Roots of Yoga (Penguin Classics)

Yoga is a trendy activity today and the authors affirm: “The global diffusion of yoga began at least a century and a half ago, since which time yoga has continued to be refracted through many new cultural prisms, such as New Age religion, psychology, sports science, biomedicine, and so on” (page ix). One, among many examples, is the proclamation of 21 June as the International Day of Yoga made two years ago by the United Nations. The authors have a long experience as dedicated yoga practitioners and have the most impeccable academic credentials for such an endeavor; both are senior scholars in oriental studies at the University of London. The book is addressed to the general public and is written in a clear language, but it is also a rich source of documentation that will be appreciated by scholars. The focus of the book is on the practical aspects of yoga and not on its philosophical or religious dimensions. The authors explain that yoga can be understood both as a practice and as the goal of that practice and they fully cover the two of them in the entire volume. They provide also the timeline of the most important selected texts and a glossary of the most common terms used in yoga. "Roots of Yoga" is a comprehensive overview that covers such a vast subject in 11 chapters and a long introduction. It took several years of gestation. Each chapter is devoted to a particular subject (e.g. what is yoga, postures, breath control, the yogic body, mantras, and yogic powers) and is subdivided in relevant sections following the chronological order of the texts. Such a presentation introduces the reader to the selected translated texts, explaining their historical context, their influence in the cultural evolution of the Indian subcontinent, and their current relevance. This excellent survey is a major contribution to understand better the rich yoga tradition. The anthology includes a selection of 169 primary sources, which are listed with the complete references from the most authoritative editions; many of these texts have been neglected, considered lost, or have been poorly translated. The selected texts cover a wide timeline, from the Vedas (1500 BCE) to the 19th century CE. Many of them have been translated by the authors from Sanskrit, Pali, Avadhi, and Braj Bhasha; others are translations from Arabic, Chinese, Old Bengali, Kashmiri, Persian, Tibetan and Tamil sources. The successful collection of texts has been made possible because of the significant advances in historical and philological research on yoga made during the last three decades. The book is part of the Hatha Yoga Project, a research undertaking that has been funded by the European Research Council for several years with the purpose of producing critical and annotated translations of key texts; it is based at the School of Oriental and African Studies –SOAS, at the University of London and with the participation of other international centres. With their book, Mallinson and Singleton have made a significant contribution emphasizing the idea that yoga is not a static subject but that it has been evolving, adapting and mutating. Through multiple examples, they illustrate how yoga masters were true innovators and were successful in improving yoga practices while they also emphasize that their innovative views were bound to a proper orthodoxy.

My first reaction when I saw this new publication was, “Oh no, not another yoga book.” Once I received it and saw what was inside I realized I was very wrong. This may not be the best collection of yogic writings, but it is certainly one of the best. It is a worth-while piece in any collection, and a very good introduction into Yoga in all its many facets. Most of the translations in this book are from sources already found in English translation. Mallinson and Singleton however offer their own fresh, clear translations. Some of source material, even though other English translations exist, are either from obscure, hard-to-find, or out of print publications. Some of the translations appear to be from sources translated into English for the first time. All of the translations are expertly translated in clear modern English, yet faithful to key yogic concepts. Yoga is an expansive topic not limited to the approach in Ashtanga Yoga. Nor is yoga limited to the yoga of Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. With this in mind, this collection of writings is grouped with reference to the yoga found in the Mahabharata, and in Buddhist, tantric, and Nath writings, traditions and samhitas. The approach of yoga is differ in each of these traditions; Mallinson and Singleton do a good job in showing the nuances between schools of yoga. The chapters follow the general approach taken in the Yoga Sutras, but also include chapters on bandha (yogic locks) and the yogic body. The inclusion of writings by the Nath Siddhas are especially welcomed. The Naths were the spiritual ancestors to modern Hatha Yoga, a direct line leading to modern yoga as we now know it. The source material from this school of yoga is hard to find in English translation, let alone in any sort of publication. The translators have supplied an introduction and glossary. The introduction contains an enlightening history of yoga. There are copious notes and a bibliography. This collection in other words contains something for any type of reader, whether this is your first time in studying yoga, a general reader, or a specialist. All in all, a highly recommended collection.

Rich with knowledge that I was completely ignorant to. I am grateful for the way the authors brought together so many different texts across time periods to get a full scope of the practice & philosophy behind yoga. I continued to have my mind blown every time I opened this book. It was a bit dense at times, so make sure you have time to sit and read :)

It is dense but isn’t history? The yoga history has its roots in so many grounds. It also tells the story of a culture that I an not familiar with -I am a US citizen. I would not say that I enjoy reading it -I read at night, before bed!- but it is a necessary read for yoga students who want to take it to the next level, meditation and asana teachers. Well documented and organized. Side note: as a yoga teacher I found it useful and inspiring to theme my classes or understand what I am teaching :)

I am excited that the book came so quickly, but it arrived looking less than brand new. Fortunately, I'm not super picky about the condition of my books so long as they are readable, but it was a bit frustrating.

There are so many yoga books out there and trust me, my wife probably has most of them. She was at an impasse in her studies and was starting to get frustrated with certain questions never being addressed. This book however blew her mind. It took her yoga research to a whole new level. She says its her new favorite yoga book.

Awesome collection of excerpts from classical yoga works by many schools. Commentaries help guide the reader through the selection of texts by outlining the main points and differences. For any serious yoga student this is invaluable help. Well done, Jim and Marc !

Consigliato per chi vuole avvicinarsi alla filosofia yoga. Spiega i fondamenti e le basi di questo stile di vita.

Die Indologie hat seit Erscheinen dieses Buches weiter Fortschritte gemacht. Dennoch ist Roots of Yoga ein Must Read für alle, die tiefer in Yoga einsteigen wollen. Den beiden Autoren gelingt es, die Yogakonzepte umfassend und historisch einzuordnen. Und auch darzulegen, dass sich der Yoga immer wieder verändert hat, je nach dem, welche Einflüsse zum Tragen kamen. Mit diesem Buch kann man sich selbst ein gutes Bild machen und ist nicht von den gängigen Halbwahrheiten der Yogaszene abhängig. Ein gutes Beispiel dazu ist das Kapitel über Kundalini, ich glaube, ab S.178. Hier wird mit Bezug auf die Handschriften dargelegt, wie unterschiedlich das Verständnis zu Kundalini war, und dass es in der Tat nicht die eine Vorstellung dazu gegeben hat. Es ist ein sehr sinnvolles und hilfreiches Nachschlagewerk und nach meiner Ansicht sollten sich Yogalehrerausbildungen mehr an diesen Wissensstand orientieren.

Le livre en soit est un régal, je l'ai acheté car je l'avais déjà lu auparavant. Par contre la livraison a été déplorable. Le livre, acheté comme neuf, a été livré en mauvais état comme montrent les photos. Soit la livraison n'a pas été bien gérée, soit le bouquin était très mal stocké.

I can’t recall the time I had a book that was that boring. Don’t like anything about this book including format and font

James Mallinson is one of my favourite writers on authentic yoga, and this book does not disappoint. There is so much made up nonsense written about yoga, that it's good to find people who really understand this ancient knowledge and know how to express it for the Western reader.