Hatha Yoga | The Report of a Personal ExperienceThe title says it all, a 'personal experience' by Theos Bernard, not some philosophy from a book.
In 1947, Theos Bernard disappeared on his way to the Ki Monastery in Western Tibet. The circumstances surrounding his disappearance remain a mystery, although it was rumoured that he was murdered, along with his Moslem guides, by Hindus. Neither his body nor any of his possessions were ever recovered. This closed the final chapter on a fascinating journey, both inward and outward, of one of the most influential Western Yogis of the twentieth century, whose guiding light was to know the truth, free from the trappings and tapestries of illusion.
Pranayama: The Yoga of Breathing What is Prana? Prana is cosmic energy, the dynamism of life. According to yogis it is present in the air, in our food, in our water, in our sunlight. It has no chemical or physical form, but it is our true nourishment, for without prana there can be no life. Not only does this energy exist, but it can be stored in the nervous system and through yoga the current of prana can be directed at will.
The science of controlling prana is called pranayama (ayama – to curb or master). To interpret pranayama as ‘breathing exercises’ would be severely limiting the scope of the exercises and their true purpose. In this book André van Lysebeth describes the laws and techniques which are necessary for collecting, storing and conscious control of pranic energies within the body.
PRANAYAMA is an excellent practical handbook on the yoga of breathing. This art, or science, is little known in the West, but, with discipline anyone can use it to gain great energy and calm in situations of stress.
