Alistair Shearer Knihy

How did a venerable Indian spiritual discipline turn into a £20 billion-a-year mainstay of the wellness industry? What happened along yoga's winding path from the caves and forests of the sages to the gyms, hospitals and village halls of the modern West?This comprehensive history sets yoga in its global cultural context for the first time, leading us on a journey from arcane religious rituals and medieval body-magic, through Christianity and the British Empire, to Indian nationalists and the twentieth-century West. Yoga has now become embedded in powerful social currents including feminism, digital media, celebrity culture, the stress pandemic and the quest for authentic identity.Shearer's revealing history boasts a colourful cast of characters past and present, in an engaging tale of scholars and scandal, science and spirit, wisdom and waywardness. This is the untold story of yoga, warts and all.

The Upanishads present essential teachings of the Perennial Philosophy, exploring profound spiritual concepts and insights that transcend time and culture. These ancient texts delve into the nature of reality, the self, and the ultimate purpose of life, offering a rich philosophical framework that encourages deep contemplation and understanding. Through their exploration of metaphysics and ethics, the Upanishads invite readers to reflect on the interconnectedness of all existence and the quest for enlightenment.

To the Hindu, the entire universe is a living being, and through the visual arts - ritualistic, compelling, often stunningly beautiful - that holistic awareness is made available to all. Long rejected by the West as alien and bizarre, Hindu imagery speaks a language that is at last beginning to be understood. Its extraordinary symbolism - elephant-headed and multi-armed deities, fierce demons and fabulous creatures - is a sophisticated iconography conveying universal religious truths. Uniting sensuousness and spirituality, passion and detachment, Hinduism celebrates the fullness of life, and teaches the indivisibility of body and soul, time and eternity. Alistair Shearer is a teacher of meditation and a historian of oriental art, who writes and lectures on the sacred function of art and architecture. His other books include " The Intelligent Heart" (1992).