the East. Through our books, lectures, and workshops, we
have been sharing our understanding and experience of
the Vedic and Yogic wisdom traditions because we
believe that this knowledge has universal value. Just as no
one would argue that gravity applies only to England
because Sir Isaac Newton was British or that Einstein’s
theory of relativity was relevant only in Germany, we
suggest that the profound insights gained through yoga are
valuable for every person living on this planet, regardless
of age, gender, or cultural inheritance. The principles of
yoga are not limited by time or space.
As the human inhabitants of our world increasingly
recognize themselves as members of a global village, ideas
that were rejected by all but a few wild inner-space
explorers thirty years ago are now resonating in our col-
lective awareness. Just a few heartbeats back, the mention
of yoga and meditation as essential components of a
healthy lifestyle led to skepticism and even ridicule. But
concepts that add genuine value to life eventually find
their way into the light of human consciousness. Para-
phrasing the great German philosopher, Arthur Schopen-
hauer, every great idea goes through three phases before it
is accepted. In the first it is rejected, in the second it is
ridiculed, and in the third it is held to be self-evident. The
value that yoga brings to body, mind, and spirit is becom-
ing increasingly obvious to a critical mass of people in
North America and around the world.Our relationship with yoga spans more than three
decades. We learned early in our spiritual journey the
value of alternating asanas (yoga poses), pranayama
(breathing exercises), and meditation to stabilize aware-2 The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yogacintro.qxd 4/14/04 12:25 PM Page 2