The Spiritual Teachings of Yoga

by Mark Forstater

The beneficial effect of practising yoga is well-cited and further evident in its phenomenal growth in recent years. The ancient philosophy behind yoga practice, however, is less well known in the west. In this spiritual book, the authors introduce the wisdom of yoga that leads to a way of life that is at least 5,000 years old in India. The word 'yoga' means union, and the teachings of yoga convey a union on all levels of being as the person is at one with itself, with the divine, and with nature. Presenting the key philosophical texts from the "Yoga Sutras", the "Bhagavad Gita", the "Vedas" and the "Upanishads" in an accessible, poetic manner, this book explores the recurrent themes common to all schools of yoga - explaining how they can be incorporated into our lives to deepen the yoga experience.

304 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2008

Reviews

[Alison S ☯️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a useful complement to my weekly yoga class. Recommended for anyone wanting to find out more about the philosophy underpinning the physical aspects of yoga. A nice selection of passages taken from three different texts. I listened to the audio version which was greatly enhanced by the three narrators.

[MRS Y M SOMERVILLE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative

I read this book prior to starting a yoga teacher training course. For me it challenged some of my beliefs and helped me to question these. I found d I do I g this I identified with lots of aspects of the book and struggled with other aspects. I look forward to a group discussion to deepen my understanding. Sometimes I found the language in the book meant it did not flow for me and I would have to read a chapter or paragraph again to fully comprehend which is why I rated it 4

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read chapters of this book while going through my yoga teacher training. This book was clearly written and easily read and a great help to understanding the philosophy underpinning yoga

[Jane Thomsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

First part was good for me, but as the book went on, I found I was not gaining anything from it.

[Pauly Morphous · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone only one year into their yoga practice, this was the right book at the right time for me.
Mark Forstater distills a lot of the teachings in the first half into a very effective overview of the main aims and broad history of yoga, articulating in effective terms many ideas and feelings you will have likely had along the course of your own journey.
The second half of the book deals with the Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita. While the Upanishads again offer many pertinent lessons, they do tend to repeat themselves a lot as presented in this section of the book but the portion relating to the Bhagavad Gita shifts back up a gear at the end and offers some more context and insight.

In summation, a wonderful overview I would recommend for anyone but especially for yoga neophytes.