Yoga's Forgotten Foundation: Twenty Timeless Keys to Your Divine Destiny

by Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

A must-read for serious yoga practitioners, meditators and anyone deeply involved with transformative spiritual life, Yoga's Forgotten Foundation delves into the integrated approach to yoga as taught by the great masters of India. It is a cogent reminder to those who want to start at the end of the spiritual path that there is an essential beginning, the neglect of which portends failure and disappointment. In 224 pages, with full-color Indian art, it explores the traditional foundation of yoga, twenty little-known guidelines on personal ethics, self-control and religious practice, called the yamas and niyamas. The yamas and niyamas have been preserved through the centuries as the first and second stage of the eight-staged practice of yoga. They provide the essential foundation to support our yoga practice so that attainments in higher consciousness can be sustained. The book begins with a forward by the author's spiritual successor, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, and takes the reader step by step through noninjury, truthfulness, nonstealing, sexual purity, patience, contentment and other facets of virtue. Grounded in a traditional Hindu point of view, yet admirably relevant to us all, the book discusses some of the toughest issues and challenges of modern life, including promiscuity, domestic abuse, child-rearing, overeating, gambling, vegetarianism, violence, injustice and pornography—relating them all to progress on the yoga path. It also explores the essential practices, including charity, worship, chanting mantras, austerity and scriptural study. 224 pages, full color.

224 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2004

Reviews

[Jon Banks]

Great book. I refer to it frequently because it is such a good guide for daily living. Not just for Hindu's but for anyone trying to live a moral life.

[shiv sahil guleri]

People jump into yoga without knowing these basic rules and regulations(yamas and niyamas) . Title of book justifies it. I think it's best book out there to know about yamas and niyamas .