Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga: A Practical Guide to Healing Body, Mind, and Spirit by Deepak Chopra

Synopsis

If you’re like millions of other people, you’ve found that yoga is a wonderful way to improve your flexibility, balance, muscle tone, and endurance. Hopefully you have experienced the feelings of tranquility and vitality that flow during a good yoga session and that stay with you throughout the day. These benefits are excellent reasons to practice yoga, yet they only hint at the extraordinary and transformative power of this deeply spiritual practice. At last, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga brings spirituality back to the practice of yoga today.

The word "yoga" comes from the Sanskrit word yuj, meaning union, and as Deepak Chopra and David Simon explain in this inspiring guide, yoga has the power to unite body, mind, and spirit, bringing us into alignment with the magnificent rhythms of the cosmos. Born in India and a central element of Ayurveda, our most ancient healing wisdom tradition, yoga is ever so much more than an exercise routine—it is a complete science of balanced living and a path to higher knowledge and joyful abundance. When adhered to and practiced mindfully, the yoga principles and techniques described in The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga can be the keys to unlocking your full creative potential, your capacity for love and compassion, and your ability to find success in all areas of life.

Chopra and Simon begin by exploring the eight traditional yoga branches. Only one of these branches, Asana, corresponds to the physical poses that people ordinarily associate with yoga. Drs. Chopra and Simon show how the Seven Spiritual Laws, familiar to millions of readers of the bestselling The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success—PurePotentiality, Giving, Karma, Least Effort, Intention and Desire, Detachment, and Dharma—play a crucial role in yoga’s path to enlightenment. The authors then provide you with the tools for integrating the Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga into your daily life, including meditation techniques, mantras, breathing exercises, and carefully chosen, delightfully illustrated yoga poses.

Whether you are a newcomer to yoga or an experienced practitioner, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga is your portal to yoga’s deeper spiritual dimension and a beautiful step to a happier, more harmonious, and more abundant life.

Publishers Weekly

"Just as no one would argue that gravity applies only to England because Sir Isaac Newton was British or that Einstein's theory of relativity was relevant only in Germany... the principles of yoga are not limited by time or space," say Chopra, author of The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, and Simon, medical director for the Chopra Center. Their guide is written in such a clear, sensible way that those new to yoga will wonder why they've not tried it before. Seasoned practitioners will find themselves reinvigorated and may learn a new breathing technique or meditation. Starting with descriptions of the two most popular frameworks, Shankara and Patanjali, the authors then list the seven laws of spirituality that neatly correspond to the seven days of the week. Extensive explanations of several types of meditation-chakra, so hum breath technique, awareness, attention/intention-are followed by the most common breathing exercises and thorough instructions for a variety of asanas (poses). Photographs complete the instructional portion of the book, making it especially useful for beginners. The final pages bring the program together with a suggested routine that combines all of the above into a perfect blend of theory and practice. (July) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Biography

Bestselling author Deepak Chopra is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities in the field of holistic medicine. His belief that the mind, body, and spirit are closely interknit has won him legions of followers.