Product Description
Written for serious practitioners and teachers whowant to use yoga to bring complete balance to the body, andunderstand, in more detail, how the asanas affect the structureof the body. You will learn "body reading" to determine whatposture reveals about muscular imbalances. Stiles shares hisunderstanding of anatomy and kinesiology, joint mobility andmuscle strength, and teaches a series of joint-freeing exercisesthat can also be used to strengthen muscles. 123 illustrations.Index. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Valuable Resource for "The Beginner - to The Adept)
I have been practicing and teaching Yoga for 35 years, for the past 25 years I have practiced Ashtanga, unfortunately with age I am going to have to give up Ashtanga.I would recommend this book to teachers and beginners.There are valuable teaching techniques for the teacher and for anyone "beginning their Yoga Path."It will provide the novice with the information to seek a qualified teacher.Twenty four basic asanas are included in the book, but with the adaptations of the poses, the same principals apply.I am looking forward to becomming a Certified Yoga Therapy Teacher in the near future, after reading this book, this is where my path is taking me.ERYT

If you buy only one book, this should be it
I am an RN, Family Nurse Practitioner, wholistic health practitioner, massage therapist and yoga teacher.This is the best book I've seen on this topic. Mukunda Stiles begins with the history and philosophical basis for yoga therapy, then gives methods for assessment and support of physical structures to promote healing. I would love to study with the author, but having the book is the next best thing.

structural yoga therapy
as a yoga instructor i am finding this book very helpful and interesting to read

Classical yoga
This is one of my favorite yoga books. Very informative book that aids understanding the anatomy in poses. I like that Mukunda provides charts to help in identifying which muscles might be weak or tight.For the poses, he identifies which muscles are being strengthened, which are lengthened, and which one are being targeted as a focus point.

Also provides sequences. Very helpful.

Finally something that helps!
Structural Yoga Therapy: Adapting to the Individual
I was referred to Makunda Stiles' Structural Yoga Therapy by Joan Borysenko, PhD. (Minding the Body, Mending the Mind) for severe neck pain that tradidtional medicine has been unable to address except through more surgeries and nerve blocks and drugs.I have just started the individual asanas that are recommended so I will have to add to this review when I have more information.I am very hopeful.

The author is very knowlegeable about anatomy and careful not to stress other areas of the body while addressing the problem area.His writing is clear and easy to follow.Hopefully, I will be able to add to this review after practicing his asanas and achieving some level of pain relief. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (29)

Review of the Kindle version
Let me start by saying that as a book Yog Vashisht is the most amazing, breath-taking and profound scripture I've read in my life. I've read it a few times and I suspect I'll read it quite a few more. I can't fully appreciate Swami Venkatesananda's rendition because I can't read the original (and three times longer) Sanskrit version but I greatly admire his work. It is impossible to faithfully translate Sanskrit to English because words carry multiple meanings and many times are used with the full intention of evoking more than one meaning. Any translator will then have to pick one of these meanings when translating to English (or any other language) slanting the original text. The beauty of Swami Venkatesananda's work is that he lived the content of the material he wrote about which made him uniquely qualified to approach this work. But I digress - enough people wrote with great appreciation about this text so I'll concentrate on the ebook versions.

I downloaded the book onto my computer, my Kindle DX and my iPhone. The text reads fine on all three devices. In fact, the text in the book is what inspired me to get reading glasses - it is quite small, something you can easily resolve by increasing fonts sizes on whatever device you are using. It is also great to be able to highlight text and retrieve it to your computer later instead of having to type it in as is the case with the stuff I highlight in my actual books (I have 2 of them, heavily marked already).

The one small gripe I have is the rendering of the Sanskrit terms. The original book used a transliteration scheme that requires putting dots under letters and bars above them (e.g., to render a Sanskrit long 'a' matra, instead of writing 'aa' the text uses an 'a' with a bar on top of it; you can do this easily in Microsoft Word by inserting characters from the Combining Diacritical Marks subset after the required letter). The solution the layout editor for the digital version seems to have adopted is to insert a picture of the transliterated word instead of actual characters. In fairness, it may be an actual limitation of the Kindle itself which is notoriously finicky about rendering non-standard characters. But the different sized words in the middle of the sentence are a distraction and hopefully, future digital editions will resolve this, even at the cost of adopting a different transliteration scheme.

For me, this is still a 5 star affair. Being able to carry Yog Vashisht wherever I go more than makes up for minor esthetically questionable choices. Kudos to SUNY Press for putting this out there. Kudos and thanks.

p.s. Vasishta or Vashisht? The book takes the tack of spelling out the ending 'a' in Sanskrit words. So Raam becomes Raama and Vashisht becomes Vashishta. Common pronunciation in India puts a default 'halant' (suppressing the default 'a' vowel sound following a consonant) at the end of these words so if you sit with your village pandit, he will actually pronounce the god's name as Raam, not Raama. I have no idea how Vashisht himself would have opted to pronounce his name so personally, I prefer adapting to the local pandits...

Incredible wisdom
Through a series of stories, this text illuminates the nature of the universe as consciousness.It is both profound and accessible, and changes over the years as one ponders its meaning, and looks deeper within.One of the all time classic works of human spirituality.This Kindle version is great, since its a long heavy book, and one you may want to take your time reading slowly, a few pages at a time.

