Yoga and Parapsychology: Empirical Research and Theoretical Studies edited by K. Ramakrishna Rao

Abstract

Those familiar with the history and the literature of parapsychology will recognize the name of K. Ramakrishna Rao, director of the Rhine Research Center after Rhine’s retirement, and a decades-long contributor to the literature of parapsychology. Now head of the Indian Council of Philosophical Research, Rao is a natural choice to produce a book on the topic of yoga and parapsychology. The 19 papers (plus the Preface to the book) come from a 2006 conference at Andhra University. A helpful glossary is also included. The theme of the connection between yoga and parapsychology is a natural one, as several authors point out, since, on the one hand, Indian philosophy takes paranormal powers (siddhi) to be a natural outcome of yoga practice, and on the other hand, meditation and other noise reduction exercises have proved to be psi-conducive in Western empirical research. Yet, there has been too little cross-cultural fertilization, so a conference on the subject and the subsequent book are welcome.