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Dear Lover of Yoga,
One hundred years ago, a scholar translated a little-known Sanskrit text of late Tantric Yoga that described the serpent power Kundalini Shakti and the chakras, or subtle energy centers, of the human body. The concepts brought to light through that translation eventually reached millions (through the work of Carl Jung and others), and had a huge impact on the development of American spirituality and the dissemination of Yoga throughout the world. Knowing this, what would be your response if you found out that less than 4% of the hundreds of key texts on Yoga and Tantra have been reliably translated into English? You'd want to see more hidden gems brought to light, wouldn't you? Well, guess what: it's true. And what's more, you can help bring them to light.
The Yoga movement has spread around the world and improved the lives of countless people. Yet it is still young. It has barely begun to explore its roots and realize its potential. For any movement to succeed and benefit humanity long-term, it must root itself deeply and set its foundation carefully. But how can that happen when we don't have access to the original sources of the once-flourishing spiritual traditions of yoga or to the words of its master sages? The vast majority of original scriptures of Yoga and Tantra exist only in manuscript form. The publication and translation of these astonishing materials will eventually have a profound impact on the future of Yoga in all its forms (meditation, āsana, etc.). You have the opportunity to be a part of this history-making process.
The Community is You
The very heart of Yoga is the power of community. An unprecedented opportunity has arisen to make a big difference in the future course of Yoga--so we are appealing to the Yoga communities to help make this vision a reality in a very concrete, immediate way.
For the first time, the most accomplished international scholars in Tantric Studies are compiling a book of translations of the crucial primary sources that form the bedrock of yoga theory and practice over the past 1000 years.
Lack of institutional funding means that this remarkable book may not see the light of day.
What better solution than to appeal directly to those whom this work will ultimately benefit? Why not demonstrate the power and passion of the Yoga communities for the future heritage of their practice? We believe you can help shape the future of Yoga.
What is "Tantra" really, and what does it have to do with Yoga?
As you may or may not know, recent research has shown that modern Yoga is rooted in the ancient Tantric traditions, especially those of Shaiva Tantra (aka Tantric Shaivism).
This movement (in many of its branches) was a radically positive, world-embracing vision of the whole of reality as an expression of a singular, free and joyous Divine Consciousness. This Consciousness, the scriptures attest, is equally present in (and as) all things, especially our own hearts. So the purpose of spiritual practice is simply to bring about an inner realization of this truth. This realization, when fully experienced and embodied, is final liberation from all forms of mundane suffering. The practices used to bring this liberation about were meditation, prānāyāma, mantra, contemplation, visualization, āsanas, and karanas. Does all this sound familiar? If so, that is because Tantra is the ultimate source for the practice of modern yoga. (You may have heard that yoga comes from Patanjali, but this is because most of Patanjali's practices were adopted by the Tantric yogis.) Specifically, it is the branch called Shaiva Tantra that gave us Hatha-Yoga, which gave us the various branches of modern yoga. 
(This is a mock-up, not the actual book cover.)
Intention for the "Tantric Studies Reader"
The original scriptures of Tantra have remained almost entirely unpublished. The 600-page proposed new book, temporarily titled the "Tantric Studies Reader", is an attempt to redress this, and stimulate more research and scholarship in this crucially important field. Such work is important both for our understanding of the development of Indian spiritual philosophy, and (we believe) for helping to stimulate the next phase in the growth of human consciousness. Even though this is a scholarly volume, it will ultimately impact the yoga communities through providing material for contemporary teachers to work with: allowing them to offer a more deeply rooted and authentic transmission of yogic and tantric teachings, practices, mantras, and so on.
The study of Tantric philosophy and yoga will serve to enrich, promote, and legitimize the practice of yoga in the West, especially when undertaken by the next generation of young practitioner-scholars (at whom the Reader is primarily aimed). Note that this will be a book of literal translations, not interpretations. The exciting opportunity to interpret these fascinating (and almost lost) materials will be open to all of us for decades to come--if they are published.
The Heart of the "Tantric Studies Reader"
None of the passages in the Reader have ever been translated into a Western language before. The Reader offers selections from many revealed Tantric scriptures, ritual manuals, and philosophical commentaries (on the Tantras) by renowned Tantric sages such as Abhinavagupta. As important as this material evidently is, it has hardly generated any impact in the wider study of Indian culture or religion yet; most religious/ Asian/ Sanskrit studies courses, both in the West and in India, simply end up ignoring such material for lack of easy access. The resulting picture of Indian civilization thus has largely omitted Tantrism, which was for nearly a thousand years the dominant form of religion in India, a spiritual tradition that greatly informed both Hindu and Buddhist traditions.
For more information on how you can support this exciting project, click "Donate" below and/or contact us at cptompkins [AT] yahoo.com.
Yours in yoga,
Christopher Wallis and Christopher Tompkins
The Foundation for Yoga
This is an image of an early (7th cen.) Tantric manuscript containing a key verse on Kundalinī (highlighted) that will be published for the first time in the "Tantric Studies Reader":
candrāgni-ravi-samyuktā ādyā kundalinī tu yā |
hrtpradeśe tu sā jñeyā ankurākāravat-sthitā|| 12.1||
- Kālottara Tantra ("The Tantra Beyond Time")
"That Ancient Power, infused within the sun (pingalā channel), fire (sushumnā channel), and moon (idā channel), is Kundalinī. Situated in the region of the heart, She is to be recognized there as having the appearance of a sprout."