The Ajatavada Theory and Einstein's Equations
Vasistha's Yoga. By Swami Venkatesananda. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1993. Paperback, 768 pages. ISBN 0791413640

I was led to the Yoga Vasistha after becoming interested in a very pure and early Advaita text called The Ashtavakra Gita, a beautiful short work of just 300 couplets (for details see my Listmania list). The particular school of Advaita Vedanta represented by the Ashtavakra Gita is called Ajatavada. It propounds the fascinating notion that the universe was never created.

The Yoga Vasistha is a later and much more extensive elaboration, in 32000 couplets, of the Ajatavada theory that nothing has ever emerged and that the world of names-and-forms is merely an illusion. The complete Sanskrit/English edition of the Yoga Vasistha, which may be thought of as the main 'Scripture' of the Ajatavada school, runs to over 2400 pages in 4 large volumes. It is from this massive 64000-line text that Swami Venkatesananda has distilled the brilliant summary he has presented us with here and which is about one third the length of the complete text.

The words 'Scripture', 'Doctrine', 'Philosophy', have an ominous ring for most of us. They suggest something dull, heavy, dreary, tedious, and quite the opposite of fun! Also, most of us would probably tend to agree with old Greek saying - Mega biblion mega kakon - A big book is a big evil!

Given this, the Yoga Vasistha comes as a very pleasant surprise. It's certainly 'Scripture', and it's said to be the third biggest book ever composed, but despite what some would think of as its disadvantages it turns out - with its huge cast of Gods and Goddesses, Angels, Kings, Queens, Ministers, Priests, Sages, Warriors, Laymen, Students, Mendicants, Yogis, Demons and Goblins, etc., all of them, for our edification, pursuing their various fates on a universal stage - to be one of the most fascinating and fun things ever written and those of us who are lucky enough to have discovered it should count ourselves very lucky indeed.

The traditional Indian view is that the ideas we find expounded in the sacred texts of Hinduism should not be considered mere 'theories' that have been arrived at through the use of reason. The knowledge these texts hold is the product of insights achieved by a spiritual elite whose whole lives and entire energies were devoted to the search for truth. After heroic efforts they succeeded in their search and texts such as the Yoga Vasistha hold as much of the truth as could be embodied in words. But besides the truths it holds, what I also find fascinating is its scientific content.

I get the feeling that its author - after taking us on an amazing voyage through a cosmos pulsing with vibratory energies and holding an infinity of universes strewn with galaxies with their suns and planets and black holes and clouds of cosmic dust and with space vehicles darting about and an incredible variety of both material and immaterial life-forms teeming and swarming and pullulating through uncountable alternate dimensions - would have enjoyed himself hugely if he had been able to sit down and have a good chat with some of our modern physicists since, as John Lowry Dobson makes clear in his Beyond Space and Time, they certainly seem to have a great deal in common.

As I've already mentioned, the particular school of Advaita Vedanta represented by the Yoga Vasistha is called Ajatavada. It propounds the theory that the universe was never created, that nothing has ever emerged,that the world of names-and-forms is merely an illusion.

As for John Lowry Dobson, he is a Western scientist who, basing his theory on a careful examination of Einstein's equations, has arrived at the same conclusion: Neither the universe, nor you, nor I were ever created. In fact, we do not exist. So science and traditional Indian thought have finally met up, as indeed they inevitably had to since there can only be One Truth.

The divine knowledge of the self
Amazing knowledge not to be taken lightly. This is not a novel but highest knowledge.

An ancient Indian Sage Patanjali Wrote a thesis on Yaga called "Yoga Sutras". In it he says Continuous, Dedicated and Repeated practice of yoga is needed for it to yield results.

Maharishi (venerable sage) Vashishtha's discourse on Yoga needs to be read similarly. The effort put into its study will have to be:
- Continuous. If you have decided to read for 10 minutes, don't stop to go get water etc etc. Read a little at a time but be continuous in your concentration
- Dedicated. Don't multitask it with music/TV/watching children at the park etc etc. Put your 100% attention and apply your very being while reading.
- Repeated. Read it a little everyday. When you finish the book, start reading it all over again. What did not make sense will make more sense every time you read it.

The study of this scripture is yoga in itself. In Bhagwat Gita Krishna talks about a path in yoga called "yoga of wisdom or knowledge". Know that when you read this book that's what you are engaging in, so do this study with reverence.

If you cannot do above, then reading this scripture will bring you as much knowledge as reading Stephen King... If you cannot feel reverence for the book while reading it, then it would be better to read the book you do feel reverence for, be it Bible, Koran, Torah, Bhagwat Gita or any other book that talks about transcendental knowledge.

The ulitmate knowledge
This book is spiritual poetry at its highest and deepest form. As I was reading, I felt I was drinking the nectar of the ultimate knowledge. I felt I was sitting in Dasharath's court and soaking in Rama and Vaisishta's wisdom.

To find one's true self is the greatest journey one can take. And this book helps puts things in perspective that are experienced during the journey. Along with deep knowledge, it brings some relief and joy to the tormented mind.

If you come this far to read this review, give this book chance. Just the presence of this book around you, will give a positive vibe.

