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ASANAS
608 YOGA POSTURES
DHARMA MITTRA
NEW WORLD LIBRARY
NOVATO, CALIFORNIA
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way
Novato, California 94949
© 2003 by Here+There
Photographs © 2003 by Dharma Mittra
Asanas was produced in New York and London by Here+There
Editor: Joe Dolce • Editorial Advisor: Angela LaSpisa
Design: Caz Hildebrand
Production: Mary Ann Casler
All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means
electronic, mechanical, or other without written permission from the
publisher,except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.
The material in this book is intended for education. Please consult a
qualified health care practitioner before beginning any exercise program.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mittra, Dharma,1939–
Asanas : 608 yoga postures / by Dharma Mittra.
p. cm.
ISBN 1-57731-402-6 (pbk. :alk. paper)
1. Yoga — Pictorial works. I. Title.
RA781.7 .M552003
613.7'046—dc21
2002154288
First Printing, March 2003
ISBN 1-57731-402-6
Printed in Hong Kong
Distributed to the trade by Publishers Group West
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
CONTENTS
Sun Salutation & Hero Series 21
Breathing & Cleansing Practises 642
DEDICATION
I offer my deepest thanks to:
Shri Swami Kailashananda Maharaj 108, my Guru, my inspiration, my teacher, my father, my everything in the Divine Practice;
my tireless and faithful Karma Yogi Ismrittee Devi, aka Eva Grubler Vargas;
Angela LaSpisa my devoted student and angel in disguise; all of my students past and present who inspire me to serve and teach daily;
my longtime students, initiated disciples, and certified teacher graduates who invest themselves in passing on the tradition;
Krishna Das for his eternal love of chanting the divine name, for his friendship, and for allowing my home to be his; and most of all, to the Supreme Lord for honoring me with human birth and revealing to me my spiritual existence and unity with God, thereby giving me the opportunity to perform my prescribed duties in a disinterested way, and to use reason and discrimination to help maintain world order and make spiritual progress in this lifetime with no attachments to the fruits of my actions. He whose heart gets purified through action without attachment obtains God-Realization. May I uphold righteousness and live up to my initiate name of Dharma, Om Shantih Om.
Dharma Mittra
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Om.
May we practice yoga so that our bodies and minds are purified. O Luminous One, may we find a guru (spiritual preceptor) to receive the right guidance and knowledge. O Imperishable, Incomprehensible, Infinite One, may we cross by Thy Grace this ocean of birth and death. May detachment be our boat, strength be our speed, the guru be our guide, and thy light our destination, so that we can safely cross this ocean (of pain and delusion) and return home again. May we never leave home again.
Hare Om.
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