About the book: 2007 / This unique edition contains a translation of the classic yogic treatise, including a guide to asanas, shatkarma, pranayama, mudras, bandhas and samadhi, the shlokas of which commented in detail and exhaustively by leading teachers of the Bihar School of Yoga from a practical point of view. In terms of the volume of information contained and the depth of presentation, it is one of the best practical textbooks on yoga in Russian today. “Hatha Yoga Pradipika” is a text written in Sanskrit about Hatha Yoga, presumably dating back to the 15th century. The author is believed to be Swami Swatmarama, a follower of Swami Goraksha. It is the oldest surviving classical text of Hatha Yoga. The other two texts dating from a later period are the Gheranda Samhita and the Shiva Samhita. It is a collection of early sources with the addition of Swatmarama's own yoga practice. There are many translations of this text, including into Russian. The text was written within the framework of the Hindu philosophical school of yoga and is dedicated to Shiva, who, according to the tradition of Hinduism, transmitted secret knowledge about hatha yoga to his divine wife Parvati. In total, the text consists of 390 stanzas, and is divided into four parts: The first lists yama (restraint in behavior), niyama (observed restrictions), asanas and nutrition. The second describes pranayama and shatkarmas (internal cleansing practices). The third talks about mudras, bandhas (“locks”), nadis (channels in the subtle human body through which prana flows), and kundalini energy. The fourth describes pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi.