This is the first of the books by Vibhakar Lele, a Western educated Yogi in his own right, published as 'Autobiography of A Natha Siddha Yogi - A Mystique`s Travails', on Amazon.com and its stores worldwide. It is on the subject of his extensive experiences in the field of Rajayoga aka Kundalini-yoga, the most famous of the Yoga systems which is also called the Maha-yoga to highlight its outstanding character. It is a book of real life experiences of a Yogi. This book has been receiving most widespread response of the readers. There have been more than 1500 reads and around 400 downloads in the past year of the book. A number of enthusiastic readers have contacted the author on reading it and expressed great satisfaction in its reading. Quite a few have been to his home to meet him personally. Hence he is publishing it with the help of Amazon.com and its distribution network for wider availability of this book that appears to be so much liked by the readers. Its print copy is already available on Pothi.com and now at Createspace.com. This is the story of Yogi from the Sadhaka (Initiate) to the state of Siddha (Sainthood), told in earnest which may be useful for those striving upon the Path and also those who study and research into the Oriental discipline of Yoga. In a way, it is secular. Anyone who is on the way to Godhood can learn a lot from this book, irrespective of his religion. It can help one to understand what the saints of every religion had experienced from their initiation to the ultimate state. It is the Oriental Wisdom in its true form and practical demonstration. Its basis is the secret knowledge that the Indian Yogis hold close to their hearts. The scholars of Oriental disciplines can also learn much from it. It narrates many a phenomenon of Yoga with actual experiences and their explanation, including those of the mysterious Kundalini.It is a must read for all interested in the mysteries of Yoga and Kundalini which the Siddha Yogis rarely reveal to all. The author Vibhakar Lele is from the tradition of Siddha Yogis from the Natha sect from Saint Dnyaneshwar who has revealed many secrets of Yoga with experiences on the Path. His book is deemed to be useful also to the Shaktipata and other Kriya-yoga followers and also those who lack adequate guidance form their Gurus/peers. Secondly, it contains an important section on the Yoga and the philosophy of Gita as expounded by the great Maharashtrian Saint Dnyaneshwar. It contains an overall review for the beginners from the Yogic perspective and an all-too-important commentary on the mysterious Kundalini. Science has never explained fully the real basis of life as we know it. Overall, it may satisfy all the craving for the mysterious and the unknown that is never even scraped by modern science. It also gives an understanding of the riddle of the Universe and Life which stands alternatively explained in most cogent terms by the Yogis and Indian philosophers, in their own way. Just please have a look inside the book and decide for yourself. It is deemed to be a book worth keeping and preserving for a lifetime to be passed down the generations for real wisdom of Who We Are and How We achieve the Kingdom that belongs to us, the Nirvana, the Moksha, or whatever one prefers to call it, the Heavens, the Godhood et al. The reader, too, like so many others before him, is expected to find this book vastly entertaining and opening the vista upon a secret dimension that is life of a human being upon this planet. Those who are curious about Yogic experiences will most likely have their curiosity satisfied. Others who are having such experiences themselves may, no doubt, be happy to find clues and explanation to their mysterious experiences. the author would be happy if it be so. If the book adds to your knowledge of Yoga and Gita-Dnyaneshwari, at least a modicum, the author will say that this book has achieved what it was brought forth for.

This is not an ordinary biography. It is as much an inner story as an outer one. And someone who has an inner life as rich as Yogi does, naturally provides teachings through the telling of the outer biography. Yogi has dedicated his life to a deep and enthusiastic pursuit of the ancient path of Yoga and Tantra. Unlike many Western interpretations that trivialise these topics, Yogi presents a profound and illuminating journey through this mystical terrain. Yogi Matsyendranath is the Western world's spiritual leader of the Nath Yoga tradition. Born in Bryansk in the USSR, he graduated from Youngdong University in South Korea and trained in Shri Vidya and Shakta Tantra of Nepal. As well as the Nath tradition, he is an expert in Tantric Puja and Hatha Yoga practice. Author Keith Simons embarked on a personal and interpersonal journey with Yogi in a collaborative creative process. He asked, how did someone born and raised in communist Soviet Union become a leader of Nath Yoga, one of India's oldest spiritual traditions? How did Yogi Matsyendranath become a resident in Australia? After-all, growing up in the atheistic environment of the Soviet Union wasn't exactly conducive to a deep interest and practice of any spiritual path. And Australia is a long way from Russia. I soon began to realise how unusual Yogi's life story was. Interspersed between his life in Russia and becoming a resident of Australia, there were years in other countries, mainly India and South Korea. Yogi is not only an authentic spiritual teacher but also a cosmopolitan citizen in the truest sense. The impressive authenticity and gentle kindness of his character embedded themselves into my daily rhythms of working with him. He was always natural, easygoing and relaxed about how and when we would next meet and so we met as many times as felt necessary to capture the main features of his life story and teachings. I'd never before worked on a draft in this way. There were many challenges in crafting a story in the first person, but on the other hand, the natural empathy I experienced with Yogi helped me to forge ahead with confidence. His aura of fine spiritual qualities never diminished. He was consistently conveying and manifesting authenticity, integrity, wisdom and compassion, and often a delightful childlike humour. His words were penetrating in their simplicity but he could also share difficult and subtle areas of teaching. Such an uprightness and noble persona did Yogi emanate that others often felt in awe of him. His presence naturally and without intention drew attention. This book is dedicated to the spirit of open-minded spiritual research and practice. It is also an example of following one's heart. It is one person's story but in many ways our story too, ordinary and extraordinary at the same time.

