Bhakti Flow Yoga: A Training Guide for Practice and Life

A guide to Bhakti Flow Yoga, a style of yoga that emphasizes a seamless connection between the breath and the movements of the body--by a popular San Francisco-based yogi.

This is a comprehensive guide to the history and practice of Bhakti Flow Yoga, a synthesis of Bhakti yoga (the yoga of devotion) and Vinyasa Flow.

This book describes
   • the foundations of Bhakti Flow Yoga, with an historical overview and an explanation of the basics of practice
   • the energetic side of this practice, including subtle body, meditation, sound (Nada Yoga), prana, pranayama, koshas (sheaths of the subtle body), chakras, nadis (energy pathways), and bandhas (energy locks), and more
   • the Bhakti Flow Yoga lifestyle: An overview of Ayurveda, including the doshas (constitution), nutrition, taste, and digestion, along with recommended Ayurvedic diet guidelines for general health. The section on vegetarianism offers practical advice on making the diet work for you.
   • the practice of Bhakti Flow Yoga: The section is divided into pose families, which include Basics, Standing Poses, Standing Balance Poses, Core, Arm Balances and Inversions, Backbends, Seated Poses and Twists, and Restorative Poses. The author unpacks each of the yoga poses, with details on both physical and spiritual considerations of each pose. There are also discussions on drishti (point of focus), how to start a home practice, and practical tips for pregnant students or those with high blood pressure.

Rusty Wells includes two sample sequences, along with recommendations on sequencing in general. The Beginner's Sequence is gentle, complete, and accessible for all body types. The Surya Flow 1 Sequence is an example of a strong one-hour vinyasa practice that can easily be a launching pad for more creativity. Wells also provides valuable insights on teaching yoga.

RUSTY WELLS has been a yoga teacher since 1998. He is the founder and primary teacher at Urban Flow in San Francisco, a donation-based studio he founded in January 2010. Prior to that, he was a teacher, program director, and teacher mentor at Yoga Tree San Francisco. Rusty leads teacher trainings, retreats, and workshops all over the US and abroad, including in the UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Palestine, Mexico, Costa Rica, China, Indonesia, and Thailand. His teachers were A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who taught him Bhakti Yoga, selfless service, Karma Yoga, and chanting (Japa and Kirtana). He started learning Hatha yoga in 1996 through the teachings of Masters Swami Sivananda and Swami Vishnu Devananda, who emphasized the synthesis of asanas (postures), pranayama, relaxation, and proper diet to develop the physical body and awaken the energies. They also taught him mantra chanting, the scriptures, and meditation. From there, he studied under many contemporary teachers, including Baron Baptiste and Sri Dharma Mittra. His current teacher is Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, the successor to Swami Rama and the head of the Himalayan Institute.