Contents: Foreword/Karan Singh. Abbreviations. Transliteration chart. Introduction. Part I. What is Yoga? 2. But why Yoga? 3. The mind. 4. Various paths of Yoga. 5. Jnana Yoga. 6. Bhakti Yoga. 7. Karma Yoga. Part II. Astanga Yoga: 8. Some important observations. 9. Astanga Yoga. 10. Yama. 11. Niyama. 12. Asana. 13. Of human body. 14. Cleansing of internal channels. 15. Cleansing of internal channels-external aids. 16. Pranayama. 17. Awakening of Kundalini and Mudras. 18. Pratyahara. 19. Yoga and Health. 20. Dharana. 21. Dhyana--Concentration or meditation. 22. Vibhutis or Acquisition of Unusual powers. 23. Samadhi. 24. Kaivalya. Index.

"In recent years, more and more people have been drawn to Yoga as a form of exercise, but most have paid no heed to the long history of philosophical speculation and meditational practice which forms the core of Yoga in the Indian tradition. J.C. Singhal's Yoga as Perceived and Practiced by the Ancient Sages of India makes a serious effort to present the non-specialist reader with a clear synthesis of the basic tenets of the traditional system of Yoga. Drawing on a wide array of Sanskrit sources, the work carefully seeks to determine the textual foundations of contemporary Yogic practice. The book's great strength lies in its great wealth of citations from classic texts in the field. Nearly all the substantive claims made in the book are backed up with relevant translations and quotations from the original Sanskrit sources, giving the reader the materials necessary to independently evaluate Singhal's arguments, and indicating sources for more detailed information. The book should be of interest to students and practitioners of Yoga who wish to explore the presuppositions and the theoretical underpinnings of contemporary practice."