Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $9.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Spiritual Transformational Yoga
    Spiritual Transformational Yoga
    Spiritual Transformational Yoga
    Ebook188 pages1 hour

    Spiritual Transformational Yoga

    By Sally Bassett Ph.D.

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Spiritual Transformational Yoga is a book that takes a step-by-step approach to help readers of all faiths find inner peace and a deeper spiritual life. Many individuals initially come to the mat because of the physical practice and all the benefits that yoga offers for strengthening the body and calming the mind. The Eight Limbs of Yoga provides so much more including a path for inner peace. The first two limbs concentrate on external and internal universal values. Next comes the postures and a gentle flow to prepare the body physically to sit in prayer and meditation for periods of time. Breath work is incorporated after the physical practice in order to calm the mind even further for meditation. It is then that the individual begins withdrawing from the senses, going inward to focus and pray, eventually meditating and experiencing a blissful state and oneness with God.  Hopefully, all of us, one yogi at a time, will be able to take the peace developed internally through this process "off the mat and into the world.”

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherChristian Faith Publishing, Inc.
    Release dateFeb 10, 2017
    ISBN9781635252286
    Spiritual Transformational Yoga

    Related to Spiritual Transformational Yoga

    Related ebooks

    Christianity For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Yoga Infused

      Apr 5, 2022

      Yoga Infused
      15 min read

    • Article

      Growing With Yoga — 5 Lessons

      Aug 28, 2023

      Growing With Yoga — 5 Lessons
      6 min read

    • Article

      Growing With A Yoga Flow

      Jul 1, 2024

      Growing With A Yoga Flow
      5 min read

    • Article

      Pastor’s Yoga Post Sparks Outrage

      Oct 21, 2020

      AN AMERICAN pastor’s post on Face-book, that yoga was a Hindu ritual, and the movements were designed to release the Kundalini serpent energy, has been called an attack on Hinduism. Last Tuesday, an image of women in yoga attire and a yogi was posted

      3 min read

    • Article

      OM meets… Anusha Wijeyakumar

      Aug 20, 2021

      OM meets… Anusha Wijeyakumar
      6 min read

    • Article

      OM meets… VIDYA HEISEL

      Jan 19, 2023

      OM meets… VIDYA HEISEL
      7 min read

    • Article

      Beginner’s Mind

      Jan 22, 2019

      THE BRAHMAVIHARAS are four prized emotions or mindstates that give us a framework to cultivate positive behaviors and minimize harmful ones. They are called the “divine abodes” because they are the mindstates in which all the enlightened ones reside.

      4 min read

    • Article

      OM meets… DESI BARTLETT

      Feb 16, 2023

      OM meets… DESI BARTLETT
      6 min read

    • Article

      OM meets… DESI BARTLETT

      Feb 16, 2023

      OM meets… DESI BARTLETT
      6 min read

    • Article

      Art Of Empowerment

      Aug 4, 2022

      Art Of Empowerment
      9 min read

    • Article

      Yoga YOUR way

      May 1, 2023

      Yoga YOUR way
      3 min read

    • Article

      Yoga YOUR way

      Mar 30, 2023

      Yoga YOUR way
      3 min read

    • Article

      The 5 koshas

      Jun 18, 2021

      The 5 koshas
      5 min read

    • Article

      OM meets … HALI LOVE

      Sep 25, 2023

      OM meets … HALI LOVE
      10 min read

    • Article

      Tarik Dervish

      Mar 17, 2022

      Tarik Dervish, a Turkish Cypriot Londoner, runs two online classes on Wednesday evenings and Thursday mornings via his website (see details below). He runs a BWYQ accredited yoga teacher training course and co-runs a 60-hour module on Ayurveda in act

      3 min read

    • Article

      Gopala Amir Yaffa

      Mar 17, 2022

      From monkhood to fatherhood: Gopala Amir Yaffa, cofounder and wizard at Rainbow Kids Yoga first started practicing yoga and meditation when he was just 14 and went on to become a Hindu monk at 16. He has been wholeheartedly devoted to the yoga path f

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Four Noble Truths

      Feb 16, 2023

      The Four Noble Truths
      2 min read

    • Article

      The Four Noble Truths

      Feb 16, 2023

      The Four Noble Truths
      2 min read

    • Article

      OM meets… Zakiya Bishton

      May 21, 2021

      OM meets… Zakiya Bishton
      3 min read

    • Article

      Meet our MAN ON THE MAT

      Mar 2, 2023

      Meet our MAN ON THE MAT
      8 min read

    • Article

      In Defense of Ritual

      May 8, 2018

      In Defense of Ritual
      7 min read

    • Article

      Yoga

      Mar 4, 2021

      Yoga
      5 min read

    • Article

      You Are Already A Buddha

      Nov 22, 2022

      My first experiences learning to meditate were with my late father, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. He was a revered meditation teacher, but he lived a very simple life, spending most of his time in a small hermitage on the outskirts of the Kathmandu Valley.

      7 min read

    • Article

      The Secret To True Happiness

      Aug 18, 2022

      I have been practicing and teaching yoga for 47 years. It has been my lifelong companion and source of inspiration. Coupled with a sattvic (organic and veggie) diet, the physical practice has kept me strong, flexible, and healthy. However, more impor

      4 min read

    • Article

      Yoga: Beyond Movement

      Nov 14, 2017

      Yoga: Beyond Movement
      5 min read

    • Article

      The 8 Limbs Of Yoga

      Oct 20, 2022

      The 8 Limbs Of Yoga
      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Spiritual Transformational Yoga

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Spiritual Transformational Yoga - Sally Bassett Ph.D.

      cover.jpg

      Spiritual Transformational Yoga

      Via the Eight Limbs of Yoga

      Sally Bassett, Ph.D.