Also, I feel that this book is not to "understand" the self or the journey. Rather this book is to "experience" the knowledge that it emanates. And hence I believe that certain level of spiritual maturity is needed. ... Read more

Product Description
Most people think of yoga as a solitary activity that is inherently therapeutic. While that is generally true, yoga poses and breathing practices can also be prescribed for specific health problems—often in combination with dietary advice taken from Ayurveda, traditional Indian medicine.Yoga Therapy is an essential guide for yoga teachers, advanced practitioners, and anyone who wants to make therapeutic use of yoga. A. G. and Indra Mohan prescribe postures, breathing techniques, and basic Ayurvedic principles for a variety of common health problems, including asthma, back pain, constipation, hip pain, knee pain, menstrual problems, and scoliosis.

Yoga Therapy is one of the few books that shows yoga teachers how to put together appropriate yoga sequences and breathing techniques for their students. Mohan details how to correctly move into, hold, and move out of poses, how to breathe during practice to achieve specific results, and how to customize a yoga practice by creating sequences of yoga poses for a particular person. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

In Depth
I found the Yoga Therapy book to be a great reference tool to building specific sequences tailored to an individuals needs. For the person who needs to concentrate more on low back strength, for example, it is well written and illustrated. I'm glad I purchased it!

It appears everyone wants to be a yoga therapist
Anyone can practice a bit of yoga, read a few books and then call themself a yoga therapist.

While the term sounds appealing, caution is advised when using the term "therapy".

The word "therapy" comes from the Greek "therapeia" meaning "a service, an attendance" which, in turn, is related to the Greek verb "therapeuo" meaning "I wait upon." Therapy was (and is) a service done to the sick (from www.medterms.com). Therapy is therefore usually associated with the medical profession rather that yoga teachers.

If you are a professional therapist and are also trained in yoga, this book might help you understand more about the physiological implications of certain yogic practices with some Ayurveda thrown in as well, however if you practice and/or teach yoga and want to become a therapist, this book may lead some to believe in the fantastic curative powers of a bit of bending and twisting with a few breathing exercises thrown in, when there could easily be more to the medical problem than the yoga teacher is trained to deal with.

If you are a patient of someone who bases their qualifications on this book, I would advise you to seek another professional opinion, at least from a qualified therapist in your area of need who is also suitably trained in yoga as well.

As far as therapeutic interventions or medical practice goes, the book is seriously lacking. Remember that the word "yoga" means "to join" or "to bring together" which is designed for the practitioner themselves to do the work, any inner healing and balancing should be done themselves, it is not for someone else to "treat" them using yoga.

This book should certainly be used with caution, especially considering that the author in previous books has unfortunately mistranslated important Sanskrit words into English perhaps with a lack of understanding or awareness as to their physiological and medical implications, e.g. a Sanskrit word for "abdomen" has been mistranslated into "chest". Medically this is entirely insufficient especially when presenting one' self as a "therapist" and could lead to all sorts of unforseen repercussions and medical problems for the uninformed reader.

I would certainly advise caution, tho am well aware that many will ignore this advice and buy the book anyway hoping to become a yoga therapist.

yoga therapy
The more I teach,the more I am interested in the therapeutic aspects of asana and how it links to our lifestyle that can be understood through the knowledge of Ayurveda. Nice explaination in the principles of movement and breathing section on gravity and strength. The section on observation and assessment is useful because it can help the teacher empower the student with greater self-awareness. The asanas illustrated from a chair aswell as from the floor makes the pranayama section meaningful for the student who may well have a bias in the body or be confined to a wheelchair. If you already have a basic understanding of prakruti and vikruti, the ayurvedic/yoga therapy section can be useful.The favorable vs unfavorable choice of asanas can help one understand the groups of asanas that may prove effective in a therapeutic scenario. Whilst I have yet to find a completely effective way to erradicate painful menses periodically, at least I feel more inspiration to continue
trying to find the route cause of the imbalance within me. Camella Nair - author of "Aqua Kriya Yoga"

Yoga therapy
Very good book but could use some user friendly things like a detailed index for quick reference. ... Read more

Product Description
The Yoga of Eating is a practical and inspiring manual that offers original insights on the physical and spiritual functions of sugar, fat, meat, and other foods; fasting, dieting, processing, willpower, and the deeper principles of self-nurture. This book appeals to a higher authority--your own body--and shows how to access and trust the wisdom your body has to offer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

A thoughtful and perceptive book on eating--NOT a book with a food plan and diets
The author of this book has degrees in mathematics and philosophy. This book is NOT a diet plan; it doesn't offer menus, recipes, or a "new" way to lose weight. (Both 1-star reviews were written by people who were not aware of the book's content when they bought it.) Instead it consists of the author's insights on our relationship to food, including a consideration of such diets as the "caveman" and "raw" diets. The author points out that the use of fire to cook food coincided with emergence of humanity; he also considers the way food is a substitute for affection and used to console us when we are feeling rushed, lonely, or deprived. He writes, "Sometimes food cravings reflect the body's authentic need for a certain nutrient, but usually (especially in the case of junk food)the real need isn't for food at all. The food is just a substitute: sugar substituting for life's sweetness; MSG for excitement and zest for life; excessive food for nourishment in general. If you honestly listen to your body, you can distinguish between its genuine appetites and the psychological cravings we transfer to food" (p. 65). He also has things to say about the nature of contemporary life--its speed and other artificial elements in it. He urges us to stop beating ourselves up because our bodies don't conform to some made-up image. He urges us to relax. I found this a very inspiring and useful book, one to read and reflect on. People in 12-step programs would probably endorse his handling of this topic. He urges us to trust and work with our own bodies for self-healing.

don't buy it
horrible book-the title is totally misleading and the author isn't qualified at all to write on the subject.It's basically his own musings from changing his diet around-no real knowledge or expertise. Wished i could return it within minutes of receiving it.

