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Title: In context? Whose context?
Review: The author gives a competent account of orthodox brahminical philosophy but this is not helpful for the understanding of hathayoga. Hathayoga developed out of the traditions of Saiva asceticism and Tantra-its roots owe little to brahmanism. As it became popular (from c.1450CE onwards) it was adopted by the Hindu orthodox (particularly Advaita Vedantins). They then put their own spin on it and this is the version that Burley presents. Burley consults only 3 (or, in fact, two and a half) of the many Sanskrit texts of hathayoga, and for those three he uses poor editions. His own understanding of Sanskrit is very weak. Furthermore, he perhaps unwittingly puts forward views of the modern Hindu far right that are based in prejudice rather than scholarship (does a book on Hathayoga really need a chapter on the Aryan migration into India?).
