Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā

About the book

A work to return to, not to consume.

The Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā is one of the classic manuals of haṭha yoga. Svātmārāma composed it in Sanskrit around the 15th century, gathering earlier teachings, and from the first verse he makes his aim clear: work with the body and breath exists to prepare for rāja yoga, the stillness of the mind. The text has four chapters. The first covers posture and moderation in the practitioner's life. The second, breath control and the cleansings. The third, the seals and locks. The fourth, absorption, when mind and breath dissolve. This edition is a faithful ChaTutor rendering from the Sanskrit, with the 389 verses of the Jyotsnā recension and notes informed by Brahmānanda's commentary. The advanced techniques are reproduced as a historical document, not as instructions.

**Safety notice.** This book faithfully translates a historical manual. Its breath retentions, locks, seals and internal cleansings are presented as traditional practices and textual content, not instructions. Several can cause serious harm: do not attempt them without a qualified in-person teacher, and with pregnancy, high blood pressure, or heart, respiratory, eye or psychiatric conditions, consult a health professional. Its promises of cure are traditional claims, not medical facts.