Whether you have no background in meditation or yoga or have been practicing for years, Mindfulness Yoga is for you. This groundbreaking book introduces an entirely new form of yoga, Mindfulness Yoga, which seamlessly integrates the Buddha's teachings on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness with traditional asana yoga practice.
Mindfulness Yoga emphasizes the spiritual side of yoga practice, an aspect often overlooked in a culture that tends to fixate solely on the physical benefits of yoga. Unlike any other Buddhism-meets-yoga book, Mindfulness Yoga presents the two disciplines as a single practice that brings health to the body and liberates the mind and spirit, awakening compassion and fostering equanimity and joy. Mindfulness Yoga will appeal to the many people who have an interest in yoga, Buddhism, and meditation, but who may not have been able to find a teacher who could bring these practices together in a meaningful, practical way.
In the first part of the book, author Frank Jude Boccio offers a superb and lively introduction to the Buddha's teachings and locates them within the larger context of the Indian spiritual traditions. Then, in second half of the book, Boccio offers three complete Mindfulness Yoga sequences, including over 100 pictures, with detailed guidance for body, breath, and mind. Special lay-flat binding makes this book even more useful as a practice aid.
Look below at the ever-increasing amount of reviews and endorsements that this book is gaining for figures in the yoga, Buddhism, meditation, and natural living communities. Praise & Reviews "EDITOR'S CHOICE! No one has offered a successful book-length discourse fully integrating Buddhist meditation and yoga until Frank Jude Boccio came along. He manages not only to tie the two together, but also to show how they should not be contrued as disparate in the first place. He shows that Buddhist practice is itself a form of yoga, presenting a meditational approach to asana practice, and arguing that engaging with the problem of suffering is an essentially yogic endeavor."—Yoga Journal
"Today there are said to be some 2-3 million Buddhist practitioners and as many as 15-20 million Yoga practitioners in the United States alone... Mindfulness Yoga should be carefully read both by Hatha-Yoga practitioners, especially those overly fond of physical fitness, strength, and beauty, and by Buddhist Yoga practitioners, particularly those who are ill at ease in their bodies and in the material universe. In fact, Mindfulness Yoga should be read by every aspiring Yoga practitioner."—Georg Feuerstein, Ph.D., founder-president of Yoga Research and Education Center and the author of over thirty books, including The Yoga Tradition, The Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga, and The Deeper Dimension of Yoga., from his foreword
"Rich with personal stories, and interspersed with guided meditations, Mindfulness Yoga offers a way to deeply connect with our bodies and our feelings through yoga. The design of the book is a pleasure. The photos of the poses are clear. Each page stays open so you can practice the pose while referring to the illustration. Both content and design are richly inviting. A must-have for all mindfulness practitioners who also practice or teach yoga. "—The Mindfulness Bell
"The author invites practitioners of yoga and meditation to experience yoga's poses as occasions for mindulness meditation. This relationship is both novel and logical. .. A welcome and ambitious synthesis. "—Publishers Weekly
"I highly recommend this book. Boccio's exposition of the basic principles of mindfulness yoga is elegant, lucid, astonishingly comprehensive, and thoroughly accessible. And the sections on practice are designed—refreshingly—for real human beings! There is something here for everyone, from beginning students to more advanced practitioners alike. Bravo!"—Stephen Cope, psychotherapist, senior Kripalu Yoga teacher, and author of Yoga and the Quest for the True Self
"It's about time somebody wrote this!"—Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Wherever You Go, There You Are
"In Mindfulness Yoga, Frank Boccio inspires us to join those who have walked the integrated path of yoga and mindfulness with a true teacher's voice of clarity, compassion and common sense."—Cyndi Lee, author of OM Yoga and founder of OM Yoga Center
"This is the kind of book I like to make available to my colleagues, who will surely find it not only interesting but valuable as a desk reference. This is one cool book."—Phil Catalfo, Senior Editor, Yoga Journal
"A terrific book for both meditators and new yoga students. Highly recommended." —Josh Baran, author of 365 Nirvana Here and Now
"Hatha yoga in the West has been mainly for 'body people'; Buddhist meditation for 'mind people.' Fortunately, this is changing. Frank Jude Boccio's Mindfulness Yoga is a clear, intelligent, and much-needed contribution to this coming-together. I'm delighted that he did this book— I now have something to recommend to my students."—Larry Rosenberg, Founder of the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center and author of Breath by Breath
"Frank Jude Boccio shows us how closely related yoga and Buddhism are and how we can engage them together to create an enlightened yoga practice. A wonderful and invaluable book!"—Wendy Cook, Yeshe Yoga instructor and director of Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies
"Mindfulness Yoga allows the practitioner of both Yoga and Buddhism to be reminded of their inseparability and inherent congruity. Boccio has helped bring these sometimes divergent traditions together and I thank him."—Sarah Powers, yoga teacher and Yoga Journal contributor
"A book to be savored. Boccio is able to gently stretch and realign the mind, body and life with his writing. Those who have the opportunity to benefit from Boccio's carefully worded and crystal clear expression of ideas will be changed by the experience."—Martha Stoodley, Yoga Instructor
"What a wonderfully clear and compassionate guide to mindful yoga! Frank Jude Boccio's skillful integration of yoga instruction with Buddhist teachings illuminates the roots of both traditions. Anyone seeking to live a richer and more awakened life will be served by this wise and gentle book."—Melissa Blacker, MA, co-director of Professional Training and Senior Teacher, Stress Reduction Program, Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA.
