Foundations of Yoga

HEALTH / YOGA "A profound and lucid study of yoga in the deeper sense of the term, covering both practice and philosophy. Foundations of Yoga is an important book for those who are interested in how Hatha Yoga relates to the greater transformation of body, mind, and heart." --David Frawley, author of Yoga & Ayurveda and founder of the American Institute for Vedic Studies Foundations of Yoga presents the full and rigorous yogic training of traditional Hatha Yoga as taught by renowned Indian Yoga master the late Sri Shyam Sundar Goswami. Written by his disciple and spiritual heir, the book emphasizes metaphysical, spiritual, and psychological cultivation in addition to physical practice. It offers Yoga practitioners and teachers a way to enrich and advance their physical Yoga practice through a deeper understanding of physiology, psychology, philosophy, and spirituality centered on Vedic and Tantric principles. Woven together with stories from Sri Shyam Sundar Goswami's life, the book explains pratyahara (control of the senses), charana (yogic bodybuilding), mental concentration exercises, and the energy-focusing and purifying muscular-control movements known as mudras, including the metabolism-boosting mahamudra and advanced pelvic mudras and sexual practices to transcend the ego. The book explores methods of internal purification such as dhauti (cleansing of the stomach with air or water), vasti (intestinal cleansing), neti (nasal cleansing), trataka (visual concentration exercises), and kapalabhati (diaphragmatic hyperventilation) and shows how these purifications are necessary before beginning the advanced breathing practices of pranayama to eradicate deep internal impurities and strengthen the immune system. Exploring the philosophy of Yoga, the book shares meditative exercises for introspection, expanding consciousness, and seeking your true divine nature. As the teachings and life of Sri S. S. Goswami show, by strengthening the body, vital force, and mind, one can master all three for a long, healthy, harmonious life. BASILE P. CATOMeRIS is the disciple and spiritual heir of Sri Shyam Sundar Goswami. Devoting his life to the study and practice of yogic traditions, he studied under Sri S. S. Goswami from 1956 until Goswami's death in 1978, whereupon he took over Sri S. S. Goswami's teaching duties at the Goswami Yoga Institute in Sweden. In December 1983, he was granted yogic final initiation (brahma mantra diksha) by Ma Santi Dei, Sri Goswami's "spiritual mother." He lives in southern France.

Basile P. Catoméris is the disciple and spiritual heir of Sri Shyam Sundar Goswami. Devoting his life to the study and practice of yogic traditions, he studied under Sri S. S. Goswami from 1956 until his death in 1978, whereupon he took over Sri S. S. Goswami’s teaching duties at the Goswami Yoga Institute in Sweden. In December 1983, he was granted yogic final initiation (brahma mantra diksha) by Ma Santi Devi, Sri Goswami’s “spiritual mother.” He lives in southern France.

Foreword by Gunnar Adler-Karlsson Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: At the Feet of the “Lion of Bengal” The Life of Sri Shyam Sundar Goswami My Meeting with a Yoga Master Sri Goswami’s Yoga Teaching 1 Origins and Objectives of Yoga Reflections on the Sacred Texts of India The Yogic Path 2 Science and Spirituality Two Paths of Evolution The Possibility of Fusion 3 Yoga in Daily Life A Lack of Mastery Accessing the Infinite According to Yoga Physical Conditions of the Spiritual Life Yogic Sublimity 4 Yama--Ethical Rules Ahimsā Satya Asteya Brahmacarya Aparigraha 5 Niyama--Self-Regulation Śauca Santosa Tapas Svādhyāya Īśvarapranidhāna 6 Āsanas--Postures Static Exercises Dynamic Exercises 7 Cāranā--Yogic Bodybuilding Contraction and Control Exercises Abdominal Control Pelvic Control Mudrās--Exercises of Control 8 Yogic Sexual Mastery Sexual Fusion The Five “M”s 9 Sat Karman--Purifications Internal Purifications Advanced Exercises of Control 10 Prānāyāma--Respiratory Control Prāna Nādīs and Vāyus Practice of the Discipline Nādī Śuddhi Svara Yoga 11 Pratyāhāra--Control of the Senses 12 Stages of Concentration Dhāranā, Dhyāna, and Samādhi Samprajñāta Samādhi Asamprajñāta Samādhi The “Royal Way” Mantra Yoga and Laya Yoga Postures for Concentration Conclusion: Leading a Modern Life with Classic Yoga Note on the Pronunciation of Transliterated Sanskrit Words Glossary Index