Shiva Dancing at
King Arthur’s Court
What Yoga Stories and Western Myths
Tell Us About Ourselves
Myths are maps.
The question is: which ones are still useful?
About the Book
Myths and Stories to Live By

Shiva Dancing at King Arthur’s Court explores the stories, symbols and myths that quietly shape how we understand ourselves and the world.

Bernie Clark weaves together East and West—yoga, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Greek myth, Arthurian legend, and the insights of Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung—to reveal how these ancient maps guide our choices, our relationships, and our search for meaning.

A profound journey through the stories we inherit—and the freedom we gain when we learn to choose our maps.

Buy the Book Read an Excerpt
Inside the Book - The Functions of Mythology

Cosmological — Where did everything come from? Creation stories and the origins of the universe and life.

Sociological — How should we live together? Dharma, karma, cycles of time, and the roles we play.

Psychological — How do we move through life? Love, aging, the soul, the self, and becoming whole.

Mystical — What mystery lies behind it all? Meditation, tantra, Buddhism, and the mystical path.

Explore selected readings →

What Readers Are Saying

“By contrasting the metaphorical maps of different cultures we become aware of our own, unquestioned assumptions. Bernie’s book does this in a wonderfully entertaining way.”

— Paul Grilley, author of Yin Yoga

“In his insightful book, Bernie reminds us that we have a choice in how we live our lives.”

— Sarah Powers, author of Insight Yoga

“If you could record Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung's conversation over a game of chess, it might sound something like this.”

— Daniel Clement, founder of Open Source Yoga
Sample Excerpt

“A map is a story, a conceptualization of an experience told in symbolic language that will help the user of the map come to the same experience the creator of the map had. The map is not the experience itself—that is not its purpose. No map is the territory it describes. The intention of the map is to help one navigate the territory.”

Selected Readings

These excerpts offer a taste of the journey through creation stories, yoga symbols, Aum, the rishis and dharma.

About the Author

Bernie Clark is the author of The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga, Yinsights, the Your Body, Your Yoga trilogy and Prana: One Breath, Many Worlds. A long-time yoga teacher and student of science and philosophy, Bernie brings a rare balance of scholarship, practice and storytelling to his writing.

His works are read by yoga teachers, students and seekers around the world.

Bernie Clark
Purchase the Book

Shiva Dancing at King Arthur’s Court is available in print and ebook from the following retailers.