Yoga as it was born in India

Ten paths into the practice

Start where you are. Each chapter opens with a clear answer, then goes as deep as you want: the posture, the breath, the verse it comes from.

1. Iआरम्भStartYour first sessions at home: where to begin for your profile, the golden rules, levels, routines and what to avoid.
2. IIमार्गPathsHatha, raja, karma, bhakti, jnana: the paths of the texts, and the modern schools in their lineage, compared.
3. IIIआसनAsanasEvery posture with its Sanskrit name, its meaning, the steps, the precautions and the text it comes from.
4. IVप्राणायामBreathPranayama, mudras, bandhas and kriyas from the texts, with rhythms and precautions.
5. Vध्यानMeditationMeditation, mantras, Om, chakras and nadis, explained from the sources, without empty promises.
6. VIशास्त्रTextsYoga Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Upanishads: what they say and where to read them.
7. VIIसाधनाSacredOm, puja, guru and lineage, ethics, food and festivals: yoga as it is lived in India.
8. VIIIभारतIndiaRishikesh, visas, seasons, teacher trainings and ashrams: dated facts, no paid ranking.
9. IXऋषिकेशRishikeshWhy Rishikesh, the banks and ashrams, the aarti, seasons, access, visa and courses: dated facts, no ranking.
10. Xआरोग्यHealthWhat the studies really show, with every claim linked to its study. No promises.
11. XIसाधनToolsA breathing timer and two quizzes that run in your browser and send nothing.
12. XIIयात्राTravelRishikesh, Mysore, Kerala, Varanasi, Tamil Nadu, Nepal, Bali: lineages, seasons, visas, with dated facts.

योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः

yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ

Yoga is the stilling of the movements of the mind.

Not fitness. A living tradition.

Yoga did not begin as a workout. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika calls its postures a staircase towards stillness, and Patañjali gives posture three words: sthira-sukham āsanam, steady and easy. On Yogide every technique comes with the text it comes from, its Sanskrit name written properly, and the precautions written down before you begin.

Written from Rishikesh

Every evening, lamps are raised over the Ganga at Triveni Ghat and Parmarth Niketan. Yogide is written here, by people who live with the river, the ashrams and the teacher trainings, with no sponsored content and no paid ranking of schools.

The Yogide books

Beautiful PDF books to practise at home, read the texts in Sanskrit and prepare your journey to India.

The Yogide books