Sunday 17 August 2014

Yoga Philosophy Reading List


Last day of Manju's TT. After practice we were talking over coffee and a friend mentioned that we didn't get to ask so many questions this year, that she had wanted to ask Manju for any recommendations for yoga philosophy, from the Sankara side of things especially.

I remembered Ramaswami had a few pages of recommended yoga philosophy texts In his first book although Not necessarily related to Sankara) Yoga for the Three stages of life, of course he does, everything is in that book.
Excellent overview

Below then are mostly his recommendations with my hyperlinks for either Amazon or free online pdf's. I've also added some of the texts from my free Download page that sits at the top of the blog and an old post of mine on Krishnamacharya' Bibliography from Yoga Makaranda.

I remember somebody getting over excited when they noticed Krishnamacharya didn't mention Yoga Korunta, in that bibliography, have no fear he mentions the text in his second book Yogasangalu that we've ( read Satya Murthey) translated on/for this blog.

"I did not attempt a detailed review of all ancient yoga treatises since it will make this book very long and perhaps cause boredom to the readers.  Please forgive.  This writing is mainly based on the following texts:
Patanjalayogasutra
Hathayogapradipika
Rajayogaratnakara
Yogakuranti
Upanishads related to yoga
Learning’s from my Guru and self-experience"
Krishnamacharya Yogasanagalu 1941

Actually it's interesting that he mentioned it for that book as according to Eddie Sterne in Yoga Mala Korunta, means 'groups' and in Yogasanagalu Krishnamacharya presents a table of asana divided into three groups, Primary, Middle and Proficient. The first two groups are very close to what we practice Today in Ashtanga Primary and Intermediate series. Are these perhaps the original groups from the mythical/legendary Korunta text complete with Vinyasa count and kumbhaka indications?

"Guruji has often spoken about a text called the Yoga Korunta, an ancient manuscript on ashtanga yoga, which had been the basis of the practical lessons on yoga taught to him by Krishnamacharya. Attributed to the sage Vamana, it was one of the many texts taught orally to Krishnamacharya, which he learned by heart during the seven and a half years he spent living with his teacher, Rama Mohan Brahmachari. Korunta means “groups,” and the text was said to contain lists of many different groupings of asanas, as well as highly original teachings on vinyasa, drishti, bandhas, mudras, and philosophy". Eddie Stern (forward to Pattabhi Jois' Yoga mall).



But to the reading List, in as good an order as any other.

First my other Desert Island choice, Aranya's Commentary on the Yoga Sutras. The man actually lived this rather than just writing about it having spent most of his life in meditation and or seclusion.

Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali: Containing His Yoga Aphorisms with Vyasa's Commentary in Sanskrit and a Translation with Annotations Including Many Suggestions for the Practice of Yoga 
by Swami Hariharananda Aranya


A friend was asking about the Sankara (or possibly his students) Commentary

Sankara on the Yoga Sutras (A Full Translation of the Newly Discovered Text) 
by Trevor Leggett 


The Gita of course, I have a soft spot for the music of Mascaro version (slim volume too), he was a Jesuit priest I believe and it shows but there are many versions out there, several free online. check out my post on the Gita as it was (the argument goes that basically pretty much everything after the third chapter was added later)

The Gita Code, The Gita as it was

The Bhagavad Gita (Penguin Classics) Paperback 
by Anonymous (Author), Juan Mascaro (Translator)



For a highly readable Sankara treatment of the Gita

Realization of the Supreme Self: The Bhagavad Gita Yoga-s Paperback – January 1, 2002
by Trevor Leggett




Svatmarama's Hathayogapradipka (HYP)
with Brahmananda commentary perhaps)

Some free pdf version's out there of HYP
Free download HERE

Siva Samhita (SS)

Free download Here

Geranda samhita (GS
Free Download here

Keep an eye out for the out of print
Theos Bernard's Hatha Yoga,worth getting hold of if you can find it for a good price



This was pretty much his PHD thesis  I believe, working through his own practice of the hathayogapradipka with his teacher/guru. He includes substantial notes that compare large sections of HYP with GS and SS, nice mudra section.

Yoga Rahasya Nathamuni/Krishnamacharya

Yoga Yajnavalkya, AG Mohan's version



Yoga Vasistha

I like this one in two volumes, you can read a short section each day

The Supreme Yoga: A New Translation Of The Yoga Vasistha (2 volume)



Yoga Upanishads
Especially Isa, Svetasvatara, Chandogya, Sandilya.

Free Download of yoga Upanishads here

*See the old post I've added at the end of this post which has hype links to free pdf's of the Yoga Upanishads.

