Description
The Yoga Sutra is the great motherbook of all the yoga works ever written; it was composed by the Indian master Patanjali some 2,000 years ago.
The Sanskrit text is written in 210 brief, cryptic verses whose meaning has long ago sunk into darkness; the many, confusing modern attempts to explain them bear little resemblance to each other, which is just a sign of how difficult this priceless little book can be.
Geshe Michael Roach is an honors graduate of Princeton University and the first westerner in the 600-year history of Sera Mey Tibetan Monastery to be awarded the degree of Geshe, or Master of Buddhism. He is known for his business bestseller, The Diamond Cutter: The Buddha on Managing Your Business & Your Life.
Using a database of almost half a million pages of ancient Asian literature, Geshe Michael has produced a fresh, clear, and immediately usable translation of the Yoga Sutra in the form of a wonderful novel about a young Tibetan woman who uses the wisdom to transform the corrupt world around her into a paradise on earth.
How Yoga Works has been acclaimed as a must-read for anyone who does yoga and who wants to know what the Yoga Sutra really says. It is an especially popular reading for yoga teacher training courses throughout the world, and as a personal daily guide for spiritual inspiration.
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youngbon –
I loved this book! In a novel format, (a charming story), the author explains how yoga works. By doing so in this way, the information has a powerful impact on the reader. Sometimes I laughed and other times I shed tears over the story line. I was so moved that I picked up this book to read again after many, many years. The story stayed with me and I knew I needed to read it again. I searched and searched through my hundreds of books in my collection to find it. Now, again, I cannot put it down.
Cliente Amazon –
Worth reading!! And reading again.
Libis Bernard –
ce livre explique très bien la démarche du yoga. Chaque étape est présentée comme un chapitre, le tout étant un roman.
Michael Lay –
Amazon review panel get farked.
Censoring peoples reviews and only publishing positive one.
Far Que
bigwave007 –
A fiction based on the teaching of Yoga Sutra. The movie, The Yoga Sutra is based on the story of this book.
John –
This book was a complete surprise to me. As a reading assignment given by my yoga school, I had expected this to be more technical. Within the first chapter I could tell that my expectations would be shattered. This beautiful story made me want to be better. Made me want to plant good seeds in my life, to spend more time helping others. For the last two chapters, I could not contain my tears. This was just an incredibly told story of absolutely applicable knowledge and information in every time, every country, and every world. I am so happy that this book came into my life. If you’re debating whether or not to purchase this, this is your sign. You will not regret it.
skregas –
Was skeptical about this title at first, didn’t know what to expect. It is a story propelled by the discussion of the Yoga Sutras by Maharishi Patanjali, and its application to the lives of the characters. Here’s why 4 stars: towards the latter half of the book, the language style of the dialog gets clunky, nearly painful to read. Many times I thought: “No one talks like this!”
The other con: the translations of the sutras. These are scattered throughout the chapters, and seemed dumbed down. Without the commentary and dialog that follows, it would be a challenge to decipher the meaning. But, to be clear, that is the point of the Teacher; to point the way and shine a light on the path.
Despite thg flaws, I’m glad I read it, even more glad to finish it. No spoilers – the end is worth it.
Julia –
Die Philosophie des Yogas verpackt in eine schöne Geschichte.
Leicht zu Lesen und auch als Geschenk eine tolle Idee!
tyler –
This book was recommended to me by a friend and fellow Yoga teacher Sydney. It was amazing from start to finish. It did get somewhat confusing at first due to a lot of heavy theories out the gate. After that though, was very easy to flow. Loved it and recommend to anyone interested in Yoga and the philosophy surrounding it.
Denicke –
Such a wealth of information and philosophy. I plan to read this again to soak up the wisdom. So well written!
