TRUE LOCATION OF HEAVEN

An experiential guide to unpack yoga for newbies.

“Our world does not seem to be the superficial and shallow one that I had understood before,” writes author Osirian, a yoga practitioner born and raised in Japan. Believing that he needed a complete break from the materialistic world to pursue a higher calling, Osirian became a monk, although he eventually left monastic life. Osirian began practicing yoga in 1992, exploring its theories almost entirely on his own. The author notes that he’s “not a highly accomplished yoga practitioner” and bases the book on his personal experiences and insights, giving the work a memoirlike voice and feel. The book also draws on the wisdom of spiritual masters, such as the Buddha, Jesus Christ, Kukai, Dogen, Linji, and Patrul Rinpoche. The guide will be an eye-opener for readers accustomed to viewing yoga as merely a set of physical exercises intended to help them lose weight, improve stamina, strengthen muscles, and increase flexibility. The author presents a conceptual framework and vocabulary to facilitate understanding of yoga’s effects on the body and mind. He defines the “subtle body” as a body made of energy that is closely related to both the mind and physical body. Yoga can alter this subtle body, improving one’s physical health. Osirian writes about energy channels, called nadis, which run throughout the subtle body, carrying prana, “an energy fluid that carries life force and can be viewed as something like wind,” and introduces readers to chakras, or energy centers (Osirian cautions against mistaking chakras for the nerve plexuses of the autonomic nervous system).

Readers are encouraged to explore ways of knowing that may challenge their belief systems. “It seems to me that things and spaces carry something more subtle than what we can easily perceive with our five senses,” he writes. He notes that he once viewed science as “absolute truth” and didn’t believe “in the existence of God, gods, goddesses, or spiritual worlds.” He proposes that one can catch a glimpse of heaven, described as “a bright place” directly above the human world, in the here and now by practicing yoga rather than waiting for it in the afterlife. After leaving the evangelical church, Osirian explored the Buddhist idea of heaven, which he describes as having six levels that “are incorporated as orders into the human world on earth where we live.” Written for new yoga practitioners, the manual aims to be “a yoga textbook” that will enable readers “to easily grasp the basic essence of yoga, which is often omitted in other books on the market.” However, this claim is a bit misleading. The book doesn’t discuss The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, a foundational text for yoga practitioners, in detail. Also, the multiple references to Hindu, Buddhist, Indian, Tibetan, and Japanese knowledge systems and practices can feel like an information overload. Throughout, Osirian emphasizes that “the altruistic heart” has a significant place in yoga, highlighting an important aspect of a practice that nurtures collective well-being. Copious endnotes lead readers to various helpful primary texts.

An impassioned but meandering guide that blends theory with practice.