DISCOVER YOGA THROUGH MYTHOLOGY.We all know about the Stress Reduction Benefits of Yoga, but we do not understand How Yoga reduces stress. We know that Yoga has a Spiritual Side, but we cannot answer why we need to be spiritual and what it really means. We all know that Yoga Asanas / Poses are the third step in the eight steps of Yoga and that Pranayama is the fourth step, but it is hard to understand Prana and Pranayama. We know that there is a State of Higher Consciousness, but we find it difficult to go from this state to that state and don’t know what the intermediate steps are.When we interpret Ramayan as a yogic scripture, we see that sage Valmiki explained the difficult concepts like Prana, Pranayama, and Chakras/Centers in very simple terms. In addition, knowing that a student of Yoga is traveling to a mystical landscape and that such a travel has its risks, sage Valmiki provided the much-needed guidance to a person who seeks these higher levels of consciousness. This concept is the central theme of this book and, therefore, the name of this book is Yoga Ramayan: A Travel Guide for a Yogi.Outline of Part - 1Section 1 - Introduction to Framework of Energy-Consciousness• Introduce Goddess Parvati as the energy, and Lord Shiva as the consciousness within our body. Introduce Muladhar Chakra at the base of spine as the home of the energy. Energy goes up from the Muladhar and the consciousness comes down from the Sahastrar.• Interpret the incarnations of Lord Vishnu as the different levels of consciousness. Begin with the known levels of consciousness like dead, coma, dull, and normal. Introduce the consciousness as a neutral observer within the body using the experience of a normal yoga-asana class.• Go over the first six avatar stories to see how they relate to the energy and the consciousness mentioned in Yoga.• Use the guidance of the story to highlight warning signs, next steps, and actions that need to be avoided.Section 2 - Design of Ramayan• Ramayan as a Map to Find Shri Ram• 4 Levels of Abstraction in Ramayan• Design Patterns in Ramayan• Covers Book 1 and Book 2, called Bal Kand and Ayodhya Kand, of Valmiki Ramayan.