      Photographer Tricia Wright

      ISBN 978-1-63525-227-9 (paperback)

      ISBN 979-8-89130-980-7 (hardcover)

      ISBN 978-1-63525-228-6 (digital)

      Copyright © 2024 by Sally Bassett Ph. D.

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

      Christian Faith Publishing

      832 Park Avenue

      Meadville, PA 16335

      www.christianfaithpublishing.com

      Printed in the United States of America

      Table of Contents

      Introduction and the Four Paths of Yoga

      Chapter 1

      The Eight Limbs of Yoga

      Chapter 2

      The First Limb of Yoga: Social Observances (Yamas)

      Chapter 3

      The Second Limb of Yoga – Individual Observances (Ni-Yamas)

      Chapter 4

      The Third Limb of Yoga: Postures or Asanas

      Chapter 5

      The Fourth Limb of Yoga: Breath Control or Pranayama

      Chapter 6

      The Fifth Limb of Yoga – Sense Withdrawal or Pratyahara

      Chapter 7

      The Sixth Limb of Yoga: Concentration or Dharana Prayer/Talking to God

      Chapter 8

      The Seventh Limb of Yoga: Meditation or Dhyana

      Chapter 9

      The Eight Limb of Yoga: Oneness with God (Samadhi)

      Chapter 10

      Seven Ways to Create Balance and Healing via the Chakras

      Chapter 11

      The Five Koshas – Layers of Your Being

      Chapter 12

      Mudras and Aromatherapy

      Chapter 13

      A Class Template

      Glossary

      About the Author

      Dedication

      To Olivia and Emma

      With all my love, Mimi

      Introduction and the Four Paths of Yoga

      Whether you are new to yoga or a seasoned yogi, this book is to highlight that this ancient practice is more than the physical postures that most people often believe. Yoga can be a spiritual transformation that enables every human being of every faith to find peace.

      As a yoga teacher and former university adjunct professor teaching Yoga Philosophy and Yoga and Spirituality for the past two decades, I first questioned if this was a conflict with my spiritual beliefs. I, too, initially came to the mat because of the physical practice and all the benefits of calming the mind. The actual point of yoga, however, is to unite oneself with God. Yoga is not a religion, but a science or spiritual discipline that can provide helpful tools to strengthen one's own faith.

      In time, I realized the yoga process, or the Eight Limbs of Yoga, provided a path to oneness with God. The first two limbs concentrate on external and internal values. Next come the postures to prepare the body physically to sit in prayer and meditation for long periods of time. Breath work is incorporated after the physical practice in order to calm the mind even further for meditation. It is then that the individual begins withdrawing from the senses, going inward to focus and pray, and eventually meditating and being with God.

      In prayer, a person talks to God, and in meditation, one listens to God. Not to offend any religious traditions, but I personally have found we do not listen enough. We go to our particular place of worship to praise God, but are we sincerely taking the time to feel His presence and listen?

      The original textbook on yoga was written by Maharishi Patanjali over 2000 years ago for the sole purpose of self-transformation. The Yoga Sutras are 196 verses separated into four chapters. The second verse in the first chapter says yogas citta vrtti nirodhah, which translates that yoga helps with stilling of the mind. Studies have indicated humans can have over 70,000+ thoughts a day. Our monkey minds are as active and as old as time. We need to be given tools to quiet the mind, uncover our true selves, and find a closer relationship with God. This book is intended to help you find ways to reach those goals…and more!

      After traveling to over 120 countries, all seven continents and experiencing all types of religions, I believe yoga can be a message of oneness and connectivity for all people and all faiths.

      It is with great respect and faith that I have prayed to God on the banks of the Ganga River in India with hundreds of spiritual individuals, listened to the beliefs from our own Native American Indians in South Dakota, and visited cathedrals across the globe and lit candles too numerous to count. I have meditated in Muslim prayer rooms in airports throughout the world, sang gospel songs around campfires with rural women in Uganda, sat with monks in silence across Asia, enjoyed cacao ceremonies with the indigenous BriBri and Mayan communities in Central America, and learned about other religions wherever I have traveled.

      When I step on the yoga mat, I experience a deep sense of peace and a closer spiritual connection to myself and to God. When I follow the Eight Limbs of Yoga, it takes me to a deeper level. One of my favorite quotes by Rumi resonates with me even more, Seek the path that demands your whole being. This path has brought me closer to God than I could ever imagine.

      The goal of yoga is to experience the spiritual presence of God. In Prayer of Heart and Body by Thomas Ryan, he explained, When the science of yoga was brought to the West, a discernment was obviously made that the potential market would be greater if the physical benefits were stressed, and the religious and spiritual ends of the practice were allowed to fade in the background. Ryan began meditating because he wanted a relationship of intimacy with God. He found it there, so can you.

      In his book, The Wisdom of Jesus and the Yoga Siddhas, Marshall Govindan revealed that recent research by independent scholars has uncovered many details about what Jesus taught, which when compared to the teachings of classical yoga, indicates close similarities both in what he practiced, and what he realized.

      Paramahansa Yogananda, author of The Autobiography of a Yogi, is renowned as the Father of Yoga in the west and one of the key spiritual figures of our time. He believed that every seeker should know God, not through mere belief, but by direct experience via meditation. God can be known, not as a theological concept, but as an actual personal experience. The goal of this book is to show individuals exactly how they can have a closer relationship with God…one step at a time.

      I pray with time that more people can become even stronger in their faith with God through the Eight Limbs of Yoga creating peace around the world.

      The Four Main Paths of Yoga

      Spiritual Transformational Yoga embraces the full range of spiritual paths to one's union with God. As the practioner becomes adept in the four pathways, they will begin to flow together. Mahatma Gandhi believed,

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1