Synopses & Reviews
Buddhism and yoga share a common history that goes back centuries. But because yoga and Buddhism came to North America from Asia as two separate traditions, their commonalities in the West often seem invisible. Most people choose to study either yoga or Buddhism and generally don’t combine the practices. Michael Stone brings together a collection of intriguing voices to show how Buddhism and yoga really do share the same values and spiritual goals. The contributors’ themes are rich and varied, yet they all focus on the common threads among the traditions that offer guidance toward spiritual freedom and genuine realization.
Topics include the Zen view of enlightenment through the body; cultivating life-force energy; concepts of emptiness; foundations of mindfulness; Tibetan yoga; and experiencing emotions through the body. Contributors include: Frank Jude Boccio, Ajahn Amaro, Chip Hartranft, Sarah Powers, Christopher Key Chapple, Eido Shimano Roshi, Mu Soeng, and Jill Satterfield.
Synopsis
In this collection of provocative essays by prominent teachers of Yoga and Buddhism, the common ground of these two ancient traditions becomes clear. Michael Stone has brought together a group of intriguing voices to show how Buddhism and Yoga share the same roots, the same values, and the same spiritual goals. The themes addressed here are rich and varied, yet the essays all weave together the common threads between the traditions that offer guidance toward spiritual freedom and genuine realization.
Contributors include Ajahn Amaro Bhikkhu, Shosan Victoria Austin, Frank Jude Boccio, Christopher Key Chapple, Ari Goldfield and Rose Taylor, Chip Hartranft, Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara, Sarah Powers, Eido Shimano Roshi, Jill Satterfield, Mu Soeng, Michael Stone, and Robert Thurman.
About the Author
Michael Stone is a yoga teacher and psychotherapist in private practice who lectures widely on yoga, as well as on mindfulness meditation in clinical psychotherapy practice. His approach to yoga focuses on the integration of theory and practice in a way that is rooted in tradition yet responsive and alive in contemporary culture. He is the founder of Centre of Gravity Sangha, a community of yoga and Buddhist practitioners based in Toronto, Canada. Michael offers classes and retreats that focus on integrating yoga postures, breathing practices, and meditation with textual study. For information about his work, visit his website at www.centreofgravity.org.