If you have been living under the impression that yoga is just a sweaty physical activity involving the union of the head to the knee and the frivolous merging of fancy tank tops to costly bottoms, you might want to reset your spiritual router. Sun, Moon, and Earth: The Sacred Relationship of Yoga and Ayurveda by Mas Vidal will help you with this reset.
In an asana-saturated Western world, Mas Vidal bravely steps out as a mystic, presenting the application of an education based on universal law and the wisdom of the Ancients, founded on what he calls “an integral relationship between the mind, body, and soul that reflects the grander relationships of the Sun, Moon and Earth.”
Photo of Mas Vidal at Bhakti Fest by Joyful Images Photography
Yoga, as the science of Self-Realization, cannot be separated from Ayurveda, the Vedic system that teaches us how to live in tune with nature and in alignment with the cosmic energies of Vayu, which is the universal life-force, and Agni, defined by Mas as the cosmic light principle.
This integral approach to yoga can be traced back to about a century ago to the State of Bengal in Eastern India and the capital city of Calcutta, the center of the Indian Independence movement, where enlightened beings such as Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, Paramahansa Yogananda and his youngest brother, Bishnu Gosh, gathered students around them in spiritual hubs.
Elements of yoga philosophy, history and spiritual lifestyle seamlessly merge to create a fascinating compendium on “how to live”—which is perhaps the strongest theme in the book—in accordance to the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, the Indian Swami and father of yoga in the West in whose lineage Mas’ work is deeply rooted.
Additional chapters of Sun, Moon, and Earth are dedicated to the breath practices of pranayama, the art and science of postural yoga with pictures of Mas demonstrating the asanas, Vedic lifestyle, Ecology, Purification and Restoration. This is Mas Vidal’s long-awaited first book, and the combination of history, philosophy, and practice make it a compelling and fascinating read.
Reviewed by Lulu Berton, a meditation and breathwork teacher and Bhakti chanteuse: luluwellness.com.