A Yogi's Guide to Chakra Meditation

A Yogi's Guide to Chakra Meditation

  • Downloads:4000
  • Type:Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date:2021-08-01 04:41:03
  • Update Date:2025-09-23
  • Status:finish
  • Author:Paul Grilley
  • ISBN:1733583904
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Summary

There are many books on chakras, but their focus is usually an attempt to integrate the chakras with modern psychological theories。 "A Yogi's Guide to Chakra Meditation" presents chakra meditation as a specific example of the ancient yogic tradition。

The most respected text in the yogic tradition was written by the sage Patanjali and is entitled "The Yoga Sutras。" Scholars debate its antiquity, but it was written approximately 2000 years ago。 Because an overview of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras is standard fare in yoga teacher training programs, I have presented chakra meditation as a specific example of Patanjali's more general description of yoga。 I hope that a description of chakra meditation through Patanjali's lens will make it easier for yoginis coming to this material for the first time。

All yoga teacher training programs include an overview of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, but these sutras are notoriously difficult to understand, and have from ancient times required a commentary to clarify them。 For example: Patanjali's descriptions of pranayama are so general as to be useless without commentary。 AYGtCM covers this essential topic in clear and complete detail。

Patanajali is most famous for his model of spiritual progress called "The Eight Limbs of Yoga。" The rest of the Yoga Sutras might remain obscure, but any yogini who has graduated a training program has had to memorize the eight limbs of yoga。 AYGtCM brings the eight limbs of yoga to life by illustrating their manifestation in chakra meditation。 Many of Patanjali's sutras are referenced throughout the text。 In this way, the reader gains insight into Patanjali's entire system of thought, including theories of creation, karma, reincarnation, psychology, and the physical, astral, and causal bodies。

The first of the book's four sections describes chakras: their location and function。 It elaborates the ideas of Shiva, Shakti, and prana。

The second section translates these terms into Patanjali's yogic terms and expands them。

The third section outlines in detail Patanjali's eight limbs of yoga as they occur in chakra meditation。

The fourth and final section describes meditation itself, outlining specific routines of practice, and describing what a yogini will experience。

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Reviews

Augusto

Paul Grilley does a fantastic job on summarizing important parts of yoga though still providing a very important technique, which should be practiced carefully and consistently。 The comment above stating that it is lunacy in print, despite his 30 years of experience, clearly has not taken the time to practice and experience the dimensions of yoga beyond a physical exercise。 Nevertheless, as with all spiritual books nothing should be believed, but it should not be disbelieved either! It should be Paul Grilley does a fantastic job on summarizing important parts of yoga though still providing a very important technique, which should be practiced carefully and consistently。 The comment above stating that it is lunacy in print, despite his 30 years of experience, clearly has not taken the time to practice and experience the dimensions of yoga beyond a physical exercise。 Nevertheless, as with all spiritual books nothing should be believed, but it should not be disbelieved either! It should be practiced。 Mythology has its role, and an important one and as with many of things that step out of the clenched fist of reason one has to judge by himself as one walks any path and take advice only as a guide not as a law handed from above。 。。。more

Tom Weissmuller

Lunacy in print。 I would say it was a complete waste of time; but the entire book took less than one hour to read so perhaps I should say, "it was a frustrating use of time"。 There is almost nothing here 。。。 literally, almost nothing at all except curiosities about ancient beliefs。 The book consists of 104 very short pages。 Literally, VERY SHORT pages。 Very little is written on each page。 I mean there are very few words。 Seriously! And within the words, even less substance。 Sadly, what is here i Lunacy in print。 I would say it was a complete waste of time; but the entire book took less than one hour to read so perhaps I should say, "it was a frustrating use of time"。 There is almost nothing here 。。。 literally, almost nothing at all except curiosities about ancient beliefs。 The book consists of 104 very short pages。 Literally, VERY SHORT pages。 Very little is written on each page。 I mean there are very few words。 Seriously! And within the words, even less substance。 Sadly, what is here is of little value to anyone who has studied yoga for any length of time。 The author restates ancient legend as though it were fact。 He translates Sanskrit words into English without citing authority for the translation and then subscribes some meaning and value to what he apparently offers as his belief。 He cites his so-called spiritual leader as authority, but he does not say whether the man stands as authority for the material, the translations, or for the author's willingness to believe the material。 The topics will be familiar to yoga teachers。 We have heard this, (or derivations of this), before, provided we have read modern translations of ancient Sanskrit, Buddhist, yogic, and/or Vedic texts。 We just have not heard it presented as though it were true。 In the ancient texts, we understand that ANCIENT PEOPLE SEEMED TO BELIEVE IT WAS TRUE。 There is a difference。 In my 30 years of yoga practice and study, I have met practitioners of yoga who get caught up in the romanticism of ancient legend。 Some obviously wish to believe the old stories, just as many wish to believe the stories of the Bible, the Koran, the Torah, or other ancient books, without question。 I subscribe to the principles of reason and hold that ancient texts should be read with a discerning ear。 Hypothetically, if one found reference in an ancient text to the universe being "surrounded in goats milk", one might disregard the passage entirely; or lend it little weight, reasoning it is derived from a poor translation; or one might simply conclude it is a delusion being offered by a confused leader of a long lost religion。 Most will discount or minimize such an assertion。 Some, however, will swallow it whole, offering undue credulity due purely to their wishful thinking。 I for one, do not expect to see outlandish assertions within a modern book。 Unlike the many learned treaties or theses on yoga, which might be found in scholarly journals or university publications, this book cites little authority and it fails to couch discussions in terms of what was once believed。 Yes, this was a frustrating use of time。 。。。more