The Best book on eating ever!
I read about this book on my Yoga blog and was intrigued. It turned out to be the most wonderful book on eating I have ever found. Applicable to everyone, not just those trying to lose weight, I highly recommend it.

The most important book on food you'll ever read
When reading Charles Eisenstein's Ascent of Humanity a few weeks ago I was amazed at the depth and breadth of his scholarship. Unfortunately the book is so tremendous, weighing in at over 600 pages its enough to scare most people off. The Yoga of Eating is a focused piece of writing that takes all of Eisenstein's core philosophies of separation from core humanity and presents in an easily accessible 160 pages.

However, while Ascent of Humanity is focused on the entire scope of existence, Yoga of Eating is solely about our attitudes and approaches to food.

Charles begins by stating that, "the health crisis engulfing the modern world is a spiritual crisis, and a precocious opportunity as well. Pain and illness in the body can illuminate what is important in life." And it is that approach which forms the basis for his thesis. By listening to our body when we eat and truly, wholly trusting it we can begin to find our actual dietary needs. Modern western medical practice indicates that our bodies are imperfect and need discipline but as we have imposed more and more willpower the results have been continually diminishing.

Only by practicing the occasional eating in silence, attentive eating and focus on breathing can we reunify with the sacred practice of consuming life in the form of plants and animals.

To highlight one example, we will examine the sweetness of our food, something I have particularly noticed in US foodstuffs (with the emphasis on 'stuff'). This sweetness may be a result of the ever increasing desire to break free from bland lives filled with illusory "choices" between Kmart and Walmart, CBS and NBC, focusing on security above all else. The sweetness is a glimpse of the fullness of our true existence.

Key to practicing the Yoga of Eating is understanding that our bodies are adapted perfectly to the conditions we have experienced. If we look at the world around us, we must understand that if I were you, I would do the same things you do. If God were you, he would do those same things. We must embrace this understanding of our perfect bodies. A body separate from a false image propagated by the establishment. By effortlessly trusting ourselves, we will likely lose weight, eat less and exercise more but without the pain and struggle of diets and willpower.

Perhaps the Yoga of Eating will be too irrational for many, and if the approach Charles advocates will make you skeptical, challenge yourself by reading this book. You will not emerge from the final page the same. It is time for a call for true selfishness. When we are good to ourselves we can embrace the abundance nature provides and we can relax into the change the we most crucially desire.

Wonderful!
This is holistic nutrition at its best.Great book, deep and full of insights that go beyond "just food".Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description

Bikram, the "hot yoga" program, has been heating up the yoga world lately, and its founder probably has something to do with it: The outspoken, dramatic, and always controversial Bikram Choudhury has garnered a lot of attention with his version of hatha yoga that some yogis think unorthodox: In his classes, students are stuck in a room heated to at least 105 degrees doing a structured program of 26 asanas with a sergeant–like instructor––and they love it. Bikram Yoga will emulate that same energy.

With his take–no–prisoners philosophy, Bikram describes how the program can reap great medical, physical, and spiritual benefits––the poses work out every part of the body, all of which can help alleviate many common ailments, from asthma to back pain. (Photographs will accompany each pose.) In addition, the book offers the best ways to incorporate eastern philosophy into a western lifestyle and tips on how yoga can cultivate "a union between body and spirit." Simply put, you don't have to meditate passively to reap the benefits of yoga.

Customer Reviews (25)

Excellent intro to Bikram Yoga & poses
Great book about Bikram & the 26 asanas. Especially good if you are new to the practice and want to learn a bit more about the benefits and tips for each pose.

Also goes into depth about yoga in general. Highly recommend.

Interesting modern take on Hatha Yoga for the West
Bikram has provided a modern, LA, hot update on Hatha Yoga for the West. He situates his position well both in a Yoga context and in the context of various gurus coming to the United States.

For students of Paramhansa Yogananda's SRF or Ananda, the book provides interesting history on the importance given to Hatha Yoga in the early years of SRF and the more wide ranging interests and expertise of the wider Ghosh family beyond just Kriya Yoga.

Bikram is particularly critical of some of the rival Hatha Yoga schools and Western sports in general.

So, guru spreading the benefits of Yoga in the West in the Holy tradition of his guru (Yogananda's brother), 'bad boy' upsetting the apple cart of older franchises with their allegedly watered down and/or unhealthy practices, or yet another dollar 'guru' taking commonplace Indian techniques and packaging them for high-priced consumption by gullible Western audiences?

A visit to Bikram and other studios is the difference between knowing and following the opinions of others, an option readily accessible to all and a scientific approach popularized by Yogananda himself, visiting tens of individuals and groups in a search for truth in his famous Autobiography, recognizing that many believed their way to be the one and only way.

Bikram Book
A great motivation for starting and loving Bikram Yoga. Bikram's words and his interesting personality make you want to leave everything and surrender to his tough love.

Just skip the gym altogether...this is all you need!
I have been taking Bikram yoga for a few years now and I finally read Mr. Choudhury's book.I wanted a better understanding of the postures, breathing, and what this yoga means in my life outside the classroom.Bikram explains everything about his yoga in a no nonsense honesty that I appreciate.I would recommend first taking a class...read his book...and then keep coming to class as you continue reading.This yoga and this book will change your life.And yes, I really did cancel my gym membership.This yoga gave me all over, and instant, results both in my mind and body.

