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    Psychology Behind Yoga: Lesser Known Insights Into the Ancient Science of Yoga
    Psychology Behind Yoga: Lesser Known Insights Into the Ancient Science of Yoga
    Psychology Behind Yoga: Lesser Known Insights Into the Ancient Science of Yoga
    Ebook59 pages47 minutes

    Psychology Behind Yoga: Lesser Known Insights Into the Ancient Science of Yoga

    By Dr.King

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    About this ebook

    Though Yöga is well known as a process to achieve the ultimate realization, not much attention is paid to its psychological underpinnings. This book builds up the theory behind Yoga based on descriptions given in ancient texts such as Yoga sutra of Patanjali (~200 B.C.) and Sänkhya Kärika of Isvara Krshna (~300 A.D.). This understanding is essential to get a complete grasp of the Yöga process.
    This book clearly explains the concept of mind as defined in Yoga Sutra and Sänkhya Karika, the various states this mind can be in, and how by a step by step process the mind can be nudged into the ultimate desirable state namely the Samadhi. It discusses various hindrances one encounters while going through this process as well as how these can be overcome. As often mistaken, samädhi is not a single state but a series of progressive states one goes through as one progresses into the Yoga practice. This book explains those stages both with reference to the original sources as well as through simple analogies.
    The ultimate state of Yoga, namely the niruddha state of mind is also very well explained, its implications and what exactly happens in that stage.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDr.King
    Release dateNov 13, 2013
    ISBN9781311067111
    Psychology Behind Yoga: Lesser Known Insights Into the Ancient Science of Yoga
    Author

    Dr.King

    Dr.King is an avid writer in the nonfictional category. In the past 3 decades he has written several books in the areas of philosophy, Yoga, religious practices, sculpture, gardening, and so on. His books often blend scientific outlook with traditional faiths and practices. His books especially in the area of ancient philosophy succinctly showcase volumes of ancient literature in a condensed form, providing very authentic, insightful and unbiased portrayal. These books are generally characterized as thought provoking, giving an incisive look at the otherwise difficult to understand topics. One can expect to find reliable information, devoid of glorification and hype that is typical in this category.

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    • 5/5
      I am a passionate practitioner / student and teacher of yoga (going on 7 years now). This books describes perfectly what is unfolding in myself as I practice yoga.
      “Yoga is a dance within… and then something inside you grows so big, it spills out like champagne, that’s when you dance on the outside.”
      Tao Porchon-Lynch

      Thank you!

    Book preview

    Psychology Behind Yoga - Dr.King

    Prologue

    F:\my_books\amazon\am_ancient_wisdom\cover_design\cover_logo_old.jpg The word psychology is derived from the Greek word ‘psychê’ which originally meant ‘the soul’. Consequently, psychology became ‘the science of the soul’. Later Greek philosophers however, started viewing the mind as part of the soul. For example, Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) in his well known work Peri Psychês describes the mind as it is part of the psychê, by definition only and not spatially. Gradually, psychology went on to mean ’the science of the mind’ as it is known today.

    Unlike the Greek philosophers, their Indian counterparts did not view the mind as part of the soul. For them, the mind is a material entity, and the soul is not. The soul is sentient and the mind is an instrument used by the soul to interact with the world.

    The ancient science of Yöga focuses on realizing the soul using the mind. It is both ‘the science of the soul’ as well as ‘the science of the mind’. I refer to Yöga as a science since for most part, Yöga is a system built around - well defined concepts, clearly defined practical methods to implement the ideas proposed in it, logically explained theory behind it, and finally, a clearly defined goal, that can be verified irrespective of the subjective beliefs and religious affinities – the hallmarks of science.

    The Yöga I am talking about in this book refers to the ancient system of Yöga codified by sage Patanjali, way back in 200 B.C., in his well known Yöga sutra. Unlike its modern variants, this Yöga of Patanjali revolves around mind and only mind. There is no mention of any mystical force lying dormant in some subtle centre in the body, only to be woken up and channelized through other centers of the body, finally to unite with its ultimate destination.

    Though Patanjali’s Yöga is well known as a process to achieve the ultimate realization, not much attention is paid to its psychological basis. This book focuses mainly on these lesser known details, understanding of which is essential to get a complete grasp of the Yöga process. This may also open up new avenues for detailed scientific research in this area.

    Overview of the book

    In Chapter 1, I start with a brief introduction to Patanjali’s work, namely the Yöga Sutra. Many of the ideas discussed in the Yöga Sutra implicitly assume the model of the mind as put forth by the Sänkhya – a companion school of thought. I also briefly touch upon Sänkhya Kärika – the oldest available composition on Sänkhya.

    Unlike our current understanding of the mind, which is closely tied to the physical brain, Sänkhya/ Yöga define the mind as a subtle entity that drives the physical brain and other organs of the body. What exactly is this mind - is the subject discussed in Chapter 2.

    Patanjali’s Yöga is all about controlling the activities of the mind. Before we can know how this is achieved, we need to know the activities we are talking about. Chapter 3does exactly this.

    During the Yöga process, the mind moves from the ‘normal’ state to some highly evolved state, passing through several intermediate states.

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