Candace S –
This book is life changing! I’ve e done yoga for fifty years with a# much success as I wanted. During the pandemic I quit due to depression and have recently considered beginning again. A friend mentioned that this book had been profound philosophically and written as a novel which made for easy reading. I find it on a par with the Course in Miracles and the Bhagavad Gita while reading like To Kill a Mockingbird!! It is a Joy and should be discovered by all…Thank you Geshe🙏🏻
Victoria Sargsyan –
I loved this book and how it explained the sutras and how it was written in a story format. I even gifted one to a friend. I wish there was more.
Paul Murphy –
How Yoga Works
By Gesne Michael Roach
My favorite quotes of the book:
“And then we did our giving and taking, and our poses, regular as clockwork.”
“All things are themselves by themselves”,
And then interject you and “Nothing is itself by itself”.
A soul mate of mine recommended this book to me. While I was just breaking the ice in yoga as part of a P90X program, she deeply steeped in yoga, made a recommendation that changed me. At that time I saw yoga as a physical conditioning routine of poses with a slight blend of active meditation. Tatty sees Yoga as a way of life. As I was discovering this in her, I was not aware as to yoga’s implications. I sincerely wish to thank first Tatyana who among other things provided me with the gateway to my change in life style. I also must congratulate the author Genshe Michael Roach for preparing an allegory story of a young Tibetan girl who stumbles upon a trap that finds herself incarcerated in a remote Indian jail. In that setting an Indian village is transformed. Reading the story transforms the reader’s view on life itself.
The young girl and main character of the book whose name, Friday, does not become apparent to the reader until well in to the book. She becomes the yoga teacher who must first teach the captain of the police station yoga, and then transform the whole town with the way of yoga life. The immediate goal for the captain was to learn yoga poses and establish a routine so that the pain in his back would go away. To this the novice student of yoga and probably victims of the once a week production yoga studios across America, would be happy to settle on. I do not necessarily blame the victimhood on the Yoga instructors of the studios, as it’s more likely their customers that live a self centered fast paced American life that invite the wrong results of yoga. What the author does is incorporate weekly sessions with the Captain teaching the philosophy and way of yoga life.
In the lessons you learn meditation and the richness of focus and breathing. You learn how to clear your internal channels, first physical and then mental, that makes clear the rewards of a `give and take’ with the universe. And it does not end there. It does not take long before Friday introduces the way of life of Yoga. She weaves the internal benefits the student receives with an obligation to give it to others in a yoga way of life. In the book this is done by the introduction of many characters who each become first a student and then a teacher. All along the common Western phrases, like `practice what you preach and what goes around comes around, take on an Eastern Yoga meaning or perhaps it is the other way around, depending on how you see things. From that meaning the student/teachers become centered. Being centered implies balanced; with an equal proportion of work/play, give/take, yin/yang; harmoniously at one with the universe and therefore at peace with it and yourself as a small part of it.
While there is a regiment of both physical and mental practices that come to work in yoga, the essential result of yoga is a shift in the way you see things. When you see things as themselves all by themselves, you come to appreciate your role in creating reality. When you see things as them selves by themselves you can then appreciate how to become one with that thing by letting things to simply be. Breathe in the thought of that thing. Bless it and release it, a radiant light of love, allowing it to be itself by itself. Discover how easy it is to let it be. Imagine all the people…if only we could be as One. If you can do that you can transcend time. And time, you see – time itself becomes eternity. From the book: “I locked my eyes to his, almost to give to him through our eyes. “The past is not the past from its own side. The future is not the future from its own side. We look at time itself: we look at events as they happen to us, and then our mind – and it is only our mind – that splits this up into the ever-moving present moment, and the past and the future to come.” Let It Be.
I have this practice where I often times put a bibliography at the end of my reviews, to demonstrate how the book shaped my thoughts. In this book that process was rewarding in many was. For my readers, I left this gem, the quote right above, found on page 360. If you are sure you totally appreciate its meaning, if you are good at Paul McCartney’s words Let it Be then you are there. If there is doubt read this book as it will apply layer upon layer until the light comes on…enlightenment.
On your browser search field, Please enter keyword “cigarroomofbooks, How Yoga Works” where I have a bibliography of notes straight from the book. I invite you to comment on any note….many are profound.