Advanced Yoga Practices - Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living [Tapa blanda]

When I first read the reviews for Advanced Yoga Practices, I worried that they may have been faked since they were so glowing. I decided to buy the book anyway. It was a pleasure to discover that the book is even better than the reviews. Unlike much of the yogic/spiritual tradition that shrouds advanced techniques in secret, Yogani spells out yogic meditation practices from the basic to advanced, giving complete, easy to understand instructions. At the same time, he reminds readers that they must take responsibility for their own spiritual progress with respect to the advanced practices. To apply those methods before having the proper level of understanding and training can create problems. I suppose an analogy would be that you wouldn't ask 16-year old to drive a race car 200+ miles per hour when they are first learning to drive. That is a recipe for disaster. Rather you idle slowly about a parking lot or side road until you get the hang of driving a car. Similarly, Yogani introduces the basic meditation and breathing (pranayama) practices and gradually introduces more advanced techniques.

Since the lessons first originated with some website lessons, there are lots of questions and answers from seekers who have written him, and he gives very practical advice, and always reminds people to self-pace with respect to how deeply they delve into the more advanced practices. It is a very refreshing approach.

I have a large library of spiritual books, many of which did not deliver as much as I had hoped. That said, I would whole-heartedly recommend Yogani's Advanced Yoga Practices to anyone who is very serious in their pursuit of meditation and advanced level practices.

P.S. May I add, that although I have purchased a ton of books from Amazon, especially in the spiritual genre, I have never written a review of a book. This book was so good, I felt compelled to write a review. I send my most sincere thanks to Yogani!

When most people think of yoga, they think of impossible postures or a way of getting into shape. The real jist of yoga is to attain union with God. This book could be called "Everything that you wanted to ask your Guru - and ask you did!" Yogani explains in depth a comprehensive strategy for enlightenment. For years I have searched book stores and the internet for this hidden information that was only passed on from guru to disciple throughout the centuries. Yogani gives it all without restraint in this one book. The book is filled with questions from students working through the methods and Yogani answers in full detail with clarity and compassion. If you are truly on the path seeking God, this book will change your life. It is a literal goldmine!

This is a book whose time has truly come.

Yogani, the author, ends every lesson and every communication with the following motto, which I think best sums up the approach of this book and the Yahoo! Group from which it is derived:

The guru is in you.

The truth about any practice of personal development, whether it comes from a spiritual tradition or some other source of inspiration, is that no one can teach another person how to be happy. Those who believe they have useful information can only share what has worked for them or pass along what they've heard has worked for others. This Yogani does with a degree of honesty and compassion that is astonishing, refreshing, and consistent.

In this case, the information Yogani passes along comes from the original Yoga Sutras-- an ancient manual for cultivating the magnificence of the human spirit. The lessons focus on what works, how it works, and how to recognize when it is working for you. The practices themselves, though preserved through the Hindu tradition, were developed through experiment and observation over many centuries without regard to any particular religious belief. They can be applied to deepen the experience of any faith, or simply build joy and character regardless of one's opinion about the nature of the divine.

Time after time, both in the lessons and when answering questions, the usefulness of this no-nonsense approach shines through. Yogani has a way of clarifying the intent of each practice, which is to make steady and noticeable progress toward a deeper and more reliable experience of happiness that is independent of external circumstances.

Although much of the material contained in the book is available in the AdvancedYogaPractices group on Yahoo!, it is extremely useful and convenient to have ready access to the entire collection of lessons and the additional material that is only available in the book.

If the 12-Step and other self-help movements were at the forefront of cultural development at the close of the 20th Century, the advanced understanding of Yoga practices as set forth in this book will no doubt form the foundation of personal development in the 21st.

When Yogani says things like this:

The essence of divine experience is unending devastating

bliss and an unshakable silent peace.

He is describing an experience that he and other practitioners have noticed. His claim that this experience can be attained through the practices is easy to verify. When done properly-without undue strain or haste-the practices are harmless. As long as you remember that the guru is in you and follow your own inner guidance as you practice, your progress will be smooth, steady, and noticeable. May you be truly happy!