"You are searching for something without understanding that it is within you. Search within. This is a direct approach. Do Not search for God outside. God is already within you. When you come to know that God dwells within you, then your life will totally change and you will be transformed. When you have perfect control over the modifications of the mind, you will attain the highest level of consciousness or samadhi.”
The contents of this book have been taken from Swami Rama’s lecture courses on Yoga Sutras. Swamiji states that Pantanjali’s Yoga Sutras are the basis of ancient psychology. Swamiji’s description of the totality of the mind, the functions of the mind, and the emotions, goes far beyond the concepts of modern psychology, and provides insight into the intricacies of yoga psychology, making this an invaluable edition from the therapeutic viewpoint as well as its practicality as a guide for living a healthy, balanced life.
About the Author:
Swami Rama was born Brij Kishore Dhasmana, to a Northern Indian Brahmin family and became lineage holder of the Sankya Yoga tradition of the Himalayan Masters. He was raised in the Himalayas by his master Bengali Baba, and, under the guidance of his Master, traveled from monastery to monastery and studied with a variety of Himalayan saints and sages, including his grandmaster who was living in a remote region of Tibet. From 1949 to 1952 held the prestigious position of Shankaracharya of Karvirpitham in South India. After returning to Bengali Baba in 1952 and many years of further practice in the Himalayan caves, Swami Rama was encouraged by his teacher to go to the West where he spent a considerable portion of his life teaching, specifically in the United States.
Swami Rama is especially notable as one of the first yogis to allow himself to be studied by Western scientists. In the 1960s he allowed himself to be examined by scientists at the Menninger Clinic who studied his ability to voluntary control bodily processes (such as heartbeat, blood pressure, body temperature, etc.) that are normally considered to be non-voluntary.
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