The Great Little Book of Yoga Stories: Yoga Philosophy for All Ages - Book 1

The Great Little Book of Yoga Stories: Yoga Philosophy for All Ages - Book 1

Here is a book all young yoga fans need to read. It is a new look at old wisdom; an easy first step on the road to 'enlightenment', or understanding what life is really about. It's handy for yoga teachers too - ideal for the first forays into yoga philosophy for your classes. The ancient Scriptures are wonderful, but there are a lot of words and meanings that can be very difficult to grasp. Here, though, are simple short stories to make you smile, think and learn. They are told in the voice of an Indian guru, Swami Ramesh Guptananda. Imagine you can hear his voice as you read them. They show, through talking about his life, what the 'rules of life' are and how to follow them. The original 'rules' came from the sage*, Patanjali, many hundreds of years ago. They still apply to this day. This is a book that can be read, and used, on so many different levels. Stories for reading for pleasure with young people or those who are young at heart was my first reaction but as I read and delved into the pathways within the stories, I found it was taking me longer and longer to read each one. Not because they were any longer or shorter than the others but because I was finding myself automatically thinking and identifying with them on so many levels. It wasn't the reading but the pathways I found myself on, the reflection and meditation that came automatically with each one, getting deeper and deeper all the time. The Guru Guptananda lived over 400 years ago but has chosen to pass his knowledge down through Tessa Hillman, to help us in our daily lives and to help us find those elusive answers. It may be seeking the truth through the 'Pebble' story or reflecting on greed through 'The Missing Flour' or contentment through 'The Parrot Feathers' but each story leads you to reflect and find inner meaning. For many years I taught in a large comprehensive school and one of the subjects I taught was PSHE. How I wish I had had this book then! The notes and suggestions would have made my lesson planning a whole lot easier. Something different. Something short and to the point but offering huge scope for students to discuss and reflect on how it works in the 21 st century. As a storyteller, I am really looking forward to using the stories as they stand and taking them to a wider audience. Each one taking the reader on a winding path, sometimes an uncomfortable one, but always bring you safely home. A Little Book it may be, but the potential uses of it are enormous and if, nothing else, the stories are a really good read in themselves. A Little Book that deserves a place on everyone's bookshelf. Kathy Wallis, Bard, retired teacher and now someone who can't put' The Little Book of Yoga Stories' down.