Yoga: Immortality and Freedom
Elizabeth K. Nottingham, Mircéa Éliade, Willard R. Trask
Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 1963 DOI: 10.2307/1385099 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 282 |
| Key points | Argues that Yoga's guiding principle is freedom, understood as remaining in the world without letting oneself be exhausted by conditionings such as time and history. The book surveys Yoga in theory and practice from its Vedic foreshadowings through the twentieth century, covering Patanjali and the Yoga-sutras, techniques such as concentration on a Single Point, postures, and respiratory discipline, and Yoga's relations to Brahmanism, Buddhism, Tantrism, Oriental alchemy, mystical erotism, and shamanism. |
Abstract
In this landmark book the renowned scholar of religion Mircea Eliade lays the groundwork for a Western understanding of Yoga, exploring how its guiding principle, that of freedom, involves remaining in the world without letting oneself be exhausted by such conditionings as time and history. Drawing years of study and experience in India, Eliade provides a comprehensive survey of Yoga in theory and practice from its earliest foreshadowings in the Vedas through the twentieth century. The subjects discussed include Patanjali, author of the Yoga-sutras; yogic techniques, such as concentration on a Single Point, postures, and respiratory discipline; and Yoga in relation to Brahmanism, Buddhism, Tantrism, Oriental alchemy, mystical erotism, and shamanism.
Citations in the library
Cited by 21
- The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin May 14, 2012
- Shamanism and Altered States of Consciousness Anthropology of Consciousness June 1, 1994
- Effect of a single session of yoga and meditation on stress reactivity: A systematic review. Stress and Health June 1, 2024
- Ultrarunners and Chance Encounters with "Absolute Unitary Being" Anthropology of Consciousness September 1, 2004
- Near-death and transcendental experiences: Neurophysiological correlates of mystical traditions. Journal of Near-Death Studies 1994
and 16 more in the library