Yoga and mindfulness have gone mainstream: Yoga continues to grow in popularity (there is an estimated 36 million yoga practitioners in the U.S.), and mindfulness meditation is now ubiquitous—widely recommended by health professionals and available in numerous settings, including workplaces and schools. This book will offer yogic meditation as a natural adjunct to yoga practice and mindfulness meditation.

Make your yoga practice more purposeful than just a series of poses: While many practitioners are introduced to some form of meditation in class, traditional Yogic meditation appeals to yogis who want to explore the path further and take their practice to a deeper level. This book is a concise and accessible guide for these practitioners looking to embrace the wholeness of what yoga has to offer.

What’s beyond mindfulness—genius! People interested in taking mindfulness practice further could find yogic meditation to be a compelling next step. Using yoga’s deeper meditation techniques, practitioners move beyond sensory experience to atman, or a connection to our unbound intelligence, a quality that people typically think of as “genius”—and it looks like inspiration, “aha moments”, clarity of purpose, a gut feeling or knowing, or moving gracefully through change.

ALAN FINGER was born and raised in South Africa and was a student of Parmahansa Yogananda, Krishnamacharya, and B. K. S. Iyengar, among others. He is nationally known for the depth of his training and for his gentle, friendly teaching style. Finger’s wisdom and appeal are reflected in the success of Yoga Works, the studio he founded in Los Angeles; Yoga Zone studios and videos; his four Be Yoga studios in New York; and his work with many prominent celebrities including Robin Williams, Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Joni Mitchell, Diana Ross, and Kim Cattrall. He travels and teaches all over the United States, as well as in Canada, Europe, and South Africa. He lives in New York City.

PETER FERKO teaches meditation, philosophy, asana, and teacher training internationally. He was initiated Yogiraj, or master, by Alan Finger of ISHTA Yoga. In addition to his studies and teaching at ISHTA, his other studies and influences include Paramahansa Yogananda’s Self Realization Fellowship, Sivananda Yoga, The Course in Miracles, and Mark Whitwell’s Heart of Yoga. As an author, Peter aims to make powerful practices and valuable philosophy accessible to general audiences and beginner practitioners. He also writes fiction that draws on his lifelong involvement with yoga, music, and art. Peter is the host of Peter’s Podcast: Real Yoga, Actual Happiness, and Deep Living. www.peterferko.com

Author Residence: New York City

Author Hometown: South Africa

“We are evolving toward a greater expression of being human; learning the deeper meditation found in authentic yoga is key.”—Deepak Chopra, author of Meta Human