Tending the Heart Fire - by Shiva Rea (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

"We are created in rhythm, kept alive in rhythm, evolve through rhythm. Tides, breath, and blood flow in rhythm. We are born into a universe of currents, and our heart is the great conductor of the body, orchestrating our flow."

The mystical foundations of all the world's spiritual paths meet in a single, sacred place: the heart of the seeker. We have reached a time when scientific understanding mirrors the teachings of the great wisdom traditions in revealing our energetic heart as the light of consciousness, the fire of love, a field of intelligence. Tending the Heart Fire, the first book by pioneering yogini Shiva Rea, is an invitation to embody our extraordinary potential at this turning point in time, to reconnect your life to the rhythms of your body and the natural world--to live in flow with the pulse of life.

Weaving together wisdom from the great world traditions--including yoga, Ayurveda, Tantra, and modern science--Shiva presents an essential resource for becoming a firekeeper of the sacred heart. This diverse treasury is filled with mediations, life guidance, seasonal rituals, and daily practices, including:

Insights for harmonizing with the sacred junctures of time--the daily, weekly, lunar, and solar cycles of manifestation and renewal
- Aligning with the seasons--how to adapt your diet, exercise, and yoga rhythms throughout the annual cycle Ways to honor the great sacred holidays, rites, and festivals
- Awakening of sahaja--the natural flow at the origins and source of yoga asana and sacred embodiment at the heart of yoga and Tantra
- Skills for tending your inner fire in every aspect of life and healing imbalances that can support a renewable energy lifestyle
- A visual teaching with over a hundred full-color images, including reference charts, diagrams, illustrations, and ancient poetry for inspiration
The legacy of the Heart Fire is more than eight hundred thousand years old--and in our modern world, we need more than ever to consciously reconnect to the radiant field that transcends time, space, and culture. "The direct awakening of the heart often happens when we are at a crisis point, when the armor of our heart has to crack," writes Shiva Rea. "Let us return to the power and magnificence of our hearts--as living fire, as intelligent energy and electromagnetic radiance, and as our illuminating guide toward love, creativity, and deep knowing of our true sacred nature."

Review Quotes

"A powerhouse yoga teacher." --The New York Times

"One of the world's greatest yoga masters." --Vanify Fair

"A path into the heart that burns with wisdom and melts with love. Tending the Heart Fire is a book to cherish, to keep by your bedside or meditation mat, and to inspire your contemplation and practice for years to come." --Sally Kempton, author of Meditation for the Love of It and Awakening Shakti

"According to ancient Vedic scripture, the heart is the central place of consciousness. Shiva Rea's beautifully illustrated book integrates the ancient wisdom of yoga with modern paradigms and evokes a complete picture of yoga, fire, and awareness in the heart of the reader." --Vasant Lad, author of Ayurveda: The Science of Self-Healing

"A brilliant book by one of contemporary yoga's deepest and most fiery visionaries." --Andrew Harvey, author of The Hope and Heart Yoga

"Shiva Rea continues to ignite the yoga world and beyond with her powerful teachings of radical self transformation. Deeply rooted in the ancient traditions of India, Shiva's innovative approach to yoga has revolutionized the western yoga world. Breathe in, dive deep, and let Shiva guide you into the bright fire that is shining in the center of it all." --MC YOGI

"Shiva Rea allows her readers to see the world and life through the lens of the heart. Through her words, practices, images, mantras, and movements, expect to be shifted by what is on these pages, and enjoy this beautiful journey." --Dr. Ann Marie Chiasson, Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, and author of Energy Healing

"Beautiful and deeply insightful; useful to yoga practitioners and spiritual seekers worldwide." --Paul Muller-Ortega, author of The Triadic Heart of Siva & founder of Blue Throat Yoga

"An amazing compendium on the heart and its many expressions and practices of heart awakening--from ancient times through modern discoveries--confirming what the ancients understood. Now scientific research on the energetic heart is bringing humanity full cycle to the realization that the heart is our very essence that truly does awaken and connect us all." --Deborah Rozman, president and CEO of HeartMath LLC

About the Author

Shiva Rea
Shiva Rea teaches vinyasa flow yoga worldwide. She has studied many forms of yoga and dance in India, Africa, Nepal, Jamaica, and Bali. She is a well-known contributor to Yoga Journal and holds an MA in Dance from UCLA's World Arts and Cultures Program, where she also teaches.

Sally Kempton
Sally Kempton is known both for her ability to lead students into deep states of meditation and for her gift of making yogic wisdom applicable to daily life. She has spent over 40 years practicing, studying, and teaching meditation and spiritual philosophy. A former swami, or monk, she lived and studied for many years with enlightened Indian masters and received training in the Kashmir Shaivism tradition. She writes "Wisdom," a regular column for Yoga Journal, and teaches workshops and retreats in the United States and Europe.
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