Arman

I wish I could remember the videos title and its full contents, and if anyone does then post it here - but it was one where Leo was talking about how he went on a retreat and was hanging out with this younger dude for a while. Something in that video moved me. I really like the image of them together, Leo further down the path and the kid essentially just starting. I think it gave Leo a lot of perspective into the whole journey, and it did for me as well. Also the video with that fingering technique is pretty legit too.

I like My Big Toe by Thomas Campbell. It's a physicists attempt at typing together physics and metaphysics. It's really far out. He offers the PDF online but it's really long so it'd easier to read it physically. Tom was one of the physicists from the book Journeys out of the Body by Robert Monroe (a famous book on outer body experiences. A term which Robert himself coined) I also like Autobiography of a Yogi. It's a devotional text by yogi Paramahansa Yogananda. That book turned me from agnostic/atheist to... something else, overnight.

I think most Yoga in the west is has been diluted to something closer to calisthenics than to its original form. From my understanding, true yoga is spirituality in action. Reading the sutras of patanjali that Leo mentioned is a good idea to gain an understanding of it. It's the principle text upon which most of modern yoga is formed. It's actually really short and will provide a lot of insight. When most people hear the word, they think of physical movement and contorting your body into certain postures but these are called Asanas and it's just one branch of yoga. In some traditions, asanas are really just a way to limber up the body physically and energetically in anticipation of the more intense meditative practices. Practices can range from meditation to self inquiry, taking action and 'doing your duty' in life (called karma yoga) or even pretty mind-altering breathing exercises. Here's a good pdf translation of the sutras: http://www.swamivenkatesananda.org/clientuploads/publications_online/Enlightened_Living_by_Swami_Venkatesananda.pdf