Innovative new book The Four Desires shows how yogic philosophy can bring you inner and outer contentment...
...even if you’ve never done a yoga pose!
The Four Desires
Creating a Life of Purpose, Happiness, Prosperity, and Freedom
By Rod Stryker
Published by Hay House 28th May 2012, £12.99 paperback
Rod Stryker is one of the world’s leading yoga and meditation teachers. For more than three decades, he has taught yoga in the context of its deepest philosophy, making it relevant and accessible to students of all levels. His renowned course “The Yoga of Fulfillment” has helped thousands of people from all walks of life recognise their soul’s call to greatness and to achieve their dreams. Now, in THE FOUR DESIRES: Creating a Life of Purpose, Happiness, Prosperity, and Freedom (Hay House), he distills those teachings into a roadmap for achieving lasting fulfillment, achieving material and spiritual prosperity and, in short, for becoming the person you were meant to be. This wise and richly practical book is filled with revealing true stories, provocative exercises, and key practices for unlocking your true desires and the means to realise them—even if you’ve never done a yoga pose.
According to ancient Yogic tradition, your soul has four distinct desires: Dharma—the desire for purpose, the drive to become who you are meant to be; Artha—the desire for the means (money, security, health) to prosper in this world; Kama—the desire for pleasures like intimacy, beauty, and love; and Moksha—the desire for spiritual fulfillment and lasting freedom. Learning to honor these four desires is the key to happiness, and to a complete and balanced life. But as Stryker says, “we all think we know what we want; few of us know what we need.” How can you discern which desires will truly satisfy you? How can you increase your capacity to achieve them? What if your desires seem to conflict with one another? Is it really possible to live a spiritual life while also wanting material pleasures and success? The answer is a resounding “yes”—and THE FOUR DESIRES will show you how.
Stryker’s innovative programme includes a set-by-step plan that will help you to:
- Discover your dharma—your soul’s unique purpose, the one you came into this world to fulfill
- Recognize and set sankalpas—goals you hope to achieve within 6-18 months
- Identify self-defeating ideas and behaviors—many of which you may not be consciously aware of—that can prevent you from fulfilling your desires and achieving the life of your dreams
- Build the energy that will help you overcome obstacles in your path
- Cultivate joy at every stage of your growth
THE FOUR DESIRES shows you how to create a life that is rich in meaning and in means, a life that attracts and emanates happiness, and a life that is your unique gift to yourself and the world.
Rod Stryker is the founder of ParaYoga®. Widely considered one of the preeminent yoga and meditation teachers in the United States, he has taught for more than thirty years and his clients have included: Bette Midler, Drew Barrymore, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kristin Davis, Ali McGraw, and Jennifer Gray. A longtime resident and teacher in Los Angeles, he now lives in Colorado with his wife, Gina, and their four children. The Four Desires is his first book.
Praise for The Four Desires:
‘The Four Desires is a provocative interactive workbook for living your best possible life. The end game here is to know your highest, most authentic self and create a road map to living out your dreams (who wouldn't want that?) Stryker is a masterful guide, and the journey he creates is fun - and abundantly fruitful.’ Kaitlin Quistgaard, editor-in-chief, Yoga Journal
‘The Four Desires is a classic of transformational writing. Accessible to anyone looking for guidance on their journey, it is one of the most helpful books I’ve ever read on what it requires to live a fulfilled life amid the complexities of today’s world. I’m recommending it to everyone I know!’ Sally Kempton, author of Meditation for the Love of It
‘The Four Desires is a rare accomplishment: a book of valuable, profound wisdom that is easy to learn from, live by and love. I will be carrying a dog-eared copy of it for years.’ Mark Bryan, author of The Artist’s Way at Work
‘The Four Desires is firmly grounded in ancient wisdom. Anyone seeking inner healing and lasting happiness must read this book.’ Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Ph.D., chairman and spiritual head, Himalayan Institute
For press enquiries please contact Jessica Crockett – jessicacrockett@hayhouse.co.uk or 020 8962 1248
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