Other texts
 Dhyanabindu Upanishad
Advayatarka Upanishad
Svetasvatara Upanishad
Garbha Upanishad

Yoga Kuran-tam
Vrddha Satapatam
Tejabindu Upanishad
Geranda Samahita
yoga Taravali
Yogasira Upanishad
Advitananda Upanishad
Trisikhibrahmana Upanishad
Siva Samhita
Brahmavidya Upanishad
Ygasikha Upanishad
Yogakundalini Upanishad
Nadabindu upanishad
Darsana Upanishad
Amrtabindu Upanishad
Yogacudamanya Upanishad
Yogatattva Upanishad
Sambhu Rahasya
Yoga Rahasya
Suta Samhita
Yoga Yajnavalkya
Yoga vashitha

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And from my free Download page at the top of the blog

Free Downloads

Krishnamacharya's Yoga Makaranda

Krishnamacharya's Yoga Makaranada Part II

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Below is a post I put up a while back on the bibliography in Krishnamacharya's Yoga Makaranda

from Yogacarya Krishnamacharya - The Purnacarya. Edited by Mala Srivatsan

Unfortunately long out of print
NB: Italics in brackets are my explanatory notes




"Krishnamacharya went searching for the ashram of Rama Mohana Brahmacari. In a cave, a very tall hermit with a long beard, wearing wooden shoes stood at the entrance. It was evident to Krishnamacharya that this was his guru. He prostrated before him, gave his name and asked to be his disciple. Krishnamacharya was questioned in Hindi on the reason for his visit. After he expressed his desire to learn yoga he was called in. He met his guru's wife and three children. he was given fruits called Ankula to eat and the escorts who accompanied him were dismissed with a cup of tea.

Krishnamacharya's first instruction from his guru was, to take a bath and perform acamana. The first precept of pranayama was then taught. For eight days, the master said he would not teach him anything else and that Krishnamacharya should eat only fruits.

Thereafter Krishnamacharya became a part of the Rama Brahmacari's family who belonged to the Kasyapa gotta (family lineage). His daily food was chapathu (Indian bread), halwa ( a paste of vegetable or fruits sweetened along with ghee and tea). His period of gurukulam (stay with the guru ) in Tibet lasted for seven and a half years. Rama Mohana Brahmacari made him memorise the entire Yoga Kurantam in the Gurkha language. The various stages of Patanjali's Yoga Sutra were dealt with in that book. Various kinds of of yoga practises were also described with great clarity. Only with the help of Yoga Kurantam' could he understand the inner meanings and science of the Yoga Sutra. The first three years he was made to memorise the Yoga texts in the form of adhyayanam ( to memorise and recite correctly, with proper accents). His focus was in the study of the Yoga Sutra, Vyasa Bhasya and the Samkhya Darsana. In the next three years he practiced yogabhyasa and for the next one and a half years he studied the siksana krama (planning of practices based on the stage of life of an individualand the cikitsa krama (therapeutic approach).

During his seven and a half year stay with his guru, Krishnamacharya learnt all aspects of yoga practice, therapy and philosophy. His capacity to learn, his previous education and his discipline made him an ideal student.

Having spent seven and a half years with his guru he would happily have spent the rest of his life learning and serving him but Rama Mohana Brahmacari then told him to go back to society, lead the life of a married man and spread the message of Yoga. Following his guru's words he returned from Tibet in 1922"

Yogacarya Krishnamacharya - The Purnacarya. Edited by Mala Srivatsan p26-28

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from Yoga Makaranda T. Krishnamacharya
"This text contains the essential concepts from many texts of antiquity listed below.
I have studied the texts listed below under the blessing of a great teacher and have explained the truths contained in them that I have personally experienced. I request that the Lord of the auspicious Karnataka throne, the great Lord and Emperor, the fourth Sri Krishna Rajendra, accept this work and allow my
humble self to fulfil my endeavor and bless me.
More than this, I have nothing to say in this preface.

Bibliography
1. Rajayoga Ratnakaram
2. Hathayoga Pradipika
3. Yoga Saravalli
4. Yoga Balaprathipikai
5. Ravana Nadi (Nadi Pariksa of Ravana) 6. Bhairava Kalpam
7. Sri Tattvanidhi
8. Yoga Ratnakarandam
9. Mano Narayaneeyam
10. Rudrayameelam (Rudrayamalam)
11. Brahmayameelam
12. Atharvana Rahasyam
13. Patanjala Yogadarshanam
14. Kapilasutram
15. Yogayajnavalkyam
16. Gheranda Samhita
17. Narada Pancharatra Samhita
18. Satvata Samhita
19. Siva Samhita
20. Dhyana Bindu Upanishad
21. Chandilya Upanishad
22. Yoga Shika Upanishad
23. Yoga Kundalya Upanishad
24. Ahir Buddhniya Samhita
25. Nada Bindu Upanishad
26. Amrita Bindu Upanishad
27. Garbha Upanishad


Thirty Minor Upanishads

tr. by K. Narayanasvami Aiyar

[1914]



--------------------------------

from Yogasanagaly T. Krishnamacharya
I did not attempt a detailed review of all ancient yoga treatises since it will make this book very long and perhaps cause boredom to the readers.  Please forgive.  This writing is mainly based on the following texts:
Patanjalayogasutra
Hathayogapradipika
Rajayogaratnakara
Yogakuranti
Upanishads related to yoga
Learning’s from my Guru and self-experience

Saturday 2 August 2014

Asana as Mudra as dharana- 'Krishnamacharya's own practice'

Krishnamacharya's son, Sri TK Sribhashyam, considers mudra to be a support for pranayama a practice to develop concentration and one pointedness.

