This is Volume V of ten in a collection of works on India: Religion and Philosophy. Originally published in 1924, this study is an attempt at a brief exposition of the philosophical and religious doctrines found in Patafijali's Yoga-sutra as explained by its successive commentaries of Vyasa, Vacaspati, Vijfiana Bhikshu, and others.

A succinct, approachable guide to the origins, development, key texts, concepts, and practices of yoga. Yoga is practiced by many millions of people worldwide and is celebrated for its mental, physical, and spiritual benefits. And yet, as Daniel Simpson reveals in The Truth of Yoga, much of what is said about yoga is misleading. For example, the word “yoga” does not always mean union. In fact, in perhaps the discipline’s most famous text—the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali—its aim is described as separation: isolating consciousness from everything else. And yoga is not five thousand years old, as is commonly claimed; the earliest evidence of practice dates back about twenty-five hundred years. (Yoga may well be older, but no one can prove it.) The Truth of Yoga is a clear, concise, and accessible handbook for the lay reader that draws upon abundant recent scholarship. It outlines these new findings with practitioners in mind, highlighting ways to keep traditions alive in the twenty-first century.

There are three sacred texts (i.e. giving the word of God) on Yoga: the Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika by Svatmarama. These set out completely different paths: loving God, self knowledge and health. The Yoga Sutras in particular is shown in this book to be very strange. There are three sacred texts underpinning the philosophy of Hinduism (known as Vedanta): the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita and the Brahma Sutras. There is one text underlying Christianity: the Bible. One version of the bible differs from another. It has been subject to complex theological and political influences over the millennia. Even in the New Testament, Jesus says some nice things but some silly things. Christianity gives a fourth path, following Jesus. There is one sacred text underlying Islam: the Koran. Islam is a fifth way, ’to submit to and serve God’. The Gita, the Koran and the Yoga Sutras all state that you need to surrender to God in order to make progress on your life path. Hatha yoga is preparatory to this. They all say that you need to serve humanity. Unlike with the Bible and the Yoga texts, though, the Gita and Koran do not ask you to believe in magic. The author, with 57 years’ of yoga practice, 40 years’ of yoga teaching experience, and a deep study of these texts, has written this book from a practitioner’s perspective. He surrendered his body, mind and soul to God in 2002 and since has been practicing Bhakti yoga, with a view to serving God by helping all nice people he meets to be happy. In this book he shows that the different texts highlight different paths that you may wish to follow: you need to choose. Whatever path you choose, you will find that Kundalini (Iyengar) yoga will help you to serve God better, by improving and maintaining your health. The author hopes that this book will help you to find your life path, to progress in it (using Kundalini or Iyengar) yoga to help you and to solve any physical, sexual, emotional, love, mental, spiritual or divine energy sphere issues you may have, and to become happier.

Yoga is one of the most ancient and strikign products of the Hindu mind and character. It has claims both as a system of practical discipline and a system of philosophical thought. Though much has been written on the practical side of the yoga very little has come up of it in relation to other systems of Indian thought. The present book fulfils long-felt desideratum. It compares and contrasts some of the central concepts of yoga with similar concepts of other systems of Indian philosophical thought. The book is divided into eleven chapters. The book is fully documented. It has a preface introduction and general index.

Enhance your practice and your life with the mindful wisdom of yoga. The profound inspiration that yoga promises begins not in the body, but in the mind. In The Yoga Mind, internationally renowned yoga expert Rina Jakubowicz takes a simple, accessible approach to the complex origins of yoga philosophy. With clear, thoughtful guidance, The Yoga Mind offers everything you need to deepen your yoga practice and discover a meaningful way of life. Your complete resource for bringing yoga philosophy off the mat and into your life, The Yoga Mind includes: Clear explanations of core yoga principles that turn complex theories into memorable lessons Guided meditations and simple exercises that offer clear, tangible instruction for practicing each principle in your daily life A structured approach to vital yoga themes that brings clarity to crucial, but rarely understood, concepts Whether you read The Yoga Mind cover to cover or skip to a certain topic, you'll find simple actions to incorporate the principles of yoga into a yoga practice that is meaningful to you.