28/07/2025
Some people have finished reading the book and leave me good reviews like this:
Book Review: Pranayama – Lost in Translation by Angela Ashwin
A Must-Have for Students, Practitioners & Teachers of Yoga
Pranayama – Lost in Translation is one of the clearest and most grounded explorations of the true roots of Hatha Yoga I’ve come across. It’s a book that feels necessary—especially for anyone teaching, practicing, or deeply curious about yoga beyond the surface.
Angela Ashwin brings a refreshing clarity to the traditional teachings, reminding us that Hatha Yoga was always about purifying the nadis so that prana can flow freely through sushumna. This isn’t just a theoretical or mystical idea in the book—it’s explained clearly, rooted in scripture, and brought to life through direct experience.
What sets this book apart is Angela’s dedication to understanding the original Sanskrit teachings—not just through secondary interpretation, but by learning Sanskrit herself. Her commitment to reconnecting with the original texts (from the Hatha Yoga Pradipika to Patanjali, the Bhagavad Gita, and beyond) allows her to trace the threads that have long been misrepresented or misunderstood—and to bring them back into coherent, practical application.
This isn’t an abstract academic work. It’s deeply practical. Angela takes what some might call the “theory” of pranayama and brings it into the realm of felt experience. Her own practice and the lived feedback from her students make it clear: these teachings work when approached with sincerity, patience, and presence.
As someone who has been a devoted student of Angela’s, I found the book both a confirmation of what I’ve experienced in her classes and a deepening of that understanding. It offers a way to experience the movement of vayu, to feel where we are still holding on—physically, energetically, emotionally—and to begin to dissolve the malas, the veils, and egoic patterns that keep us stuck.
This is not a book you simply read—it’s one you feel. It invites you into a deeper awareness of the pranic body, not through analysis, but through jnana—direct inner knowing.
Approachable, beautifully clear, and rooted in truth, Pranayama – Lost in Translation is a powerful guide for:
• Beginners curious about the deeper layers of yoga
• Committed practitioners looking to bring their pranayama practice to live as a 3 fold process of Expansion, Revere & Kumbhaka (it’s not breathing…)
• Teachers wanting to anchor their knowledge in authentic tradition
Highly recommended. Not just as a reference book, but as a companion to sincere practice.
