Postcards to Probationers -Yoga

http://www.geocities.com/nu_isis/pc2prob.html

Let then the Student understand all these things and combine them in his Art, uniting them by the supreme method of Silence.
Aleister Crowley

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So can anyone point me to some good Yoga books? Or some better search terms. My only experience is with Hatha Yoga. I even find it hard to find true Hatha Yoga info, much less other methods.
Then I read about Kundalini Yoga and wonder where it fits in. Same with Astanga.
It's a jungle out there.

I read Eight Lectures On Yoga. Twice. Will read again.

AW

I thought for a second this thread was about Yoda

Aeon recommended this book to me a while back and it was quite useful. Written by Thelemites about Yoga as it relates to Magick and Thelema. I was a drop out 8 Lectures reader, and this was much more palatable to me.

http://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Magick-W...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250728338&sr=8-1

Jivamukti Yoga: Practices for Liberating Body and Soul and Hatha Yoga Pradapika are two of my favorites.

Also very affordable and informative is the Yogani Series

NamastE

Oh goodie. More books. I want them all but will start with two or three. I knew there had to be some good ones out there.

Similia said:

I thought for a second this thread was about Yoda

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Perhaps he is our secret male profit.

Kilted Kat said:

NamastE

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NamastE

AW

I would definitely read Patanjali's Yoga Sutras..... defininitive yoga text.....

most people dont bother with it ..... should tell you a lot..haha

To study Yoga, you have my Book 4 Part I and my Eight Lectures on Yoga. Then there is Vivekananda's Raja Yoga and several little-known Hindu writers; these latter are very practical and technical, but one really needs to be a Hindu to make much use of them. The former is very good indeed, if your remember to switch off when he slides into sloppiness, which luckily is not often.

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I see that Similia has already recommended Nancy Wasserman's very practical book.

Book 4 Part 1 is probably Crowley's clearest and most concise view of Yoga. (Along with Liber E and Liber RU vel Spiritus.) He cuts right to the core of Yama and Niyama like no other writer on yoga. Great stuff!

Book 4 Part 1:
Online: http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/aba/aba1.html

If you want to buy it....

Book 4 Parts 1 & 2 (Weiser have confused a lot of people with this edition by not making it clear that it is only parts 1 and 2. But if you are only interested in the Yoga writings in part 1, this is the cheaper option.)
http://www.amazon.com/Book-Four-Ale...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250846375&sr=1-1

Book 4 Parts 1 to 4
http://www.amazon.com/Magick-Book-L...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250846375&sr=1-2

One of the biggest influences on Crowley was Swami Vivekanada. In fact he included his "Raja Yoga" on the A.'.A.'. reading list. High praise indeed!

You can find all of Vivekanada's books here. But you will have to trawl through the site to find "Raja Yoga", "Bhakti Yoga" etc., etc.

http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda/complete_works.htm

But if you wanna spend some money:

http://www.amazon.com/Raja-Yoga-Swa...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250844979&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.com/Karma-Yoga-Bh...=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250844979&sr=1-5

http://www.amazon.com/Jnana-Yoga-Swami-Vivekananda/dp/0911206213/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b

As for Kundalini Yoga....

Section S.S.S. in Liber H.H.H. is Crowley's kundalini instruction. But be warned. This is one practice where you can really mess yourself up if you aren't prepared. If you're not working under supervision you ideally need to have throughly mastered Asana and Pranayama before even thinking about playing with S.S.S.
(To give you a hint at the forces it is intended to stir within you, this practice corresponds to the path of Tzaddi and Atu IV The Emperor. This Fire will consume you if you are not ready for it.)

Gopi Krishna has written some good stuff on Kundalini. His autobiography is well worth reading. At the age of 34 he experienced a spontaneous kundalini awakening that nearly killed him!

http://www.amazon.com/Living-Kundal...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250850167&sr=1-1

Aeon418 said:

As for Kundalini Yoga....

Section S.S.S. in Liber H.H.H. is Crowley's kundalini instruction. But be warned. This is one practice where you can really mess yourself up if you aren't prepared. If you're not working under supervision you ideally need to have throughly mastered Asana and Pranayama before even thinking about playing with S.S.S.
(To give you a hint at the forces it is intended to stir within you, this practice corresponds to the path of Tzaddi and Atu IV The Emperor. This Fire will consume you if you are not ready for it.)

Gopi Krishna has written some good stuff on Kundalini. His autobiography is well worth reading. At the age of 34 he experienced a spontaneous kundalini awakening that nearly killed him!

http://www.amazon.com/Living-Kundal...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250850167&sr=1-1

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Yes, this is what got me wondering. I read S.S.S. then some commentaries and realized I needed to resist my tendency to dabble and try to educate myself.

I will stick with Hatha Yoga and the Middle Pillar as it seems like I have plenty of reading to do.

AW

Always Wondering said:

Yes, this is what got me wondering. I read S.S.S. then some commentaries and realized I needed to resist my tendency to dabble and try to educate myself.

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M.M.M. might be a better place to start. It's a meditation practice equivalent to the Neophyte initiation ritual. Comparison with Liber Pyramidos is useful.

A.A.A. is equivalent to the Zelator initiation. (Roughly Golden Dawn Adeptus Minor.)

Always Wondering said:

I will stick with Hatha Yoga and the Middle Pillar as it seems like I have plenty of reading to do.

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The Middle Pillar is excellent prep for all stages of the work. Over time it increases your ability to channel greater and greater levels of energy. But it does so in way that won't fry you with too much current, so to speak. Although the way it works can feel a bit counter-intuitive. When it suddenly goes flat and lacks energy it's actually a sign of progress.

Dont forget Tantra Yoga... in the general sense ... most western magical practices and initiation ceremonies are a form of Tantra Yoga. {I'm refering to the general understanding of tantra here ie. full complex rites that stimulate all senses and focused thoughts with action, movement, color, insense, figures, etc. all to the same end ... as opposed to the trashy new age understanding of tantra (basically it just means 'they had a good one' ) }.

I think one of the main points in Postcards is that the west has its yoga systems that we can practice. It's just beneficial to do a full devotional Aphrodite trip ( a la Liber Astate) as it is to follow full Hare Krishna proceedures for an awareness of Bakti Yoga. However AC DID teach the need to incorporate the eastern 'magical' arts. The thing is that in the east most of this is out in the open and on the street - exoteric, while in the west it has tended to be kept secret, hidden or occluded - esoteric.

Yoga is fairly well accepted nowadays, but 'magick' ......

Thanks Ravenest, it looks intresting. Kaoshiki especially appeals to me as I love to dance.

Yes, same goal, uniting the mind to a single idea. I was struck by that.
And I have to admit, I get some perverse kind of pleasure practicing my "magick" out in the open at my local gym. (Though I think it's a stretch to even call that class Hatha Yoga.) And all of the disclaimers and appoligies are a bit tiresome.

AW