| 31. Yoga of Jesus, The by Paramahansa Yogananda
|
Another wonderful book from the insight of Paramahansa Yogananda has fallen into our laps - literally our meditation lap.
The Yoga of Jesus, subtitled
Understanding the Hidden Teachings of the Gospels
is a inspiring, uplifting guide for daily living. As all of Yogananda's
books are, it is so clear, that what we think is esoteric is made to be
practical; it makes sense.
Just looking at the front cover art depicting Jesus in meditation,
upper body immersed in white light lifts the reader into a receptive
mood for the inspiring message within the covers. And the drawing by
Heinrich Hofmann of The Sermon on the Mount is delicate and I think
carries a spiritual vibration.
The content of the book is excerpted from the very large mother volume in a set of two books titled
The Second Coming of Christ.
I'm glad the publisher thought to create this volume that centers on
these topics from the Table of Contents: Part I. Jesus the Christ -
Avatar and Yogi; Part II. "One Way" or Universality?; Part III. Jesus'
Yoga of Divine Love; plus a Glossary of spiritual terms.
I'd like to share a quote that particularly inspired me. "Remember,
Christ seeks the temples of true souls. He loves the quiet shrine of
devotion in your heart where your abide with him, there in the
sanctuary aglow with the vigil light of your love. Those who meditate
devoutly will receive Christ on the altar of calmness in their own
consciousness." - from page 10.
The section I am happiest to see included is Chapter 3, Inner Teachings of Jesus the Yogi,
How Every Soul Can Attain Christ Consciousness which explains about the importance of communing with the Holy Comforter, the Holy Ghost, the Word,
Aum, Cosmic Vibration or other names for the same experience.
The chapter goes into great detail on how to capture this comforting
spiritual experience for yourself, which by the way, I first
experienced about half a year after beginning meditation from a touch
on my forehead by Paramahansa Yogananda in a spiritual dream. Just 2
months before the dream I had first read his
Autobiography of a Yogi, my all-time favorite book.
I cannot say enough about the Holy Cosmic Vibration as it truly has been my comfort in life's ups and downs for 30 years now.
Read and be inspired by this little volume, a clear and concise
collection of nuggets of wisdom from a truly great spiritual master who
clarifies some of the teachings of Jesus the Christ!
Details - 160 page paperback; Self Realization Fellowship Pub
(August 24, 2007); 8.8 by 5.0 by 0.5 inches; ISBN-10: 0876125569
ISBN-13: 978-0876125564
To buy from Amazon.com -
The Yoga of Jesus by Paramahansa Yogananda
| 32. Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, The by Sri Swami Satchidananda
|
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Translation and Commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda is my all-time favorite book on explaining the relationship of body-mind-spirit.
Step by step the reader is led on a journey of insight for gaining
mastery of the mind - rather than being led on a wild goose chase by
the mind's ever new desires.
The original sutras are in Sanskrit and insightfully explained in
English by Sri Swami Satchidananda - a world-renowned spiritual master
of the 20th century.
Satchidananda's kind, caring heart shows as a teacher in his thorough
explanations of the original sutras. The insights of bygone days are
brought to the modern world in words we can understand today.
Swami Satchidananda was a leading world leader in the interfaith
ecumenical movement, especially through spearheading the Light of Truth
Universal Shrine, LOTUS, in Buckingham, Virginia, 50 miles south of
Charlottesville.
I knew him personally for more than 25 years and was always amazed by
his keen insight and wisdom, which he could apply to any question posed
to him. This ability comes after developing clarity of mind, and he
applied it in this interpretation of Patanjali's sutras for today's
world.
Now, it is up to each of us to trace the route Patanjali laid out, and
apply the insight learned by taking time to reflect and meditate upon
each sutra.
Spiritual students can use the book as a self-paced course by taking time to write their developing understandings of the sutras in a journal for periodic review and reflection.
Highest recommendation!
Details - 236 pages from Integral Yoga Publications; ISBN: 0932040381.
Available at this link at Amazon.com
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Sri Swami Satchidananda
| 33. Integral Yoga Magazine - Quarterly Journal
|
Sharpen your practices by subscribing to
Integral Yoga Magazine, an ecumenical quarterly journal on yoga and meditation applied to daily life, inspired by its founder, Swami Satchidananda.
Each issue contains at least one article from the archives of Swami
Satchidananda (1914-2002), and his master, Swami Sivananda of
Rishikesh, India, (1887-1963).
The bulk of in-depth articles are by knowledgeable professionals in
their field. Each issue is about 8.5 by 11 inches and has approximately
48 pages of text; the interior is black and white with clear photos of
the article authors, with mini-bio and contact information.
The magazine covers are in color and mostly depict inspiring photos from Swami Satchidananda's life.
Here is a sampling of article titles from a recent issue:
- Sankirtan Yoga by H. H. Sri Swami Sivananda
- Listening to the Sound Within by H. H. Sri Swami Satchidananda
- The Perfect Panacea by Swami Karunananda
- Special Section: The Yoga of Sound - includes interview on Nada Yoga
with Yogi Hari; Kirtan and the World's sacred Chant Traditions by
Steven J. Rosen; The Vibrational Science of Mantra - an interview with
Jonathan Goldman; The Gentle Art of Meditative Toning by David Gordon;
Kirtan - Singing to the Inner Vastness of the Heart - an interview with
Jai Uttal; Shabad Yoga - The Sounds of Wisdom - an interview with
Snatam Kaur.
- Inside the Yoga Sutras - the Mystic OM by Reverend Jaganath Carrera
- Yoga for Your Personal Finances by Jacqueline Richards
Click on the photo above and check out the sample articles.
When my issue of
Integral Yoga Magazine
arrives each quarter - Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, I drop what I'm
doing and sit down for an hour to breeze through the offerings.
Then, later in the evening I'm sure to be spending time digesting the
whole magazine, which to me is a banquet of nourishment and
encouragement in my meditation and yoga practices.
Reading about others being successful on the spiritual path is such a
positive incentive to me, a boost of energy. I think it will be for you
also.
My highest recommendation!
To view sample articles and order go to this link:
Integral Yoga Magazine
