The Inner Life of Asanas: The Best of Hidden Language Hatha Yoga from Ascent Magazine

Here is a fascinating introduction to the practices of Hidden Language Hatha Yoga, a style founded by Swami Sivananda Radha, Swami Lalitananda's friend and teacher for more then 25 years. (Radha was also the first Western woman to be initiated as a sannyasin, or renunciate, by Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh.) The book, which focuses on developing awareness, not muscles, is a collection of Lalitananda's columns written for ascent magazine, a Montreal-based yoga and spirituality magazine. Mantra, meditation, and visualization are all used to open the body and mind to self-inquiry; journaling and refleting on a pose's symbology are encouraged to explore associations and provide new perspectives. For example, after practicing a pose, readers show more are asked to write about their feelings and observations, to facilitate greater understanding of the connection between world and self. In five chapters outlining the progression of yoga (awareness, choice, action, devotion, and unity), Lalitananda reflects on her own experiences with the Hidden Language technique and takes you through 26 asanas with the secrets they can unlock. --Katherine Rae, yoga JOURNAL

Product Description:

Guided by the principle that the mystical or spiritual messages of the asanas are available to everybody, and that working with a limited number of postures is a teaching unto itself, this book teaches 25 hatha yoga postures and offers thematically tailored reflections that inspire a sense of investigation into the Self. Each chapter contains columns that explain, by example, how yoga and spirituality can bridge the outer world and inner life.

About the Author:

Swami Lalitananda is a yoga teacher, author and columnist for ascent magazine. She is the director of radha yoga & eatery in Vancouver, Canada, a space that embraces yoga, art, cultue and community. She has studied Swami Sivananda Radha's teaching for over 30 years, and took sannyasa in 1996. She has taught Hidden Language Hatha Yoga since 1988. show less