Philosophy of Hatha Yoga

I have been practicing Yoga for approximately 15 years, and have not found a better book written on the subject of Hatha yoga. The great thing about this book is that it approaches the practice of Hatha yoga as a contemplative or meditative art/science. This sort of approach is sorely lacking in today's materialistic and narcissistic society, which is unable to see past its own nose (or biceps). The discipline or the practice of Yoga is much more difficult, and rewarding, than the mere physical exercise that is propagated as Hatha yoga here in the west, and more importantly, the practice of YOGA TAKES TIME. In fact, the series of asanas as practiced and taught in 90% of contemporary schools is NOT yoga, and truly should not bear the name. Divorced from the practice of Yoga, Hatha yoga is a mere physical exercise that results in injuries. If one were to read the allegory in the first chapter of this book on how the practice of Hatha Yoga originated or was given to humankind, one would clearly see the misconceptions carried in the collective consciousness and which is dealt with, here, at length in this small but powerful work. This book, though accessible to the majority, is written for those few who have outgrown the limited practice of Hatha yoga with which they are familiar. Perhaps that is why the author starts dealing with the practice of Hatha yoga from shava-asana. For the author, and for me, this is where Hatha truly begins. Having finished this book, and re-read it so far at least five times, I highly recommend it. You will be glad that you have at least one authoritative text written on the subject of Hatha yoga. In fact, I would recommend reading this book before reading the Light on Yoga by Iyengar.