehensive dictionary to use when you are at home with all of your other books when you are going into more detailed studies.

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