Bikram is Ayn Rand of yoga - and that's not horrible
I like the book, I like the yoga classes, and Bikram himself is growing on me.

The hard talking style is appealing to me as an endurance athlete, so you'll find no complaint from me to hear him telling me that "99% right is 100% wrong" or that tattoos are a gross violation of your body.Even if I don't agree with his philosophy 100% (and that might make ME in the wrong), I admire and congratulate him for HAVING his own principles and enforcing them in others that want to use his name for their business.

Bravo, and here's to "90 Minutes of Suffering"!
... Read more

Product Description
From the foremost living authority on Yoga comes the most comprehensiveand reliable treatment of the subject available today. This is a work of impeccable scholarship bya person who has dedicated his life to the understanding and practice of yoga. The book offers acomplete overview of every Yogic tradition, from the familiar to the lesser-known forms. It alsocovers all aspects of Hindu, Buddhist and Jaina Yoga, including history, philosophy, literature,psychology and practice. In addition, included are * translations of twenty Yoga treatises * thefirst translation of the Goraksha Paddhati ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Well, it will probably impress people when they see it on my bookshelf...
Wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too wordy!!! I adore yoga, have practiced for several years and currently am becoming a teacher. I have endless books on yoga, energy healing and other "new age" titles and all of them engage me more than this book. If the book could talk, it would sound like the teacher from Charlie Brown!!! hahaIt does seem to me that if your brain can grasp the style that the author writes in, you might love this book as it's packed with a gigantic amount of information. For me, however I know that when a writer's style doesn't speak to my soul, I can read a whole page and not know what the heck I just read. Maybe for some people...not for me. Next, please!!! :P

The Encyclopedia of Yoga
If you are interested in Yoga philosophy & history this book is a great place to start and may be all you need. The material is very thorough. You will likely want to keep it as a reference book as well. Page xxiv has a helpful guide to transliteration.

Be sure to start at the begining (page xi). You will surely not want to miss pages xv - xix (the Preface). Most people skip those parts. But the preface gives you a great view into the life of a yogi. I am grateful that G. Feuerstein took the time to share his knowledge and experience in such a great work.

The Right Man For the Job!
I am so very pleased with Georg Feurstein's The Yoga Tradition. I am a yoga teacher with a long time interest in East-West studies, and this book combines the best of both hemispheres in the sense that objective and erudite scholarship is joined with deep realization and devotion to "the practice." Every word seems to have been carefully chosen in order to communicate the subtleties of this time-honored tradition in the most articulate and effective manner possible. No stone is left unturned and when I read it I know that I can trust that the information is not coming from a closed minded and dogmatic religious perspective, nor does the subject matter suffer from the blighting and spirit-slaying chauvinism of western academic arrogance. A true gem!

Dry, academic, boring
If you are looking for an encyclopedia of yoga this book is a reasonable consideration.It is, however, very dry, fact-filled, clinical, and boring.I have practiced yoga daily for over 36 years. I also teach yoga.I appreciate the scholarship contained in this book. But it is too academic for most readers. Most readers will want something more engaging from the text. Perhaps this book will serve the needs of those who want a reference book for their bookshelf. Namaste.

A fine academic textbook Introduction to yoga
While doing my undergraduate and graduate work I referred to this text quite often. It was the only comprehensive, modern, accessible text on yoga that I could find as a suitable basis to my research. Unlike most other texts that I've come across, this one addresses the current state of yoga in the West. This text intellectual, yet Feuerstein has been a practitioner of yoga for some time therefore his writing reflects a bit of experiential insight. The text is well organized and covers all the fundamentals. As I continue to go deeper into this vast subject, it is clear to me that a single thorough rendering of the history of yoga would be an impossible task for one person.
The text begins with a definition of yoga, then moves into the six schools of yoga, then a brief history of yoga, and then on to all of the various yoga traditions, including Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, and Sikh traditions as well as many of the sectarian movements. Many Americans seem particularly fond of Patanjali's yoga. So, these readers may be pleased to find that chapter nine is devoted entirely to Patanjali.
When I began working with this text, I had already been involved in a yoga tradition for sometime and was learning about the philosophy and practice via this tradition alone. While my teacher is Indian and my practices are rooted in the ancient traditions of India, the yoga tradition I am connected to is Westernized in some ways and my practices area Westernized version of yoga. What this text did for me was introduce me to a broader intellectual viewpoint of traditional yoga history and philosophy.Since then I've explored the works of other authors, both yoga adepts and yoga scholars alike. Rare is it to see a combination of both. Feurestein reveals himself as both a scholar and a practitioner though more so a scholar. For those like me who tend to lean toward the first person experiential approach toward yoga, reading the works of Feuerstein and other scholars will provide greater understanding of their modern, perhaps Western,version of yoga practice.
... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (38)

Light in Life: the Yoga Journey ...
This book is skillfully written; it articulates the philosophy and wisdom of the yogic approach to living.It is not a how-to-do-yoga manual but rather a how-to-live-a-better-life treatise.No matter what your experience is with yoga, this book will help to understand and appreciate how and why yoga is good for you. Whehter you go for Iyengar or another style of yoga, the message is valid.

