A practical guide to the spiritual life from the yogic perspective ...

books:

	• Path of Fire and Light, Vol. 1: Advanced Practices of Yoga Rama Himalayan Institute Press, 1986 - 156 pages average customer review:based on 5 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

This book is a yogi's treasure chest!

Absolutely a book of deepest wisdom and breath of knowledge. This treasure of a book combines yoga philosophy with very specific hatha yoga techniques. To those who wish to discover what a deeper practice of hatha can lead to, and for those who want specific guidelines into the process of deepening their practice, this book will deeply and eloquently, aid, transform, and inspire you.

Unbelievable

This is a truly unbelievable book on advanced yoga. The greatest section of the book is the description of advanced (very advanced !) pranayama. Swami Rama first gives a lengthy explanation of the preparation for pranayama & nadi shodhanam. Then, he instructs you on how to achieve amazing spiritual transformation through extreme breath-holding. In what is surely the most fascinating section, Swami Rama describes, in detail, what happens to the body & energy of a yogi as he holds his breath for 5, 10, 13 or more minutes. Using Swami Rama's wisdom I have already achieved kumbhaka's (breath-holds) of over 7 minutes! What an amazing feeling to feel your heart rate drop to 20 beats per minute after 5 minutes! And the state of consciousness that ensues is of course indescribable. I have one suggestion: Get this book! (Swami Rama's 'Science of Breath' is a great companion book).

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Good description of techniques - but be warned

People can I please advise you to make sure you are first very well established in the first 2 levels of Yoga before you embark on any Pranayama (breath-control). First be steeped in Yama(abstinences - alcohol, drugs, sex, meat, etc) and Niyama(observances - love, kindness, non-harm, patience, etc) before moving on to asans(postures) and especially pranayama. Every swami will tell you that if you are not living a committed Spiritual life in every respect, then practicing the 4th level of Yoga - breathing exercises, especially the advanced ones, can potentially be harmful. You should really only practice techniques like this within the framework of a spiritual society and Guru-disciple relationship. Breathing techniques force prana up the subtle spine, thus awakening higher and higher chakra's. This process should occur naturally and gradually as part of a disciplined spiritual life - it should not be forced.

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A practical guide to the spiritual life from the yogic perspective ...

This book provides a thoroughgoing look at the mind from a traditional yogic perspective, offering concrete guidance toward preparing it for a truly deep and meaningful meditation practice. As another reviewer notes, Swami Rama combines discussion of the finer points of yoga philosophy with specific exercises from the hatha yoga tradition. Of the many aspects of practice that he writes about, I've found particular benefit from the material on cultivating an internal dialogue with one's own mind in order to work with it--and, in a very real sense, to train it to work with you! --An essential preparation to setting out on the inner voyage, yet very rewarding in itself ...

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esoteric secrets

This book is written by Swami Rama, a yogi who came to American in the late 70's. He let western doctors study him to advance the scientific understanding of yoga. He claimed to have been able to hold his breath for over an hour. He started a yoga facility in Pennsylvania, which still exists.

As for the book, it contains a wealth of information on various breathing practices -- practices you might hear referred to elsewhere but never explained. Often experts don't explain these things because they consider these practices too dangerous for beginners. But what eager beginner hasn't pushed limits? I suppose caution is in order.

In the year I practiced yoga, I also learned that within the yoga community, secrecy is like a currency, or a way to maintain power.

The Swami later published simpler books, because this book went over the heads of most people. And if you are just looking to get started with the breath, you could look on the internet for 2 to 3 key breathing exercises. No need to buy this book. The next volume in this series doesn't really go into the breath much, but the overall practice of yoga.

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In Path of Fire and Light Swami Rama shares with Western students, for the first time, remarkable and practical information on the systematic techniques of an ancient and profound tradition of spiritual growth. The ancient yogic teachers and sages developed a powerful and subtle science of breath, swarodaya, by which they intensified their sensitivity to body and mind and successfully attained their ultimate goal: Self-realization. As a practical guide to the systematic science of swarodaya, this book is essential reading for all serious advanced students.

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