Tibetan Yoga of Movement introduces the method of Yantra Yoga, a traditional Tibetan form that is one of the oldest recorded systems of yoga in the world. Derived from an eighth-century Tibetan Buddhist text, Yantra Yoga includes many positions similar to those of Hatha Yoga in form, but different in the dynamics of the way in which they are practiced, especially in the coordination of movement and breathing. The Yantra Yoga system encompasses 108 sets of movements (yantras) and several types of breathing to be learned at your own pace. Due to its emphasis on uniting breathing and movement, Yantra Yoga can deepen the experience of yoga practitioners from any tradition and profoundly benefit anyone seeking authentic balance, harmony, and the understanding of our true nature.
Since the eighth century, this yoga teaching has been passed down from teacher to student in an unbroken lineage. Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, the current lineage holder, began transmitting Yantra Yoga in the West in the 1970s. Presenting detailed instructions accompanied by over 400 instructional photos, the book describes the sequences of movements, methods of breathing, and the concrete health benefits of the practice.
Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche (Tib. ཆོས་རྒྱལ་ནམ་མཁའི་ནོར་བུ Chos-rGyal Nam-mkha'i Nor-bu) was one of the foremost 20th century masters of Dzogchen and lead Buddhist retreats through out the world. As a child he was recognized as the reincarnation of the great Dzogchen Master Adzom Drugpa (1842-1924) and later by the sixteenth Karmapa as a reincarnation of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (1594-1651), the first Dharmaraja of Bhutan. (Dharmaraja in Sanskrit and Chögyal in Tibetan are both honorific titles meaning "King of the Teachings." Rinpoche is likewise an honorific meaning "Precious One.")
In 1960, following the deterioration of the social and political situation in Tibet, he moved to Italy on the invitation of the well-known orientalist Prof. Giuseppe Tucci. There, he contributed to giving a concrete stimulus to the spread of Tibetan culture in the West. After teaching Yantra Yoga in Naples for several years, in the mid-seventies he started giving Dzogchen teachings, encountering a growing interest throughout the West.