Not For Beginners, AMAZING BOOK!February 28, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Do you really want to know about ALL the chakras? I am defining this as the best book on chakras Ive ever read.Not for the Lay-tantric (lol), this is **very advanced**. It is NOT an easy read. Trust me on this. I only recommend this book to advanced philosophers and practioners. Wonderful art too! 10 stars!
NOT FOR BEGINNERSFebruary 24, 2007 4 out of 8 found this review helpful
Although I am sure this is a great book, as other reviewers have stated, it is definately not for beginners, such as me. That is why I only gave it 3 stars. This book is difficult to read if you are not well versed on the terminology used, but I will continue to poke away at it. With that being said, I have no doubt it will become very useful in the future when I become more familiar with the subject.
Extraordinary! Stunning Insights Into the Truth About Chakras and KundaliniFebruary 5, 2007 19 out of 20 found this review helpful
There are dozens of forms of yoga, but Laya Yoga (Layayoga) is one of the most accessible for Westerners. It is one of the four great systems of yoga, and deals with the supersensible functions, forces and centers of the inner world of the body. The other three are Hatha Yoga, the most familiar, which deals with the physical body, its power and functions. Hatha Yoga seeks to affect the subtle systems through control of the gross physical body. Mantra Yoga is concerned with the forces and powers outside the body, but which affect it nonetheless. Raja Yoga is the system for disciplining and stilling the mind so that we can unite with and know what lies beyond. The four together comprise Maha Yoga.
Laya Yoga forms the core of Kundalini Yoga, which in turn lies at the heart of Tantra. Why it is one of the most accessible, is that in contrast to systems that teach that the body is an obstacle on the Path to Enlightenment, it teaches that the body is a manifestation of the ultimate Reality and must therefore be fully integrated into our spiritual development.
This book focuses on the process by which the human body can be transmuted into a divine one, in which every organ and every cell is suffused with consciousness and develops capacities far beyond the "normal." These processes underlie some of the documented feats of yogic adepts. The word "Laya" means "dissolution," in the sense of melting away the limitations and karma that have accrued over time. The word can also be used to refer to the absorption and transmutation of the elements that constitute the body. This process occurs when kundalini is awakened and rises from the base of the spine and ascends toward the top of the head.
This book is technical, academic and comprehensive. It truly is a "definitive guide." It draws on over 280 Sanskrit texts and is based not just on words on books, but many years of precise yogic experimentation and ever more subtle realizations.
This is a book for the serious student. It is not a quick guide to raising kundalini or achieving powers. The book also corrects some of the common misconceptions that litter some of the New Age books on chakras and kundalini.
As an example, in most people only some of the chakras are active. It would not be a good idea for someone to learn how to open them all up without having done the necessary preparatory work first. Many health care practitioners have seen the consequences of people doing too much chakra or kundalini work too quickly and without guidance.
If you are interested in spirituality, yoga or the subtle anatomy of the body, this is a superb book that will repay a few hours of study. I have bought extra copies for students who have already covered the basics about yoga, spiritual development and subtle energies, and each has found it to be a treasure trove.
Highly recommended.
Kundalini kindredSeptember 29, 2003 19 out of 19 found this review helpful
I spent many hours reviewing as well as studying this book. Its content is extensive and illuminating. The problem with authoritative and even ancient sources is that these "road maps" to Power are best understood for those who have already traveled "these roads". The map is helpful but far from sufficient. The author does a fine job of giving the reader tools as well as a complete overview of the roots of this important and real discipline. The only criticism I have is that the philosophy extolled at the beginning and end of the book fails to drive home one important point, that is, that mind and body are of the same essence. Also, the explanation of the philosophical impetus and practical results lack clarity, noting that it is not always possible to make what is alogical lucid to limited human capacity. To complicate what is in essence simple, the words on the written pages of the sources are not what is always meant, for these words are simply there to "shine light on meaning". Therefore, relax and take your time reading this wonderful book. In any case this book is highly recommended for all serious students of yoga, meditation and the martial arts as well.
This is the one. . .October 25, 2002 11 out of 12 found this review helpful
You will find that there is much truth in this book. Take ancient knowledge and update the delivery in a manner suitable for advanced practitioners of Yoga and you may begin to understand the approach of the author, Shyam Sundar Goswami. Not for the novice, and not for those with a typical western view of Yoga. The author quotes the ancient text and delivers it with scientific and medical terminology. The author also holds fast to the way Yoga is supposed to be practiced, written in a way a teacher would instruct a student. "The Definitive Guide..." is essentially what this book is.
