Yoga of the Heart

Yoga of the Heart: Ten Ethical Principles for Gaining Limitless Growth, Confidence, and Achievement – Alice Christensen

Most people think of yoga as a set of physical postures and breathing exercises. But the physical side is only a small part of the yoga tradition. In Yoga of the Heart, Alice Christensen explores the part that is so often forgotten: its ethical philosophy.

Christensen, who founded the American Yoga Association in 1968 and has taught yoga for more than forty years, explains why the philosophy of yoga is the key to developing well-being, courage and confidence. The book presents yoga’s ten essential ethical principles in a clear, easy-to-understand style, with a chapter dedicated to each one.

The ten ethics are nonviolence, truthfulness, nonstealing, celibacy, nonhoarding, purity, contentment, tolerance, study and remembrance, each translated into a practical lesson for everyday life, such as “do no harm”, “learn more about who you really are”, “simplify the things you want and need” and “practice being happy in the moment”.

Christensen shows how, when these principles are applied daily, life becomes richer and more satisfying: we become more focused, more relaxed and more aware of what we truly want. The key message of the book is that living happily in an uncertain world is the true pinnacle of achievement, because within uncertainty lies possibility.

Yoga of the Heart is ideal for yoga practitioners who want to go beyond the physical practice, for yoga teachers, and for readers interested in spirituality, ethics and personal growth.