Yoga constitutes such an important dimension of the Indian spirit that it has been incorporated by all Indian religious movements. In this fascinating study Mircea Eliade describes the philosophy and techniques of classical yoga, as expounded by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras, the first systematic treatment of the physical and spiritual elements of yoga. Patanjali himself defines yoga as 'the abolition of states of conscousness.' The yogi must eliminate what is nonessential in his life: all comforts, amusements, and the diffusion of his mental energies. Then he must unify the important functions of his life' learn how to discipline his breathing, fix the flow of his thoughts. He must withdraw from profane human life to find the rhythmed life of the cosmos, then transcend it to attain the paradoxical state of samadhi, life and death, being and not being, union with the Whole. The techniques of yoga are of great antiquity, and Patanjali's contribution to Indian thought consisted of compiling and publishing these traditional practices. He combined the ancient philosophy with instructions for attaining concentation, meditation, and ecstasy. He also explained the magical powers attributed to those who practice yoga-including the power to become invisible. Other Hindu scriptures and the relationship between Yoga and Buddhism, Tantrism and other movements are also discussed. The book is profusely illustrated, and contains a chronolgy of Indian history. Contents Introductin I Patanjali's yoga Yoga, ungere, jugum Pantanjali's yoga sutras Samkhya and yoga 'Creative not-knowing' Universal suffering The redemptive function of knowledge The 'Self' Substance and structures The teleological nature of the creation The spirit-nature relation Hope is the greatest torture How is deliverance to be achieved? The meaning of deliverance The structure of psychic experience The sub-conscious II The techniques of yoga Concentration on a single object Restraints and discipines The yogic attitudes Respiratory discipline Buried alive Control of the breath in China and Islam Esychasm The 'withdrawal of the senses' Dharana, yogic 'concentration' Dhyana, yogic 'Meditation' The role of God Ecstasy and hypnosis Samadhi 'with support' 'Knowledge states' Miraculous powers 'Come and rejoice here in heaven' Samadhi 'Without support' and final deliverance Reintegration and freedom III Ascetics, ecstatics, and contemplatives in ancient India Asceticism and yoga The Upanishads and yoga Immortality and deliverance The Yoga Upanishads Yoga in the Mahabharata The message of the Bhagavad Gita Krishna, the exemplary model 'Acts' and 'Sacrifices' Yogic technique in the Bhagavad Gita IV Buddhism, Tantrism, Hathayoga Yoga and nirvana Buddhist asceticism The yogis and the metaphysicians Buddha and the 'Marvelous powers' Tantrism and yoga Tantrist 'Realization': Divine images and mystic sounds Hathayoga and the discovery of the body The subtle organs and mystic physiology Conclusion Chronology Bibliography Index

> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/Eliade-Patanjali-et-le-Yoga/242354

> LECTURES POUR LES FUTURS PROFESSEURS. — Lorsqu'on commence une École de Yoga, à la soif de lire et de s'informer s'ajoutent les conseils de lecture de chaque professeur, dans chacune des matières enseignées. C’est à l'élève de faire preuve de discernement et d'avoir la sagesse de faire un tri, afin d'aller vers ce qui l'attire d'une part, et d'éviter la boulimie d'autre part (travers dans lequel nous sommes tombées), celle-ci pouvant entraîner une saturation regrettable.
Nous avons donc cherché, fortes de notre expérience (!) à proposer quelques livres de base, qui puissent guider les futurs professeurs sur une voie de sobriété dans le choix de leurs lectures-qualité et non pas quantité.
L'essentiel sur le Yoga est dit dans :
- « Les voies du Yoga » de Tara Michaël (éd. du Rocher).
- « Patanjali et le Yoga » (Seuil), de Mircea Eliade.
- « Yoga et tradition Hindoue » de Jean Varenne, (Retz), celui-ci étant pour le moment épuisé, il faut le consulter à la bibliothèque de l'E.F.Y.
- « Les Yogas chemins de Transformation », collectif paru aux éditions Jean Seveyrat. Ce livre récemment sorti offre une synthèse claire des différents aspects du Yoga. On peut y ajouter deux ouvrages d'un abord plus difficile, mais très complets :
- Le Yoga, immortalité et liberté », de Mircea Eliade (éditions Payot).
- « La pratique du Yoga », d'Ernest E. Wood, (petite bibliothèque Payot).
Et enfin, nous recommandons le « Dictionnaire de la Civilisation Indienne » de Louis Frédéric (Laffont, coll. « Bouquins »).
C'est un outil qui nous paraît assez indispensable, parce qu’il permet la compréhension de nombreux termes sanscrits employés couramment, et qu'il contient en outre des références, géographiques, mythologiques, littéraires, économiques, intéressantes… une vraie mine ! Claude HUREL et Françoise BLÉVOT.
—Carnets du Yoga, janv. 1989

> Bareau André. Mircéa Éliade. Patañjali et le Yoga.
In: Revue de l'histoire des religions, tome 165, n°1, 1964. pp. 92-93. … ; (en ligne),
URL : https://www.persee.fr/doc/rhr_0035-1423_1964_num_165_1_7986 ( )

Abrégé de son "Yoga, immortalité et liberté" avec de belles illustrations en prime.

This book is a clear and straightforward look at the history, development and meaning of yogic thought, with a particular focus on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

About the Author:

Mircea Eliade (1907 – 1986) was a Romanian historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, and professor at the University of Chicago. He was a leading interpreter of religious and yogic experience, who established paradigms in religious studies that persist to this day. His theory that hierophanies form the basis of religion, splitting the human experience of reality into sacred and profane space and time, has proved influential. One of his most influential contributions to religious studies was his theory of Eternal Return, which holds that myths and rituals do not simply commemorate hierophanies, but, at least to the minds of the religious, actually participate in them. In academia, the Eternal Return has become one of the most widely accepted ways of understanding the purpose of myth and ritual.