The Upanishads
The Upanishads are key texts of the ageless wisdom known as the Perennial Philosophy. This lucid new translation presents selections from the eleven traditionally considered the most important: the Mandukya, Kena, Chandogya, Isha, Brihadäranyala, Taittiriya, Mundaka, Kaushitaki, Maitri, Katha and Shvetäshvatara. Each selection is preceded by incisive introduction that explains simply and clearly Sanskrit terms and yogic concepts that might otherwise be obscure. What emerges is that these writings, composed in the forest retreats of India some twenty-five centuries ago, address still vital questions about the nature and destiny of humankind and the consequences of disregarding the natural order and the greater whole.
Alistair Shearer with Peter Russell
About the author
Alistair Shearer is a cultural historian specialising in the art and architecture of the Indian subcontinent, a former lecturer at The School of Oriental and African Studies at London University and a teacher of meditation and the psychology of yoga. His books have been translated into all major European languages, as well as Japanese and Hebrew, and his translation of the Yoga Sutras has remained in print for almost forty years Alistair is co-creator of an award winning retreat hotel (www.neeleshwarhermitage.com) on the coast of Malabar, in Kerala.
Publisher: White Crow Books
Published February 2022
206 pages
ISBN 978-1-78677-175-9
Amazon RRP £16.99 UK Paperback
Amazon RRP. $22..99 US Paperback
The Story of Yoga
A great way to spend the lockdown!
‘The Story of Yoga offers an absorbing chronicle of the rise of yoga, tracing its evolution through history to its rapid proliferation today, with insights into the challenges on the way ahead. Exceedingly accessible and engaging, this is the definitive account of the remarkable growth of one of the world’s most popular and beneficial human activities’.
Shashi Tharoor best selling author and cultural commentator, former Under Secretary-General of the United Nations and Minister of State for External Affairs in the Government of India.
This is the fascinating story of how a venerable Indian spiritual discipline turned into a £20 billion-a-year mainstay of the wellness industry. Tracing the steps along yoga’s winding path from the caves and forests of the sages to the gyms, hospitals and village halls of the modern West, it sets yoga in its global cultural context for the first time, and shows how the practice relates to important contemporary social currents. These include female empowerment, celebrity culture, the stress pandemic and the quest for authentic identity in the time of cultural crisis and widespread confusion. An engaging tale of scholars and scandal, science and spirit, wisdom and waywardness. This is the untold story of yoga, warts and all.
Alistair Shearer is a cultural historian specialising in the art and architecture of the Indian subcontinent, a former lecturer at The School of Oriental and African Studies at London University and a teacher of meditation and the psychology of yoga. His books have been translated into all major European languages, as well as Japanese and Hebrew, and his translation of the Yoga Sutras has remained in print for almost forty years Alistair is co-creator of an award winning retreat hotel (www.neeleshwarhermitage.com) on the coast of Malabar, in Kerala.
Publisher: C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
Published 23 January 2020
384 pages
ISBN 1787381927
Available from all good bookstores and from Amazon. Spread the word on social media!
Amazon RRP £25 UK Hardback
Amazon RRP. US Paperback
Reviews:
‘This is a tale of what happens when East and West meet, and about a shift from the sacred to the secular. [Yoga’s] journey west gives Shearer a compelling cast of characters.’ — The Sunday Times
‘Erudite, scholarly and engrossing.’ — The Sunday Telegraph
‘Amid a sea of guidebooks, historian Alistair Shearer has provided a worthwhile counterpoint, [offering] advice as important as any guru’s techniques.’ — Financial Times
‘The Story of Yoga offers an absorbing chronicle of the rise of yoga, tracing its evolution through history to its rapid global proliferation today, with insights into the challenges on the way ahead. Exceedingly accessible and engaging, this is the definitive account of the remarkable growth of one of the world’s most popular and beneficial human activities.’ —Shashi Tharoor, author of Inglorious Empire
‘The history of East meeting West through Yoga is as complex and enigmatic as it is important. Alistair Shearer unfolds the narrative with just the right combination of scholarly rigour and compelling prose.’ –– Philip Goldberg, author of American Veda and The Life of Yogananda
‘Frequently amusing, but always scholarly and engaging, Shearer’s study deftly works it way through the history of yoga, from the purity of Patanjali’s Sutras to the mix’n’match brands endorsed by modern celebrities.’ —John Zubrzycki, author of Empire of Enchantment: The Story of Indian Magic
‘A clear-eyed, elegantly written and wonderfully informative history of yoga … Shearer’s remarkable book is a wide-ranging and rather sobering discussion on the nature of authenticity.’ – The Spectator
A quick-witted and erudite chronicle of the Hindu practice that is now a lucrative staple of ”wellness” in the West. – The Wall Street Journal
A colourful story well told…this is a compelling history of how an amazing ancient art became an integral part of western life. – The Irish Times
Shearer … writes with exquisite sensitivity about the teacher-student relationship. – Hindustan Times