Yoga & Parapsychology: Empirical Research and Theoretical Studies

Yoga and Parapsychology are two areas in which a significant amount of professional research is awaited. Parapsychology, considered as the discipline to study psi(psychic abilities), is essentially the science of siddhis (extraordinary human abilities). Yoga is considered to be an effective psycho-spiritual pursuit that results in the manifestation of a variety of supernormal phenomena. In fact, Patanjali's Yoga-Sutras is the foundational text of psychic science. One of its four parts, Vibhuti Pada, is filled with the description and discussion of a variety of paranormal phenomena. There is thus an intrinsic commonality between yoga and parapsychology, which remains essentially unexplored in any systematic way. A serious and scientific study of the two and the resultant synergy of their confluence could result in resolving many of the riddles that puzzle parapsychology today and be a harbinger of a vibrant science opening up new frontiers. Further, it could be seen as a productive East-West meeting in a profound sense.

Keeping this in view, a national conference and a workshop were organized during January 3-23, 2006 at Andhra University by the Institute for Human Science and Service with international participation. The present volume is a compilation of the major presentations at the conference and workshop, which are appropriately revised and edited in light of the discussions.

The contents of the volume contain theoretical articles and reviews as well as experimental reports. Contributors come from different countries besides India, including the United States of America, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands. Thus, the volume is international in scope and coverage.

About the Author:

Prof. K. Ramakrishna Rao is a philosopher, psychologist, and educationist with vast experience in the national and international arenas as a teacher, researcher, and administrator. An acknowledged international authority on Indian psychology, consciousness studies, and psychical research, Professor Rao has published nearly two hundred research papers and twelve books, the most recent ones include Consciousness Studies: Cross-Cultural Perspectives (McFarland, 2002), Towards a Spiritual Psychology edited with S. B. Marwaha(Samvad, India, 2005) and Handbook of Indian Psychology edited with Anand Paranjpe and Ajit K. Dalal (Foundation Books, 2008). The founder and President of the Institute for Human Science and Service, Professor Rao is currently the Chairman of the Indian Council of Philosophical Research, Delhi.