An Excellent Read
This is such a wonderful book for anyone who has bugun taking yoga and is experiencing 'yoga peacefulness'.
This book takes you beyond that and shows you how to incorporate that peacefulness into your everyday living. It's the type of book you must own so that you can read it over and over.

One of my Favorites
IF you're a fan of Iyngar's Light on Yoga (his translation of the Yoga Sutras) and you haven't yet read this you're in for a treat.I give this book as a gift to all friends or acquaintances who start getting interested in yoga.It is a relatively easy read but the subjects dealt with are profound.Very friendly feeling book that almost slyly introduces some of the deeper concepts underlying yogic philosophy.It is really a casual introduction to how to live a sane and healthy life and how to build and support that life through the practice of yoga.Highly recommended.

Words From A Master
This book is a must for any serious yoga practitioner.It's an in depth look at the eight limbs of yoga and how to apply them to your practice from someone who has been studying and practicing his entire life. He is over 90 years old.

good mind expanding read
This is a good book.He tells you some about himself, but not excessively.His philosophy "feels" gentle, but not sappy.I'm not finished with it, but it's make be think and question.Any book that does that is a success.
... Read more

Product Description
For thousands of years Hindu spirituality has understoodthe profound effect that sound has on our well-being. From thistradition comes The Yoga of Sound, which draws on yoga's longhistory of applying sound to reduce stress, maintain health, and invokespiritual awakenings. In lucid exercises presented both in the book andon accompanying downloadable audio tracks, Russill Paul shows howeveryone can learn the art of mantra and how these practices can help tooptimize the flow of energy within the body and enhance emotionalwell-being. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Wonderful and useful
Wow! Russill Paul makes this esoteric science of Nada Yoga accessible and blissful.This book is filled with explanations that make sense, and useful tools for bringing an ancient eastern science into one's daily life. The book is accompanied by a CD that has detailed instructions for the chants so you can practice using them. There are also chants with physical motions that enhance one's awareness and bring about states of peaceful, alert presence. I use this book in my personal practice, and share it with students and clients. So glad there is a Russill Paul in this world, and that he is sharing his knowledge with us.

it's all vibratory
i loved the idea presented in this book. it's great to be presented with the notions that everything is energy in motion and sound, chants, certain arrangement of words/sound have the ability to activate specific vibrations in our environment.

very enlightening!

Yoga chanting mantras
While looking for another book on chanting mantras, I came across this one. This is a wonderful book - well researched and well written. Paul grew up in India and spent 5 years in an ashram so he not only knows the facts and the culture and beliefs but has a real feel for presenting his subject in an easy to understand manner. You don't have to know Hatha Yoga to do yoga chanting but you might want to after reading this book. And you don't have to understand every single thing he writes about before you start your own chanting.Included with the book is an instructional CD which is helpful if you're unfamiliar with the pronunciations of the hindu/sanskrit words.

Om sweet Om.....
Chanting is an art - and for those of us from a Western background, it can feel a bit otherworldy or "foreign".I have always been interested in chanting and mantras but too intimidated to try it.

Russill Paul has put together a book and CD set that helps to demystify chanting and make it more accessible for all audiences - no matter what your spiritual or ethnic background.This well written book clearly explains the basics and theories behind chanting - and it provides exercises to get you started immediately.

These exercises help anyone to begin chanting in a confident manner.I am tone deaf and have no musical talent whatsoever - yet I am able now to practice mantras with a keener ear.I am already feeling the effects!(Hindu mantras are believed to help with many issues from removing obstacles, spiritual advancement and even mundane problems.)

The Yoga of Sound is a practical book which can get you on your way to a daily mantra practice.I would also recommend the books by Thomas Ashley Farrand as a supplement to this book.That being said, Paul's book seems to be more complete and I felt more inspired by it.

Wonderfully Written, Authentic Spirituality
I was required to buy this book for a class I was taking at the university entitled "Religion and Music".My professor was Dr. Don Beck who is an expert on this topic and has produced both a published book and a cd of Hindu devotional music.The book came highly recommended from him, and now that I have read it I would wholeheartedly agree!This is a wonderful book regardless of what spiritual path you are on, and in particular if you are looking for a way to re-entergize your own practice.The book explains how one can use the power of mantra as a spiritual practice, and it is written by an author who has both a Christian and Hindu background.He thoughtfully incorporates aspects of many religious traditions to accomodate all readers, and he is thoroughly knowledgable on this subject.He writes clearly and simply, and at the same time he gets you excited about the subject matter.
Honestly, I thought this book was going to be filled with New Age fluff, but it offers genuine advice on how to practically get started with this wonderful practice of reciting mantras.I was pleasantly surprised, and I think anyone with an interest in deep religion or music will greatly enjoy this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Since 1960, more than 1 million people have used this classic guide to tap the incredible power of yoga. The attractive new edition, in a new size, will appeal to a wide audience of contemporary yoga students. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

One for the Reference Library
Recently gave this to a friend; one of the fundamentals for our bodyweight exercises library.

a treasure
I am new to yoga, but being the researcher I am had already bought the book before my yoga instructor even recommended it for other reasons (neti, meditation, etc.) I find it a treasure and full of great information and inspiring.This book had to grow on me; when I first bought it I did not delve into it... but now is the right time for it, and I am loving it.

