Srivatsa Ramaswami

A detailed guide to Samkhya Vedic philosophy and how to break free from the cycles of rebirth • Explores the meaning of all 72 verses of the 4th-century Sanskrit text Samkhya Karika word by word, providing helpful explanations and annotations to aid your understanding • Reveals how Samkhya Karika explains the three duhkhas, or causes of suffering, and how to deal with them to reach a state of freedom from pain and suffering • Shows how Samkhya Karika explains the origin and evolution of the universe and how it identifies the true nature of the Self, the Atman, as unvarying consciousness distinct from the body-mind complex Along with Yoga and Vedanta, Samkhya is one of the three schools of Vedic philosophy that teach the individual how to break free from the cycles of death and rebirth. Samkhya Karika is the earliest surviving text on Samkhya, a brilliant masterpiece written by fourth-century Indian poet and philosopher Ishvarakrishna, who was considered to be an avatar of the Classical Sanskrit poet Kalidasa. Presenting a translation of Samkhya Karika from the original Sanskrit along with detailed commentary, Srivatsa Ramaswami explores the meaning of all 72 slokas (verses) word by word, providing helpful explanations and annotations to aid in your understanding. He shows how Samkhya philosophy explains the origin and evolution of the universe and how it identifies the true nature of the Self as unvarying consciousness, distinct from the empirical body-mind complex. He reveals how Samkhya Karika explains the three duhkhas, or causes of suffering, and how to deal with them to reach the goal of Samkhya: kaivalya, a state of deep contemplation where one is unafflicted by pain and eternally free from the cycle of samsara. Providing a user-friendly guide to Samkhya for yoga practitioners and students of yoga philosophy, this book also shares insightful teachings from the author’s teacher, the legendary Sri Krishnamacharya, hailed as "the father of modern yoga."

The author of The Complete Book of Vinyasa Yoga and an experienced California yogi student present an accessible question-and-answer reference to yoga philosophy and practice, offering insight into some of the discipline's most challenging concepts, from the role of breath in asana to yoga's ability to promote non-violence. Original.

Sri T. Krishnamacharya (1888-1989) was the most influential figure in the last 100 years in the field of yoga. Many of today's best-known yoga teachers--including his brother-in-law B. K. S. Iyengar, his son T. K. V. Desikachar, and Pattabhi Jois, founder of Ashtanga yoga--studied with him and modeled their own yoga styles after his practice and teaching. Yet, despite his renowned status, Krishnamacharya's wisdom has never before been made completely available, just as he taught it. Now, in The Complete Book of Vinyasa Yoga, Srivatsa Ramaswami--Krishnamacharya's longest-standing student outside his own family--presents his master's teachings of yogasanas in unprecedented detail. Drawing upon his 33 years of direct study, beginning in 1955 and continuing nearly until his teacher's death, Ramaswami presents more than nine hundred poses and variations in logically structured sequences, precisely describing Krishnamacharya's complete Vinyasakrama system. Along with every movement of each yoga posture, he covers the proper breathing techniques for each pose--something no other book also derived from Krishnamacharya's teaching does. Nearly 1,000 full-color photographs are featured in this authoritative landmark presentation of the study practiced by the "grandfather of modern yoga."