AWAKE IN THE WORLD:
TEACHINGS FROM YOGA AND BUDDHISM FOR LIVING AN ENGAGED LIFE

In this collection of writings, Michael Stone teaches the essentials of mindfulness and yoga practice, combining simplicity with the notion of interdependence of all beings. Regarding yoga practice, he emphasizes that yoga is not about some ultimate reality but about the here and now; it's about the way things unfold in each moment. With that awareness, the practitioner opens to a still calm at the root of all experience. This state is a glimpse of freedom from dissatisfaction and craving. He asks, how do we live a balanced life in an unbalanced time? How do meditation and yoga support our relationships and our jobs and our responsibilities? The key, Michael says, is opening our heart, which is the heart of the world.

Topics include: realizing intimacy with the whole world; finding stillness in the flow of life; appreciating diversity; encouragement on retreat; relating to the breath; and social activism.
– Shambhala Publications, 2011

PRAISE FOR THIS BOOK:

"Just as yoga postures open the body, these essays awaken the mind, revealing, in elegant and lyrical prose, our unbreakable connection to every part of this ailing world."
– Naomi Klein, author of "The Shock Doctrine"

“Awake in the World is a deft and lively book, with a range and intelligence that are effortlessly impressive. Michael Stone’s practice combines a host of disciplines and trainings, from yoga to Buddhism to psychotherapy to post-modern cultural studies. He is a strong voice for what seems to be a newly emerging post-everything approach to spirituality – post-meditation, post-Buddhism, post-yoga, post-psychology – beyond everything fixed and doctrinaire, and grounded instead in a passion for engagement and belonging to a world we share with all other human and non-human beings.”
– Norman Fischer, author of "Taking Our Places"

FREEING THE BODY, FREEING THE MIND:
WRITINGS ON THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN YOGA & BUDDHISM

In this collection of provocative essays by prominent teachers of Yoga and Buddhism, the common ground of these two ancient traditions becomes clear. Michael Stone has brought together a group of intriguing voices to show how Buddhism and Yoga share the same roots, the same values, and the same spiritual goals. The themes addressed here are rich and varied, yet the essays all weave together the common threads between the traditions that offer guidance toward spiritual freedom and genuine realization.

Contributors include Ajahn Amaro Bhikkhu, Shosan Victoria Austin, Frank Jude Boccio, Christopher Key Chapple, Ari Goldfield and Rose Taylor, Chip Hartranft, Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara, Sarah Powers, Eido Shimano Roshi, Jill Satterfield, Mu Soeng, Michael Stone, and Robert Thurman.
– Shambhala Publications, 2010

PRAISE FOR THIS BOOK:

“This book is an in-depth investigation of the interweaving strands of Yoga and Buddhism. Its broad range of perspectives provides a wealth of illuminating insights. A valuable resource for those who wish to explore this important interface.”
– Joseph Goldstein, author of "A Heart Full of Peace" and "One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism"

“This important book gives the reader the flesh and bones of why Buddhism and Yoga are a perfect fit. Lucid, wise, and rich with detail, this is a must-read for both yogis of all traditions.”
– Roshi Joan Halifax, Head teacher, Upaya Zen Center

YOGA FOR A WORLD OUT OF BALANCE:
TEACHINGS ON ETHICS
AND SOCIAL ACTION

Every aspect of our life has a part to play in the greater ecological system, Michael Stone explains in this book. How do we bring this large view to our yoga practice? According to Stone, our responsibility as human beings is to live in a sustainable and respectful way. He says two things need to change. First, we need to understand the relationship between our actions and the effects of our actions. Second, once we see the effect of our actions in the human and non-human world, we need practical skills for learning how to make changes.

Using the five principles (yama) described in the Yoga-Sutra attributed to Patanjali, Michael Stone offers a basis for rethinking ethical action and the spiritual path.
– Shambhala Publications, 2009

PRAISE FOR THIS BOOK:

"Yoga for a World Out of Balance upends the typical narcissism of spiritual literature; what we are offered instead is a literate and deeply devotional integration of individual practice and social awareness. Yoga has always meant "union," but here in Michael Stone's world the profound philosophy of yoga permeates the dying earth and our living hearts with phrases and insights that are ancient, scintillating, and incisive. This is not a rehash of prior teachings, but a highly original uncloaking of the deepest meanings that await us in our practice."
– Paul Hawken, author of "Blessed Unrest"

“If up until now yoga has just been something you do on a mat, Michael Stone's Yoga For a World Out of Balance will lift you off your feet. I know of no book with such an elevated, informed and inspiring perspective on how yoga belongs in our world, or how the world belongs in our yoga.”
– Chip Hartranft

"An important new work of great clarity that brilliantly explores the core concern of human existence: the coming together of spirit and action."
– Velcrow Ripper, documentary film-maker "ScaredSacred" & "FierceLight:When Spirit Meets Action"

THE INNER TRADITION OF YOGA:
A GUIDE TO YOGA PHILOSOPHY FOR
THE CONTEMPORARY PRACTITIONER

"The Inner Tradition of Yoga: A Guide to Yoga Philosophy for Contemporary Practitioners" looks at yoga practices from a psychological perspective and offers some relevant ideas for those wishing to understand what constitutes the spiritual path of yoga and the traditional understanding of the complex relationship between mind, body and awakening.
– Shambhala Publications, 2008

PRAISE FOR THIS BOOK:

"Michael Stone's teaching brilliantly reveals the profound underpinnings of yoga which are rarely taught or understood. His demonstration of the interdependence of theory, practice and daily life makes yoga work on a level that will truly transform our minds and hearts, as well as our bodies.”
– Richard Freeman, Director of The Yoga Workshop, Boulder, Colorado

“Engaging with the matter of suffering is an essentially yogic endeavour, perhaps the essential yogic project. Yet all too many modern (Hatha) yogis seem to have an ill-formed misunderstanding of both duh[.]kha and what the yoga tradition has to say about it. Michael Stone goes beyond the sometimes troublesome and problematic philosophical discourse to the existential, phenomenological heart of yogic praxis, common to the Buddha and Patanjali. His approach to yoga details a practical and pragmatic psychology of yoga that can provide all practitioners a way to engage with the deepest transformative possibilities that yoga can offer. …It is certainly what we need now.”
– Frank Jude Boccio, author of "Mindfulness Yoga"

“Hatha yoga and meditation have both become very popular. What's the relationship between them? Michael Stone reveals that better than anything else I've come across. Michael Stone's work is not to be missed if you are interested in both.”
– David Loy, author of "Non-Duality", "Lack and Transcendence" and "Great Awakening".