Table of Contents
Introduction 9
Endnotes 13
1 The Origins of Yoga 15
No Aryan Invasion? 16
Yogic Paths 17
The Vedas 18
Soteriology 19
The Caste System 21
Sacred Sound (Representing the Brahmins) 30
The First Links with Yoga 30
The Significance of the Horse 30
Ashwini Mudra 31
Linguistic Relatives 32
The Indus Valley Civilization 33
Wild and Domestic Animals in the Vedas 33
Terracotta Seals of the Indus Valley 35
Mythologizing 38
Atmospheric Conditions 41
The Elements 42
Prana 43
Mystics 46
Prana/Apana 47
Kundalini 50
Spiralling Interconnections 51
Death and Reincarnation 52
The Mrityunjaya Mantra 52
Moving On 53
Aparigraha - Letting Go 53
Twist 56
Relaxation in Shavasana 57
Endnotes 58
2 The Brahmanas and Aranyakas 59
The Great Bird of Prana 60
Transition 61
The Sliding Timeline 63
Accepting the Mystery 64
Shedding to Move On 65
Pranayama 66
Endnotes 68
3 Self-Realization in the Upanishads 69
Form 70
The Yoga Upanishads 72
Soteriology 73
Harnessing the Horses 73
Maya 74
Samkhya and Unification 75
Reincarnation 76
Meditation 77
The Elements 80
Death 80
Pedigree 81
Brahman 83
Yoga 83
The Five Energy Bodies 85
Prana 86
Om 90
Kundalini 92
Practice 94
Dharma 95
The Kundalini Upanishad 95
Endnotes 98
4 Buddhism 101
Soteriology 103
The Legacy 106
Evolution 112
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy 113
Anyone Can Be a Buddhist 114
Endnotes 116
5 The Ramayana 117
Form 118
The Story 119
Hanuman's Pedigree 120
Endnote 127
6 The Mahabharata 129
The Story of the Mahabharata 131
Allusions to Yoga in the Mahabharata 136
Yogic Instructions in the Mahabharata 142
Moksha Dharma 142
The Power of Yoga 144
Endnotes 148
7 The Bhagavad Gita 149
Background 149
The Battleground 151
Soteriology 152
Krishna and Bhakti Yoga 153
Samkhya in the Bhagavad Gita 155
Rebirth 158
Dharma 160
Location 162
Krishna in His Universal Form 163
The Three Gunas 166
Yoga in the Bhagavad Gita 171
Jnana and Karma Yoga 173
Karma Yoga 175
Raja Yoga 176
Death 177
Endnotes 180
8 Patanjali 181
The Legend of Patanjali 182
Patanjali, the Rational Mystic 184
Underpinning Philosophy - Samkhya 185
The Point of Patanjali 188
The Gunas 192
Five Types of Vritti 193
Tricky Trikonasana 193
The Eight Limbs of Yoga 203
Siddhis 214
Kaivalya - Absolution 218
Endnotes 219
9 The Puranas 221
Soteriology 222
The Vehicle of Story-Telling 223
Organization 223
The Bhagavat Purana 224
The Cosmic Web 229
Yoga in the Puranas 230
All Is Not as It Seems 230
The Churning of the Ocean of Milk 232
The Divine Feminine 234
The Goddess of the Black Bee 237
From the Rigveda 240
Endnotes 242
10 The Hatha Yoga Pradipika 243
Soteriology 245
Goraksha and Other Influences 245
Asanas 247
Pranayama 248
Kundalini 251
Prana 252
Firing the Pot of the Pranayama 253
Chakras 254
Raja Yoga 256
Jalandhara Bandha 256
Uddiyana Bandha 258
Khechari Mudra 261
The Point of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika 264
Endnotes 266
11 Tantra 269
Soteriology 269
Tantric Texts 270
Embracing the Taboo 270
Tantra and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika 271
Tantric Dharana 273
Asana, Pranayama and Dharana with the Pancha Dharanas (Five Fixations) 274
Sound 278
Asana as a Tantric Medium 279
Endnotes 282
12 Yoga Today 283
The Role of the Guru 283
Diet 284
Yoga as Therapy 285
Integration 285
Endnotes 286
References 287
Further Reading 291
Index 293
