Written in 1935, Sri Swami Sivananda’s book, classic book, The Science of Pranayama, is available for free download as a PDF and it is also available in hard copy from Integral Yoga Distribution or from the Divine Life Society of Rishikesh who generously has made the...
Meditation starts with concentration. Meditation actually begins when the mind is well-focused and it learns to become totally still. When the mind becomes completely still it seems to be losing itself. That is what you call transcending the mental state. All...
Recommended Seated Postures Any sitting posture may be used for performing pranayama as long as the spine is erect and the hands rest on the knees. However, it is optimal if one of the meditation postures is assumed. The main meditative poses are Padmaasana (Lotus...
Quite other than this physical sheath which consists of food and interior to it is the energy sheath that consists of breath. This is encased in the physical sheath and has the same form. The one is filed with the other. This first has the likeness of a human being,...
Both a renowned Sanskrit scholar and yogi, Swami Venkatesananda—like his spiritual master, Swami Sivananda—can be regarded as a sage of practical wisdom. In this talk at Yasodhara Ashram (British Columbia) in the 1970s, he speaks about the underlying philosophy behind...