"Boccio persuasively argues that Buddhism IS yoga. Buddha studied with two yoga masters after his Great Renunciation, and incorporated their meditation techniques and theory into his teachings. About half the book is a guide to yoga postures illustrated with useful, pretty photographs. Boccio describes the poses with the care of a seasoned teacher, and offers modified positions for the less agile. . . Boccio's explanation of the Four Noble Truths is the best I have read, and his advice, in general, is sound and subtle. MINDFULNESS YOGA helped my practice."—Chronogram
"A 2001 survey found that over one million Americans identify as Buddhists, and some estimates say that there are more than six million Americans who practice yoga daily. Frank Jude Boccio contributes to the exchange between the two traditions by explicitly combining yoga poses and Buddhist practices. Mindfulness Yoga illustrates that the boundaries between Buddhism and yoga are fluid, and thaty experimenting with them is beneficial."—Shambhala Sun
"Frank Jude Boccio is a certified yoga teacher, ayurvedic practitioner, and interfaith minister who has touched many lives. He continues to do so with his new book, Mindfulness Yoga."—Daily Freeman
""Boccio solidly locates hatha yoga practice in Buddhist history and philosophy, emphasizing the mindfulness techniques laid out in the Buddha's discourses and in the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, which offers some of his most explicit instructions on meditation practice.From there Boccio moves into a summary of both the Buddha's core teachings and the Yoga Sutra, the central text of classical yoga, which was strongly influenced by Buddhism. The rest of Mindfulness Yoga is devoted to four complete, illustrated yogic sequences. Boccio reminds us to focus not just on the physical postures but also on what they teach us about the deepest truth of our lives. This is a welcome approach at a time when yoga is too often seens as just another way to get fit. ... The most erudite of the recent offerings."—Tricycle
"Mindfulness Yoga, with its warm, accessible style, is the first good introduction to yoga from a Buddhist standpoint, seamlessly integrating the Buddha's teachings on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness with traditional asana yoga practice."—Branches of Light
"GRADE: A. A delightful introduction to the Buddhist spirituality which has enhanced yoga through the centuries. Boccio's lessons are clear, cogent and precise, and Mindfulness Yoga is a highly recommended guide to self-empowerment."—EDGE Boston
"The first part of the book gives an historical background on the evolution of Yogic practice and on the life and teachings of the Buddha. It compares the Buddha's eightfold path and the Ashtanga Yoga presented in the Yoga Sutra, which are strikingly similar. For anyone curious about these disciplines, this section is well worth reading. The second section deals specifically with the practice of mindfulness as taught by the Buddha. On its own, this section would be a good introduction to Buddhist practice. Throughout the book the explanations and commentary are accessible and well presented, and have the ring of authentic practice and experience. It is really refreshing to find a new yoga book which has such a strong grounding in fundamental Dharma. Boccio then presents four yoga sequences, each based in one of the establishments of Mindfulness. The sequences are basic and well balanced, and the instructions are clear. [. . . ] Mindfulness Yoga is a great inspiration for any yoga practitioner."—Mountain Record: The Zen Practitioner's Journal
"In his introduction to Mindfulness Yoga, yoga teacher/mindfulness meditator Boccio says, 'One doesnt "do yoga" at all, but rather one is yoga or is in yoga—or one is not.' It is this idea of yoga as a state of mind, rather than just a physical form of exercise, that is the premise of the book. Boccio begins by giving readers a succinct primer in Buddhist teachings before gracefully segueing into Patanjali's Eight-Limbed Path. In doing this, as Georg Feuerstein points out in the foreword, Boccio is able to build a bridge 'between "heady" meditation practice and "body-driven" hatha yoga.' From there, Boccio presents four sequences of poses, constantly reminding the reader/practitioner to adapt a 'witness' attitude while moving through the asanas so that the idea of impermanence can be explored. The poses presented are basic and repeated thoughout the various sequences, so that students can come to know and understand them. While not necessarily a book for beginning yogis, it's a good antidote for those experiencing burnout with their practice by reminding them that there's more to yoga than a killer Warrior I."— Yogi Times
"Now and then the influx of new books includes a work that is truly worthwhile and captivates me. Frank Jude Boccio's Mindfulness Yoga is such a work. It addresses a subject matter that is important and timely. It should be carefully read both by Hatha-Yoga practitioners, especially those overly fond of physical fitness, strength, and beauty, and by Buddhist Yoga practitioners, particularly those who are ill at ease in their bodies and in the material universe. In fact, Mindfulness Yoga should be read by every aspiring Yoga practitioner. It is a valuable road map, a study guide, for those wanting to tap into Yoga's full potential and discover all the inner resources necessary to live a meaningful and happy life."—Georg Feuerstein, founder and director of the Yoga Research and Education Center and author of more than 30 books, including Living Yoga, The Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga, Tantra: Path of Ecstasy, and The Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali [online review at Tradition Yoga Interactive]
"'Mindfulness Yoga integrates the practice of yoga with meditation, focusing on the spiritual aspect of the practice. The author, Frank Jude Boccio, believes that beyond stretching, yoga is meditative and provides an opportunity for 'conscious living.' This book is a comprehensive examination of mindful yoga practice. Boccio's writing is easy to understand [...] The book covers both the historical and philosophical aspects of yoga, as well as instruction in basic meditation technique. Physical yoga practice is joined with meditation in the third section of the book. In terms of actual yoga sequences, Boccio targets the mid-level yoga practitioner. He also includes easy-to-understand instructions that make it possible for beginners to follow his sequences, as well as additional challenges for experience practitioners. Photographs help those attempting the poses."— Palo Alto Online (Palo Alto Weekly) |