Stunning
I bought Swami Vishnudevananda's book while on an eight-day yoga retreat at his Ashram on Paradise Island in the Bahamas in the early 80s. My intention was to stay only a couple of days to learn yoga. The effects of four hours of yoga and two hours of daily meditation were so stunning I ended up staying eight days. The sky seemed bluer, the trees greener and the fish and coral more vibrant. I was even relaxed while walking among crowds, noise and traffic in Nassau.
The text and illustrations in Vishnudevananda's book are invaluable for my daily yoga. His chapters on the Science of Yoga are also fascinating. The insights that were the most helpful to me included:
The science of Yoga dates back to pre-historic times and was developed as a method of obtaining Truth. The yoga philosophy teaches that we cannot understand the mind and soul as long as we experiment on the outside. To discover Pure Consciousness we must turn inward, still our thoughts and watch our mind and soul.
Humankind's intellect cannot understand the ever-unfolding mysteries of the universe, time, and the purpose of life. The sacred texts of most religions reveal that Truth can only be experienced when we transcend the senses, emotions, mind and intellect.
All the founders of religions saw God, glimpsed eternity and experienced Truth within themselves and sought Truth through spiritual practice.
Divine knowledge is the realization that the "Kingdom of Heaven" is within and that we are immortal, eternally perfect, peaceful and pure. Many wise men and prophets throughout history have transcended the limitations of space and time. Their wisdom was gained not from belief but through devotional practices such as meditation, contemplation, service, prayer, yoga and the reading of sacred scripture.
A good spiritual teacher asks us to accept only the portions of Truth that we have experienced from within. The teacher knows that a deeper understanding unfolds when we experiment and learn from devotional practices.
The Yoga philosophy says divine knowledge comes when our mind and intellect cease to function. The Yoga practices teach us how to control our mind, emotion and spirit through the body and breath.
Yoga is the awareness of limitations of human knowledge. There are many forms of yoga through which to attain universal consciousness or oneness with the Supreme Being.
The goal of Yoga is to achieve universal consciousness where the individual soul identifies with the Supreme Soul or God.
Pure consciousness is in everything from mineral to man and never changes. Consciousness looks as though it is evolving from mineral to man but it is only changing its form. Universal consciousness is the highest state of awareness where humankind identifies with his real self or God-self.
As the mind develops the veil covering the soul becomes thinner and finally disappears. The aim of Yoga is to dissolve duality. There is no subject or object when the knower, the knowledge and the known are fused.Unity happens when we transcend the limitation of body and mind by lifting the veil that covers the pure consciousness of our inner divinity. The oneness is called "Vadante" a state of union.
Since Yoga is not a religion it can be practiced by all religions, faiths or spiritual traditions.
When we face the Truth of God there is neither pain nor sorrow, superiority or inferiority, individuality or separation. Divine knowledge brings oneness with God and the world. The experience is beyond ordinary understanding and brings the peace to which the Bible refers to as "the peace that passeth all understanding."
Self-consciousness or the "I" starts when the intellect is master. The "I" consciousness is egoism and is usually the cause of wrong doing. Reason can give us information but not self-realization.
Humankinds knowledge is based on the mind and limited by time and space. True knowledge of self destroys ignorance and is the only direct means to liberation.
Yoga is based on oneness which is attained by gradual perfection through reincarnation. Although reincarnation or the evolution of the soul's consciousness is not taught in most Christian, Judaic and Islam traditions it's clearly stated in the Bible in St. John 3:3-7. Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto three, except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God." Nicodemus saith unto him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?"
Jesus answered, "Verily verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, "Ye must be born again."
Reincarnation and the law of action and reaction (karma) show God is merciful and explains why there is inequality and misery in the world.
Since fifty percent of our lives are spent in sleep, another portion in infancy, childhood, old age, parenting and making a living most of us have little time to understand our Creator, find salvation or evolve to a higher state of being. A loving all knowing God would not manufacture new souls daily to toil on earth for the short period of one life before sending most to hell for eternity.
Our Creator allows our souls to learn through trial and error and gives us free choice to take as many lives we need to correct our mistakes. All that's required is to practice in a sincere and willing search.
God the creator is the Soul of the Universe. All humanity and the animals, plants, and minerals are our family. All the solar systems in the universe, the suns, planets, moons are our relatives.
Pure Consciousness is a timeless state where there is no birth or death, pain or sorrow or time or space. Meditation on the self within brings the Truth and the realization that, "There is no past and future. I am love, knowledge and bliss. I am everywhere and everything. I am the sun and stars. The whole universe is myself. Whatever exists I am."
Eckhart Tolle's 2005 book "A New Earth" appears to be a more update and readable version on the science of yoga.

Incredibly thorough..maybe not so good for newbies
It took me pretty long to get through this book because the material is so dense.I wasn't expecting it to be so detailed...and while it was useful, I think this book might be better suited for those who want to teach yoga, or those who already have a good handle on the concept and are looking to reach that next step.

