With the freshness of a memoir, author and yoga teacher Christina Sell draws upon her first visit to an extraordinary temple in southern India to present basic principles of yoga. Beyond the ordinary aims of yoga as a means of stretching and strengthening, or even for being happier or more centered, My Body is a Temple is an instruction manual for dedicating oneself to a life of the spirit, in and through the vehicle of the human body. The body as a temple is a common metaphor within many spiritual traditions. In this book, Christina Sell delves into the “how” and “why” of this widely accepted comparison.

My Body Is a Temple will encourage readers to listen to and honor the body; and to enter more fully into their everyday lives to see that each activity contains a Divine blueprint for success. It will help any yoga student to reclaim the raw materials and energy, always already present, to build his or her body as a temple—to provide refuge and sanctuary for themselves and inspiration for others.

While the author’s tradition is that of Anusara Yoga, a strongly heart-centered approach, the book is written for any hatha yoga aspirant or practitioner. Her commitment is to traditional yogic practices and ideals, without being rigid. My Body Is a Temple is a vital and realistic treatment about the process of human change and transformation.

Table of Contents:

Part 1 Building the plans
Intention; The Highest First; Practice; Intrinsic Goodness; The Body; Asking the right questions
Attention.

Part 2 Laying the Foundation
Adhikara; Yamas and Niyamas; The Conditions

Part 3 Scaffolding
The Dharma; Spiritual Authority and the Guru; The Kula; Enthusiastic Discipline

Part 4 The Sanctuary
Beauty and the Expanding of the Inner Life; Asana as sacred art; Pranayama as an Invocational Dance; Mantra as Devotional Music.

Part 5 Worship
Darshan of the Heart; Communion.

Part 6 Outreach
Service and Outreach.