"Yoga has two elements to support our spirituality breathing Prânâyâma, and include breathing postures and concentration, called Mudra".

Mudra
Mudra practice helps us offset the influence emotional during concentration. The Mudra represent some postures in yoga which include a concentration or a specific point within the body or outside the body. External objects are divine objects, which are devoid of human emotions. In Yoga we do not use objects that have a dependency with our emotions and human relations.

The outer points are points of connection between the soul and the Creator.

Points inside the body are like a network and relate to the existence of the soul in life. These very specific points of concentration are considered divine objects.

Concentration is added to the number of breaths specific (3, 6 or 12). The Mudra can be practiced alone, in no specific order, because their role is on an emotional level, it involves cutting the interrelationship between sense perception and emotions.

Here are some points of focus:

- Adityas (Sun): it is the solar disk, black and shiny, which is the door to go beyond this world. This concentration is against the practice.

- The Star: lying on the back, direct the eye as far as possible in the sky.

- Taraka: it is the point on the horizon, infinity beyond the earthly world.

- Murdhna: this is a point which lies to the root of the nose. Murdhna gives us the support of spiritual masters. It is thanks to their light, their spiritual strength as we continue to move towards the Creator. It is our belief that nourish them and help us to strengthen it.

- Divya Chakshush: point of the occiput. Divya Chakshush means "vision of God" is one of the largest concentrations for the vision of our soul.

- Nasaagra: tip of the nose. Reduced from dispersions of sense perception.

- Nabhi: behind the navel. Nabhi restores harmony in the emotional activity.

- Mula: Mula means "root", it is located between the anus and the genitals. This is an extremely important point. This is to bring all of our different human emotions to the root of emotions, Mula, to activate and give way to the divine emotion.

- Bruhmadhya: the point between the eyebrows. In philosophical terms, its meaning is "land between the two" heavenly and earthly.

- Shirsha: fontanelle. It is located in the upper part of the skull at the inside. It is also a vital point, since the soul is supposed to leave at death. The soul is often seen as confined to Mula. It is therefore necessary to create a path for him to go Shirsha, concentration upward, directing the gaze Mula and follow a vertical line Shirsha.

- Hrudaya: the place of residence of God in us. It is a little outside the physiological heart. In the concentration of Mula Shirsha to it automatically by Hrudaya. This is protected from any human emotion. As a state mental Hrudaya is given automatically when the field is free of mental sensations and emotions.

Seminar given by Sri TK Sribhashyam in Neuchâtel from 29.07 to 08.01.06

****

See this example from TK Sribhashyam's book Emergence of Yoga (now in English). This from my earlier post

Krishnamacharya own practice?

An outline of Krishnamacharya's own practice?

from the French edition of  T. K. Shribashyam book, Emergence du Yoga
My Translation and Notes

1.



Apercu des séances pratiques de mon père- Overview practice sessions of my Father

Kapalabhati (see notes below) - 32 breaths
-
Ujjayi Anuloma (see notes below) - 6 cycles A.K. (antha-kumbhaka = holding at top of inhalation) 5 seconds, Concentration Kanta (throat) 
-

Utthita pada Angushtasana - 6 breaths B.K. (Bhya-kumbhaka = holding at end of exhalation) 5 seconds, Inhalation concentration: Mula  and Kanta (throat) , Exhalation Concentration: Kanta (throat) 

Bhujangasana - 3 breaths, Concentration: bhrumadhya (between eyebrows)


Sarvangasana- 12 breaths, Concentration: kanta (throat)


Sirsasana  - 12 Breaths, Concentration: lalata (center of forehead)


Ardhabadhahalasana - 3 breaths

Halasana - 3 breaths

Karnapindasana- 3 breaths





 Adhomukhapadmasana (but on belly) 


 3 breaths, 
 


Concentration: Kanta (throat)

Ardhabadha padma paschimotanasana - 3 breaths, inhalation Concentration: nabhi (navel), Exhalation Concentration: Kanta (throat)


Badhakonasana - 12 Breaths, Inhalation Concentration: Mula and Shirsha Exhalation Concentration Mula  

-

Basti ( pranayama) 60 cycles

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Nadi Shodana ( pranayama) - cycles, Abhyantara Vritthi