Roots of Yoga

(Paperback)

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Description

The first collection of its kind- a compendium of source texts on yoga, translated, introduced and edited by two of the foremost yoga scholars in the world Despite the immense popularity of yoga today, there is surprisingly little knowledge of its roots amongst practitioners. This book collects together, for the first time, the core teachings of yoga in the words of their authors, rather than in the secondary versions of modern interpreters. Including key passages from the Upanishads, the Buddhist and Jaina traditions, the yoga sections of the Indian Tantras and many texts that are being critically translated for the first time, Roots of Yoga provides a comprehensive and immediate insight into the essential texts of the Indian traditions of yoga. This book is a first stop for anyone wishing to learn more than they are told at their yoga class, and an indispensable resource for serious yoga practitioners and teachers.

Reviews

Forget everything you thought you knew about yoga history . . . these authors have charted the deep -- Matthew Remski * Yoga Journal *
Momentous . . . we can expect original ideas and substantial insights -- Georg Feuerstein * Author of The Yoga Tradition *
With all the myth and misinformation in the Yogasphere this research and the resulting book will be a much needed resource for yogis, practitioners, teachers and scholars -- Ganga White * Author of Yoga Beyond Belief *
Assembling in translation an unprecedented array of sources, many of which have been unknown or neglected, this anthology will be an indispensable companion for all interested in Yoga, both scholars and practitioners. -- Prof. Alexis G.J.S. Sanderson

Author Bio

James Mallinson (Author) James Mallinson is Senior Lecturer in Sanskrit and Classical Indian Civilization at SOAS, University of London. He has edited and translated several texts on hathayoga from the eleventh to fifteenth centuries CE. He has also spent several years living with traditional Hindu ascetics and yogis in India and in 2013 he was honoured with the title of 'mahant' by the Ramanandi Sampradaya. Mark Singleton (Author) Mark Singleton is Senior Research Fellow in the department of Languages and Cultures of South Asia, SOAS, University of London. He was a consultant and catalogue author for the 2013 exhibition 'Yoga- The Art of Transformation' at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC, and has served as co-chair of the Yoga in Theory and Practice Group at the American Academy of Religions. His previous publications include three edited volumes of yoga scholarship and the book Yoga Body, the Origins of Modern Posture Practice.