Internationally renowned and bestselling author Donna Farhi moves yoga practice beyond the mat into our everyday lives, restoring the tradition's intended function as a complete, practical philosophy for daily living.
Expanding upon the teachings of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, the core text of the yoga tradition, Donna Farhi describes yoga's transforming power as a complete life practice, far beyond its common reduction to mere exercise routine or stress management. This is the philosophy of yoga as a path to a deeper awareness of self. Drawing upon her years of teaching with students, Farhi guides readers through all the pitfalls and promises of navigating a spiritual practice.
Farhi's engaging and accessible style and broad experience offer important teachings for newcomers and seasoned practitioners of yoga alike. And because her teachings of yoga philosophy extend into every corner of daily life, this book is an equally accessible guide to those seeking spiritual guidance without learning the pretzel bendings of the physical practice itself. As one of the top teachers worldwide, Farhi's exploration of the core philosophy of yoga is destined to become an instant classic.
Monday night is the evening for beginners at the studio, and although it is only five-thirty the winter sky has begun to darken as students arrive, some tentatively, others in boisterous pairs who have egged each other on to come, and the silent furtive ones, not yet sure whether there is a special way to act when entering a Yoga school. Robin arrives a little late and searches nervously for the farthest corner, to hide behind the other attendees. "Why have you come?" I ask, and as we introduce ourselves Robin declares, with an edge of cynicism that I have grown to recognize as the thickening of skin over something far more tender, that she wants to lose a little weight, maybe learn to relax. "Seemed like a better option than ballroom dancing," she says smugly, raising a few eyebrows.
As the weeks go by, Robin begins to move forward in the room and to ask questions about the stiffness she feels in her back. "I don't know," she says offhandedly, "maybe it has something to do with my job. Some days I can hardly catch my breath." At the end of the first course Robin signs up for another, and months turn into years. A life is unveiled: an ambitious career, a marriage that didn't work out, a childhood much analyzed in therapy, and then an open question. How can this life become fresh again? How to peel away the veneer of self-defense and the sadness of disappointment? One summer Robin takes the leap and decides after much encouragement to attend a seven-day retreat. After a long and silent meditation one evening Robin comes to say good night, and we look into each other's eyes. Something ineffable is exchanged: a recognition that something important has been realized. For once Robin drops her guard, and without saying a word I sense a warmth and tenderness that belie her practiced bravado. This is not where Robin began, yet it is a place that has always been there awaiting her arrival.
Over two decades of teaching I have witnessed again and again the power that Yoga has to shift seemingly intransigent negative patterns and to awaken the body, mind, and heart to other possibilities. No matter who we are or how long we have been entrenched in self-defeating behaviors, through daily Yoga practice we can become present to our own fundamental goodness and the goodness of others. Rediscovering who we really are at our core opens the way to experiencing our most basic level of connection with others. This connectedness lies at the heart of the practice called Yoga. Living in a unitive state is not an esoteric concept, and it is not an elusive higher realm that only very clever people can aspire to. It is the opening of the heart so that we have the capacity to feel tenderness, joy, and sorrow without shutting down. It is the opening of the mind to an awareness that encompasses rather than excludes. It is the startling and immediate recognition of our basic sameness. It is the practice of observing clearly, listening acutely, and skillfully responding to the moment with all the compassion we can muster. And it is a homecoming with and in the body for it is only here that we can do all these things.
Counter to the plethora of seven-step solutions and quick-fix formulas offered by so many contemporary self-help guides, the ancient science of Yoga does not pretend to be simple, quick, or easy. It is a practice that takes into account the very messy and often complex phenomenon of what we call a human being and the equally challenging task of everyday living. What Yoga does promise, however, is that through sincere, skillful, and consistent practice, anyone can become peaceful, happy, and free. It does not matter who you are or who you take yourself to...
Synopsis
Internationally renowned and bestselling author Donna Farhi moves yoga practice beyond the mat into our everyday lives, restoring the tradition's intended function as a complete, practical philosophy for daily living.
Expanding upon the teachings of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, the core text of the yoga tradition, Donna Farhi describes yoga's transforming power as a complete life practice, far beyond its common reduction to mere exercise routine or stress management. This is the philosophy of yoga as a path to a deeper awareness of self. Drawing upon her years of teaching with students, Farhi guides readers through all the pitfalls and promises of navigating a spiritual practice.
Farhi's engaging and accessible style and broad experience offer important teachings for newcomers and seasoned practitioners of yoga alike. And because her teachings of yoga philosophy extend into every corner of daily life, this book is an equally accessible guide to those seeking spiritual guidance...
About the Author
Donna Farhi has practiced Yoga for twenty-eight years and has taught internationally for over two decades. One of Americas most respected and loved Yoga teachers, she travels throughout the world leading retreats and training others to teach. Farhi has been an asana columnist for both Yoga Journal and Yoga International and is the author of the contemporary classics The Breathing Book and Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit. Born in America, she now resides in New Zealand.
