Yoga is a transformational process. This simple fact is something that has become more and more evident to me during the twenty-plus years that I have been teaching yoga. While people practice yoga for many reasons, everyone comes to realize its benefits of self-improvement and healing. Over the years, I have seen people join yoga programs to lose weight, improve their study skills, reduce stress, heal injuries, strengthen their body and mind, find compassion, feel better . . . and the list goes on. We all face challenges in life and struggle to transcend them. Yoga is a great way of doing just that.
Yoga is far more than just a physical activity. It is a lifestyle that merges esoteric philosophy with the practical realities of daily living. As a philosophy of holistic wellness, yoga leads to profound personal and spiritual growth. As you come to understand yoga as a way of life, practicing yoga both “on the mat” and in your daily life becomes an immensely powerful tool. The Pure Heart of Yoga offers a step-by-step, integrated mind-body-spirit approach to experiencing the true transformational power of yoga poses. This book gives you the tools you will need to chart a course of personal transformation. All that you need is an open mind and heart, a desire to learn the depth and breadth of yoga, and a sincere willingness to commit to your transformation.
The desire to deepen your yoga practice doesn’t come with any other requirements. Students of every level can use the principles outlined in this book. I have been teaching students these principles in beginner, intermediate, and advanced yoga classes for twenty years. I find that most students come to yoga class assuming that they need to either possess or learn how to maintain an extreme, gymnastic-like flexibility, only to discover that their mind was the bigger hurdle. It is at the mental level that feelings of worry, dread, fear, and agitation are generated, feelings that naturally prevent us from being calm, peaceful, and self-assured. Yoga goes straight to those feelings and helps alleviate them. Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of yoga is that it puts the brain to rest.
Remembering my own path, I can see now that as a beginning yoga student, I was seeking deep inner peace, even if I was not able to pinpoint my specific goal at that time. Yoga and meditation studies were not as popular in those days, and I had no idea how to even begin looking for a teacher. As a college student traveling an alternative route to adulthood, it was raw motivation that led me to meet a host of wonderful and sometimes exotic teachers. After studying yoga and meditation intensively in Japan and Taiwan, I discovered The Yoga Institute of Mumbai, India (formerly known as Bombay), where I enrolled in the Institute’s six-month teacher-training program. There I received one-on-one training from Dr. Jayadeva Yogendra, the son of the Institute’s founder and one of India’s great yoga teachers. During my stay at the Institute, I was introduced to the core principles of this book and I have been working since then to understand and deepen these principles in my own practice and in the lives of all my students.
I went on to earn a Ph.D. in Yoga Philosophy at the California Institute for Integral Studies, a holistic interdisciplinary university founded by Dr. Haridus Chaudhuri. It was here that I continued investigating the psychological aspects of yoga with some of the brightest yoga scholars guiding me. At this institute, I was fortunate to receive an education that explored yoga as a philosophy and way of life, as opposed to many yoga programs in the United States that concentrate primarily on the physical practice of yoga poses. Since then, I have founded the YogaLife Institute in Pennsylvania, where we hold classes for students of every age, ability, and level and also teach students how to become yoga instructors themselves. As the leader of this group, I am always inspired to see so many students motivated to learn the subtle aspects of yoga, which not only tones their bodies but also truly honors the spiritual and psychological forces at work in their lives. I am honored to work with these people, many of whom are just like you, and to be making my own contribution to the world of yoga with The Pure Heart of Yoga, which represents ten years of writing and more than twenty years of research.
The information in this book exists in Sanskrit texts on yoga, submerged in esoteric language that makes it challenging to understand. The Pure Heart of Yoga presents this ancient yoga knowledge in an easy, accessible way. You may find that you’ve never heard of some of the principles we’re about to learn. This is true for many yoga teachers and students throughout the Western world. Over the years, I have had students come to me after practicing yoga for ten and sometimes twenty years who have never experienced the true depths of a holistic yoga practice. You may find that this book is a door to an entirely new understanding of yoga.
The Pure Heart of Yoga is an experiential book that gives you the tools and structure you need to direct your own journey of discovery. The beauty of it is that how you grow and what you learn is your own decision to make. Throughout the book, I aim to lead you to a new perspective and give you useful exercises, but never to lay out any of the answers. In this way, you don’t need to fit into any prefabricated box nor do you have to buy into one particular result. You will find the yoga practice that is best for you.
Regardless of your experience, this book will introduce you to the beauty of yoga and transform your yoga practice. If you are a beginning student, you are fortunate to have found this book early in your journey. As an intermediate or advanced student, you may have never learned the steps explored in this book. That’s okay! By including them in your practice now, you will understand yoga in a new way. If you’re wondering if the book fits the type of yoga you’re practicing, you’ll be pleased to know that it does. The Pure Heart of Yoga affirms all forms of yoga practice as positive, meaning that you can practice the principles of this book and enrich your practice regardless of what style of yoga you are currently doing.
Even after my nearly twenty-five years of performing the same poses, my yoga practice continues to be invigorated by using the steps you’re about to learn. These steps focus on spiritual and emotional growth rather than just physical mastery of yoga poses. When yoga addresses all three aspects of our nature—body, mind, and spirit—it becomes an entirely holistic and fulfilling experience. In all regards, it becomes illuminating, transformational, and I might add, fun. It requires patience and effort, and it may take years of practice to integrate every principle. Enjoy the journey of yoga and allow it to settle into the depths of your soul. Search for a teacher and practice together with patience, curiosity, and enthusiasm. Ask intuitive questions. Follow your heart and use the tools that are relevant to your life. We can all bring the essence of yoga into our lives, cultivating a balanced state of mind that transforms ourselves and the world around us.