The Deeper Dimension of Yoga: Theory and Practice

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a veritable treasure chest of information, insight, ideas and inspiration for practice, contemplation and just about everything having to do with yoga.Unlike the previous Feuerstein book I reviewed (The Path of Yoga), this is not an integrated text but rather a collection of essays and musings by the author. Even if you didn't know this, you would quickly suspect it since, while the sections of the book are arranged thematically (general orientation, ethics, practices, etc.), the "chapters" all have a self-contained feel to them. There is also the sense that many were originally part of some larger unit and so when they end they sometimes do so rather abruptly. You're ploughing into the meat of some topic, turn the page, and-wham!-you're on to the next "chapter." This can be a bit jolting, but not all the essays are like this-most have a fully rounded, finished feel to them-but it's often enough that you start expecting/bracing for it. Because the book consists of essays you will also get a fair bit of repetition which, for some people, may be annoying, but for others, who want to drum certain points/facts into their heads, may well be ideal. As for a more in-depth review of the book's contents, with a collection of essays, touching on highlights is the usual approach, and that's what I'll do here.Clearly Feuerstein has thought a lot about Yoga. As noted, there is something of a"treasure chest" feel to the book; you never know what's up next until you turn the page. And while the vast majority of pieces aim at being informative, many are reflective as well, though only one can be truly called self-revealing. That would be "Crossing the Boundary between Hinduism and Buddhism via Tantra-Yoga," which describes Feuerstein's "conversion" (if that's the right word-probably not) from Hindu yoga to Buddhist yoga (ala Vajrayana). Easily the best of the reflective pieces is #62, "Faith and Surrender: A New Look at the Eightfold Path," a brilliant essay I would heartily recommend for multiple rereadings.As a scholar though Feuerstein excels at dispensing information. He does this in breadth by touching on just about every conceivable application and type of yoga (I never even knew there was such a thing as buddhi-yoga!), and depth: for example, an eleven page essay on OM reveals this all-important seed mantra's rich textual and cultural legacy. A couple dozen regular volumes might be necessary to cover this much ground and there's no way every topic can be considered in depth; for that you'll have to seek other books. But wait! Dr. Feuerstein has most graciously already considered your predicament and provided an illuminating overview entitled "Introducing the Great Literary Heritage of Hindu Yoga"! An excellent little piece unto itself, an annotated bibliography of books is appended to it, citing quality tomes on general yoga, the Vedas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads, Patanjali, the Epics, Gita, Tantrism and more. All you incurable bibliophiles out there should do three prostrations in Georg's direction. (BTW, he lives in Canada.)There's very little one can complain about regarding this book. Feuerstein is a writer of clarity and concision, thoughtfulness, depth and sensitivity, not to mention vast knowledge--the man may have read just about everything on the subject. The only, ONLY gripe I might have is a slight tendency-which, frankly, coming from the pen of a scholar is rather ironic-toward a sort of textual fundamentalism. For example, writing on the Mahabharata he repeatedly refers to the war the poem describes as the greatest ever fought on Indian soil and even speaks of "the godman" Krishna as a historical person. This kind of thing comes up more than once-and invariably caused my face to screw up in an incredulous squint-so I have to assume Feuerstein actually believes these things. Suffice to say, I would grant Krishna less historicity than Moses or Lao-tzu, and as for the battle, while I suspect the story has its roots in some historical event(s), I doubt its fidelity to facts in any way exceeds that of the Iliad or the romances of King Arthur.That being said, buy the book! You won't regret it; Feuerstein's writings will lead you on to richer yogic horizons!

Feuerstein is an accomplished academic and writer and this book will serve its audience well. This collection of essays makes for an easy read for those just beginning a study on yoga, and there is much here for the advanced student as well. While I appreciate Feuerstein's candor in the essays, he often makes statements alluding to a "higher" yoga that he identifies as a continuous yoga whereby one moves beyond the "mere experience" of Nirvikalpa Samadhi. This wishful thinking on the part of academics and the spiritual minded alike speaks to a desire for some reward for spiritual practice in the form of rarified and saintly behavior. This affected behavior can then be displayed to show one's accomplishment as an advanced adept of yoga. Unfortunately this thinking is but a mental construct propagated by those eager to show some type of positive display of the virtues of yogic discipline. I am not saying that yogic discipline is impotent in influencing one's behavior, but I am saying that in all cases these affectations are not the result of some "higher" yoga. Nirvikalpa Samadhi is not just "another experience," as Feuerstein points out, but rather it is the continuous state of timeless reality that is known when the time-bound experience of mental construction is pacified. Unfortunately direct awareness of one never occurs in the presence of the other. So, while it would be very exciting to imagine god-men among us that have simultaneous experience of both....It is simply not so. But, it is the desire of some to entertain the notion that there could be. Also, there is no shortage of gurus who are happy to live out these affectations and enjoy the adoration of their disciples. So, take Mr. Feuerstein's proclamations of this nature with a grain of salt.

this is a book of many, many short chapters that cover a lot of yoga topics. It's a great primer, and there are lots of suggestions for further reading. Great book for 200 or 300-hr teacher training.

As for so many of Georg's scholarly works this book is wonderful BUT PLEASE can we see more (read that as all) his books available as ebooks for Kindle. Anyone that both thinks about the environment and who reads (especially in the case of reference books) is desperately trying; or should be, to save the planet and it would help if Amazon and Authors would assist by releasing all books in electronic format!

A good read ,but the author seem to have a chip on his shoulder about the west. If your able to get past that you'll like the book.

This book offers some very nice perspective on some of the themes that you are sure to brush up against as you progress in your practice. From giving descriptions of the origins of terms, etc.. to tackling some current and past cultural/societal issues from a Yogic perspective. Very enlightening!

Great book for those just starting their journey into the yoga world.

Used as a reference for graduate studies.

I purchased this book for my 200-hr Yoga Teacher Training, and while reading it, I can feel a space open up in my mind; it's as if the words are creating room for broader and more far-reaching ideas. The amount of information possessed by this single book is beyond imaginable - I would highly recommend pairing with a notebook and some notes, as it is sometimes heavy to digest. Overall, a very rewarding read; if you are interested in metaphysical and spiritual ideas with regard to yoga, you are going to enjoy this one!

this is a great book to get an overall understanding of yoga. We use it in our yoga teacher training and the yoga students also have enjoyed it. There are a couple of chapters which are a bit too full of information that is hard to process however most of the essays are great and thought provoking. Perfect for the person who wants to follow the yogic path in daily life.

Ottimo libro! Riporta le varie correnti di Yoga e vari aspetti della filosofia.

Livre très complet qui explique de A à Z ce qu'est réellement le yoga, et pas seulement la vision réduite qu'en a la majorité des occidentaux. A quand la traduction française....?

Everything went perfectly : shipping, date of arrival ( even earlier than expected ! ) and conformity of the book. I highly recommend