Yoga by the Numbers
The Sacred and Symbolic in Yoga Philosophy and Practice
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- $22.99
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- $22.99
Publisher Description
A fascinating explanation of the significant, often symbolic role that numbers play in yoga philosophy—by beloved yoga teacher and writer Richard Rosen.
Numbers play a meaningful role in the philosophy of many spiritual traditions—and yoga is no exception. For example, the number one is the quintessential yoga number, representing “unity” and “wholeness”; number two sometimes stands for co-operative effort, and other times for conflict; and number four is the number of completeness or stability, as it “stands” on “four legs.” There are twelve different names for the mantra OM, each one revealing a different aspect of this root sound.
With his distinctive blend of knowledge and humor, Richard Rosen unpacks the fascinating significance that numbers hold in the philosophy and practice of yoga. Stories and practices woven throughout—like the Eka Danta simple meditation exercise, which concentrates on "one pointedness" and is associated with the one tusk of Ganesh—offer readers a hands-on way to explore the importance of numbers in their own practice. Yoga by the Numbers will enlighten and entertain the yogi in your life.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Yoga teacher Rosen (Original Yoga) delivers a dense exploration of yogic numerology. Sifting through dozens of Sanskrit spiritual texts, he examines the symbolic significance of numbers in yoga philosophy with an emphasis on yoga's Hindu roots, rather than its modern American reputation as a form of exercise. Rosen explains that Hindu gods often have four arms to signify the four eras of human history and the "four castes of society." Sanskrit for "one" is "eka," he notes, pointing out that the word is frequently used as a prefix in the yoga lexicon to denote oneness and the unification of the individual with the larger world: "Eka excludes everything but the one thing held in consciousness." Rosen assumes readers will be familiar with the texts he references, and his complex linguistic arguments will go over the heads of those not steeped in yoga's religious origins. Additionally, exercises instructing readers on how to bathe in the metaphorical waters of the energy channels that meet at the bridge of one's nose will leave some scratching their heads. However, the richness of the theological material is worth toughing it out. Those who know yoga only in a fitness context will be left in the dark, but advanced practitioners will find this enlightening.
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