A beautifully written introduction to Indian mythology, join storyteller, scholar and teacher, Dr Raj Balkaran, and explore the unforgettable tales behind 50 key yoga poses, such as:
- Vīrabhadrāsana II, the original warrior pose
- Tāḍāsana, mountain pose
- Bhujaṅgāsana, cobra pose
- Garuḍāsana, eagle pose
- Padmāsana, lotus pose
- Vīrāsana, hero pose
- Śavāsana, corpse pose
Meet iconic Gods and Goddesses, from Gaṇeśa, the elephant-headed god of wisdom, to Śiva, Lord of Yogis, and Kali, goddess of mind, body, soul and death. Explore the rivalry between the sages Vasiṣṭha and Viśvāmitra, and their cosmic feud over a wish-fulfilling cow.
Plunge into the depths of one of the richest myths in Hinduism: the battle between the demons and the gods who churn the cosmic oceans in search for the elixir of immortality. And learn how Śiva got his blue throat!
Learn, through the mythology of the poses, more about the roots of this ancient practice and how you can use their teachings to better appreciate and respect yoga’s true origins.
Enhance your practice by reading one story before or at the end of class, and incorporating the poses and their teaching into your life, as well as your yoga practice, and transform the way you view and practice this timeless art.
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16 reviews for The Stories Behind the Poses: The Indian mythology that inspired 50 yoga postures
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Rolly Seth –
As a yoga practitioner, this book slowly grows on you as it helps draws the mythological metaphor of connecting movement with much deeper meaning and teachings about life. Loved this book.
Andinea –
The book is beautiful!!
DEBORAH –
Excellent book for personal use or in a yoga class.
Jessica Martin –
I love this book. I have heard the stories and I practice daily yoga. But connecting these has been wonderful increasing my practice with intention. It’s well written and the graphics are lovely. I started reading one story each morning as a devotional. After reading, I now use as a reference when designing my yoga classes.
TS –
Beautiful book with interesting stories
Gaelle Pettifer –
As a student of Raj’s and a weekly listener to his podcast, it is a great resource as a yoga teacher to have these stories in context to asanas and life. It’s a wonderfully illustrated book and simply delightful to read and contemplate!
Tim Mills –
This is an amazing book written by an amazing Professor and guru of Indian mythology. I have already purchased 3 books! One for myself – of course :-). Joyfully, I have given this book as gifts of gratitude to my yoga teachers who have deeply affected my life. The stories are brilliantly written and easy to read and to understand. Moreover, the illustrations are so beautiful and engaging. I have read some of these stories to my children – they love them – but they REALLY loved to gaze at the pictures – you could see the wonder in their eyes! Thank you Dr. Raj for such a beautiful gift to all yogis and lovers of mythology.
Sudhansu Sekhar Mahapatra –
Beautiful
Theo –
Viele schöne Geschichten, die helfen, die Asanas zu verstehen
Brian Graham –
My wife got me this book for Christmas. As soon as I began reading it I knew I had to share it with my Yoga instructor. Sharing the stories behind the poses has become a regular part of our classes
Adorei 😍 e os meus alunos também!! –
É um livro maravilhoso
Andrew S. –
Nice book
elaine –
This is a beautiful and magical book! The colors and illustrations are gorgeous, the stories are rich with detail and yet simple to understand, and the how to integrate the story with the pose section is fantastic. I would have stuck with yoga earlier if I had this book! I find having more meaning with the movement make yoga more interesting and a deeper practice. Dr. Raj is a phenomenal storyteller, his ability to bring these myths to life is a talent. If you practice or teach yoga – get this book! Also, makes a wonderful gift!
Anne Gilmore –
This book is beautifully illustrated and tells interesting stories behind several traditional yoga poses. Some of the poses have different names from the way I learned them, but that often happens due to different yoga lineages.
AJ –
Yoga teacher recommended, and it is a delightful book of the mythology of ancient yogic history
Arica-WithAn-A –
I loved this book so much that I purchased a physical copy. I first read it on my Kindle. The stories were so intriguing that I could not put it down. I read it in 2 days. The artwork is colorful and the stories are well written.