Yoga by the Numbers: The Sacred and Symbolic in Yoga Philosophy and Practice

Yoga teacher Rosen (Original Yoga) delivers a dense exploration of yogic numerology. Sifting through dozens of Sanskrit spiritual texts, he examines the symbolic significance of numbers in yoga philosophy with an emphasis on yoga’s Hindu roots, rather than its modern American reputation as a form of exercise. Rosen explains that Hindu gods often have four arms to signify the four eras of human history and the “four castes of society.” Sanskrit for “one” is “eka,” he notes, pointing out that the word is frequently used as a prefix in the yoga lexicon to denote oneness and the unification of the individual with the larger world: “Eka excludes everything but the one thing held in consciousness.” Rosen assumes readers will be familiar with the texts he references, and his complex linguistic arguments will go over the heads of those not steeped in yoga’s religious origins. Additionally, exercises instructing readers on how to bathe in the metaphorical waters of the energy channels that meet at the bridge of one’s nose will leave some scratching their heads. However, the richness of the theological material is worth toughing it out. Those who know yoga only in a fitness context will be left in the dark, but advanced practitioners will find this enlightening. (Dec.)