“[A] brilliant disquisition on . . . mostly unpublished texts for three allied systems of tantric thought and praxis (sexual, alchemical, and hatha yogic).” —The Journal of Asian Studies The Alchemical Body excavates and centers within its Indian context the lost tradition of the medieval Siddhas. Working from previously unexplored alchemical sources, David Gordon White demonstrates for the first time that the medieval disciplines of Hindu alchemy and hatha yoga were practiced by one and the same people, and that they can be understood only when viewed together. White opens the way to a new and more comprehensive understanding of medieval Indian mysticism, within the broader context of south Asian Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Islam. “White proves a skillful guide in disentangling historical and theoretical complexities that have thus far bedeviled the study of these influential aspects of medieval Indian culture.” —Yoga World “Anyone seriously interested in finding out more about authentic tantra, original hatha yoga, embodied liberation . . . sacred sexuality, paranormal abilities, healing, and of course alchemy will find White’s extraordinary book as fascinating as any Tom Clancy thriller.” —Georg Feuerstein, Yoga Journal “Remarkable . . . a study of the language of mystic experience and expression—the multitudinous symbols, rituals, and doctrines of the medieval siddhis, yogis, and alchemists.” —Skeptic Meditations

On the life and works of Bōganāthar, one of the 18 Siddhars and Tamil poet.

How have the premodern Shaiva ascetic sect of the Nāth Yogīs (known also as the Yogīs with splitted ears) succeeded in maintaining its presence and importance until today? This book intends to give a general survey of this sampradāya which is said to have been founded by the Siddha Gorakhnāth, known for his strong link to Haṭha Yoga. However, rather than to Yoga, the history and expansion of the Nāth sect are linked to its rich legendary corpus. Dealing first with the marks of belonging (such as the huge earrings worn by the fully initiated Yogīs) which give the sect its unity, the book then focuses on its organization and explores the dialectics between the wandering Yogīs and the monastic settlements. The Nāth monasteries belong to two categories: the pañcāyati maṭhs, collectively owned and managed by the sectarian authorities, which ensure the permanency of the sect, and the nījī maṭhs, owned on a personal basis and transmitted from guru to disciple, which permits innovative initiatives The book gives a detailed account of two pañcāyati monasteries, the Kadri Maṭh of Mangalore where its head’s enthronement is spectacularly performed every twelve years, and the Caughera Maṭh of Dang Valley in Nepal, the royal foundation of which gives a glimpse of the complex relationships that can exist between monasteries and kingdoms. It then focuses on three nījī maṭhs: Amritashram in Fatehpur (Rajasthan), Ashtal Bohar in Rohtak (Haryana) and the Gorakhpur mandir (UP). Each of them shows a different mode of adaptation to a modern context and attests of the present importance and continuity of this pluri-secular tradition of asceticism.

This book provides a remarkable range of information on the history, religion, and folklore of the Nāth Yogis. A Hindu lineage prominent in North India since the eleventh century, Nāths are well-known as adepts of Hatha yoga and alchemical practices said to increase longevity. Long a heterogeneous group, some Nāths are ascetics and some are householders; some are dedicated to personified forms of Shiva, others to a formless god, still others to Vishnu. The essays in the first part of the book deal with the history and historiography of the Nāths, their literature, and their relationships with other religious movements in India. Essays in the second part discuss the legends and folklore of the Nāths and provide an exploration of their religious ideas. Contributors to the volume depict a variety of local areas where this lineage is prominent and highlight how the Nāths have been a link between religious, metaphysical, and even medical traditions in India.

Critical study, with English translation, of the works of Ravidasa, 15th century poet.