A Beginner's Guide to the Roots of Yoga

A practical and accessible guide to incorporating traditional yoga into a modern practice, by an Indian yoga teacher and educator. Yoga in its traditional form is a practice focused on inclusivity, inner work and peace. But the yoga that is practised today in the West has got a little lost along the way. In this accessible beginner's guide, Indian yoga teacher Nikita Desai brings us back to the authentic roots of this ancient practice. In A Beginner's Guide to the Roots of Yoga, Desai unpicks the complexities of the modern yoga space. Moving away from the focus on physical poses, expensive outfits and Instagram-perfect bodies, she delves into traditional resources to show how yoga can help your mental and spiritual wellbeing. With a range of enlightening essays, she explores why change in the industry is vital, before centring key yogic texts, philosophy and history in a digestible manner to give us a basic understanding of the origins of yoga. Desai then guides us through integrating these foundations into our current practice both on and off the mat, so you can enjoy the benefits of the tradition while helping to make yoga today a more inclusive and diverse space. A Beginner's Guide to the Roots of Yoga is the perfect jumping off point for anyone wanting to make their practice more authentic.

Nikita Desai is a yoga practitioner and educator who owns the Arya Yoga Studio. She is passionate about promoting the traditions and health benefits of authentic yoga to the modern yoga space, and runs workshops on this topic both online and at festivals. Nikita is based in London. @nikyyoga https://www.aryayogastudio.com/

Introduction How to use this book A note on Sanskrit Part 1: Why we should aim for an authentic yoga practice 1 - Problem 1: The emphasis of physicality in modern yoga 2 - Problem 2: Cultural appropriation in modern yoga 3 - Problem 3: Commercialisation in modern yoga 4 - Problem 4: The lack of diversity in modern yoga Summary Part 2: The foundations of yoga and a (very brief) history 1 - A brief timeline to the history of yoga 2 - The roots of yoga 3 - Significant literature in yoga 4 - Significant gurus of yoga 5 - The colonial history of India and the British ban on yoga Summary Part 3: Integrating authenticity into your practice 1 - Three key yogic teachings 2 - Types or styles of Yoga 3 - Traditional yoga: The four key margas 4 - Traditional yoga: Hatha yoga 5 - A note on chakras 6 - Traditional yoga: Ashtanga yoga 7 - Limb 1 - Yamas - Our nehaviours 8 - Limb 2 - Niyamas - Self Ooservations 9 - Limb 3 - Asana - Physical postures 10 - Limb 4 - Pra?ayama - Regulation of breath 11 - Limb 5 - Pratyahara - The influence of our senses 12 - Limb 6 - Dharana - Concentration of the mind 13 - Limb 7 - Dhyana - Meditation 14 - Limb 8 - Samadhi - Pure awareness 15 - Yoga Nidra - A practice for deep relaxation 16 - Studying yogic texts/scriptures Part 4: Continuing your journey 1 - 10 next steps 2 - My hope for the future 3 - Resources References Acknowledgements Index