BASES OF YOGA As one begins the actual practice of yoga, one becomes aware of the various forms of difficulties in gaining the cooperation of and control over the various parts of our internal being. The mind races when we try to sit for meditation. We become aware of desires and compulsions that formerly were hidden to our view. The physical body presents its difficulties and limitations. We are faced with a complex and inter-dependent web of powers and parts of the being which are not all in harmony with the central aspiration that is driving the practice. It is relatively hard, if not virtually impossible, to work through this confusion and complexity without assistance. In response to numerous specific questions raised by his disciples, Sri Aurobindo wrote thousands of letters, clarifying, analysing and guiding and in other ways helping practitioners of the yoga to find their direction through this mass of difficulty. The Bases of Yoga represents a compilation from those letters, organised so as to provide a practical handbook for the beginning aspirant just starting on the path of yoga as well as to the more experienced who are beginning to grapple with issues that were not evident at the start of the process. This book has been a valued companion to many thousands of disciples over the years and now is available in the current edition to any who aspire to undertake the process of gaining mastery over their minds, emotions, vital energies and bodies in the discipline of yoga. One of the foremost Indian philosophers of the twentieth century, Sri Aurobindo also was a political activist, mystic and spiritual leader. Between 1927 and 1950, Sri Aurobindo remained in seclusion while perfecting a new kind of spiritual practice he called Integral Yoga. This yoga represented a bridge or synthesis of the seeking of the West for perfection in the world of matter with the seeking of the East for internal harmony and oneness with the spiritual center of our existence. Represents a compilation from letters Sri Aurobindo wrote in response to numerous specific questions raised by his disciples. It is organized so as to provide a practical handbook for the beginning aspirant. Covers attainment of calm, peace, and equality; faith, aspiration and surrender; overcoming difficulties in the first stages of sadhana; how to deal with desire, food and sex; and physical consciousness.