Stretch Your Mind With The Book of Yoga
The Book of Yoga addresses yoga from a mental physical and spiritual perspective. It is a thought provoking publication on a practice that is taking the western world by storm. I was most impressed with the illustrtations. Some yoga books are limited in this area. However, the Book of Yoga delivers. ... Read more

Product Description
Nominated for the 2007 Anne Izard Storytellers' Choice Award! Thisclassic teaching yoga to children's guide by renowned storyteller andyoga teacher Sydney Solis gathers the innovative exercises, songs andmost of all stories that make up Storytime Yoga. Storytime Yoga seeks toenlighten young minds with the magic of yoga while recounting some ofthe world's most delightful, instructive stories in a way thatencourages literacy and vibrant physical health. Designed for parents,teachers and anyone interested in working with kids from Pre-K through6th grade, it is packed with inspired and yet practical information.Here you'll find classical Hatha yoga poses used as gesturalillustrations of a serious of specially rewritten "teaching stores,"about the importance of love, generosity, peace and friendship. Thereare captivating tales ranging from the Rabbit in the Moon (India) to theMagic Pear Tree (China) and the Shipwrecked Sailor (Egypt) along withmany more. The product of hundreds of hours of in-class work by Solis,Storytime Yoga is a worthy addition to the library of anyone interestedin bringing the radiant health of yoga and storytelling to the youth ofthe world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Disappointed
I usually give positive reviews, but this book was a disappointment in nearly every way. For starters, I expected more stories and suggestions for ways to incorporate yoga into the story.There were only a few stories and not many suggestions.I could probably do as well, if not better, simply picking a storybook and doing poses I select myself.

Secondly, I was disappointed in the stories that were in the book. Most, in my opinion, were not appropriate for children--especially small kids.

I ended up returning the book, because I knew I would use it very little if at all.

Great for engaging kids!
As an elementary PE teacher I found this book super helpful in teaching my first yoga unit.The telling and retelling of yoga stories was an excellent way to engage student from kindergarten to fifth grade!

Not What I Expected
I purchased this book with the intention of reading it to first graders, as an accompaniment to yoga classes. It wasn't what I was expecting. In my opinion the stories were a little too "out there" for public school reading.

Will need to modify how I use this info
Alot of information I would not find useable I need to change things around a bit

Yoga - And it makes sense!
Yoga and Literacy together makes creativitely fun sessions. Most of the children are glued to computers, staring at the screen as their games downloads. Stress at all levels - at school, with homework or with family issues! Storytime Yoga is a great pick for children who are over stressed and especially lack reading habits. It has 26 teaching literary gems with stories from different traditional values. Nicely demonstrated, the book focus on meditation and relaxation techniques with stories of love, generosity, peace and friendship. An Indian story 'Rabbit on the moon' features in Sidney Solis book. A Story teller and a Yoga teacher combination makes the book a gem as Sidney gives indepth information on Yoga and stories with Asanas. The book also has games that adds to fun. A good pick and great character building + healthy tips on Yoga. A nice educative book for classrooms too. Enjoy. ... Read more

Product Description
People often equate yoga with
Eastern religion, but Brooke Boon
sees it as an exercise style that
Christians can use to generate patience,
strength, and deeper worship.
Author and yoga instructor
Brooke Boon combines her passion
for Christianity with her commitment
to health to introduce yoga as
a physical and spiritual discipline
that strengthens the body and the
soul. Clear explanations and photographs
make yoga accessible for
any reader, and Brooke offers customized
routines for readers struggling
with specific issues, such as
weight loss and anxiety. Through it all Brooke uses scriptural
references to help reinforce the idea that by taking
care of our bodies we can also take care of our faith. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Great book!
I ordered this book as a gift for a friend's birthday. Since there were no bookstores near me that offered this book for me to even look at, I had to take a leap of faith as to what this book would offer. It was fantastic!! It offers everything you would want to know about yoga and yoga positions in a very user friendly way. This is also at a beginning yoga stage, but even if you are experienced, you can still incorporate faith into your yoga routine. It combines faith with exercising perfectly. I was a little doubtful as to how this was going to include faith into yoga but I was immediately proven wrong. This is a great way to focus on the Lord, and my friend absolutely adores the book. The author also adds her own personal tidbits into the writing which I love since it makes it more personal and easier to relate to. The pictures are very well illustrated and it's also possible to skip around chapters so you don't have to read in order from cover to cover.

A good yoga book
I was unsure about this book when I first read the title and reviewing it has been interesting.

I would have to say that I am separating my review in two.The Christian part and the Yoga part.

To be honest, I am unsure why the author felt the need to write a "christian" yoga book.In my opinion, yoga is about spirituality and looking into yourself and outwards to the great universe.Yoga has been practiced for many, many years and is said to be wonderful for the "self". So, I am a little unclear why there needs to be a distinction between a regular yoga book and a "holy yoga" book.

From the point of view of this book being about yoga, I thought the book was well done.There are nice descriptions of the poses and some graphics showing us the particular positions (although these are a tad small).

Unfortunately, there is quite a lot of "talking" in the beginning of the book - relating to the association of doing holy yoga - which I found a tad preachy and not particularly necessary.

If you believe that yoga must be associated with religion then I suggest this book is great for you, if you are like me and you believe that yoga is about our inner self - then you may want to consider many of the other yoga books available on the market right now - that are aimed more towards yoga poses and the joy of doing yoga for the self.

Great Yoga DVD!
This is a great Yoga DVD! Its nice bringing Christian worship intoyour exercise time! Doing Two great things for yoursel!

Great book and good DVD
I am very impressed with Brooke Boon's Holy Yoga. I appreciate the Christ-centered approach to yoga. The book is quite thorough, but easy enough for a beginner. The DVD is a little fast paced, and some of the shots are a zoomed too wide to get a good view. Despite that, a few sessions of practice and then it is smooth sailing. I have triedseveral other yoga methods, but they did not "stick" with me. I don't have a motivation problem with Brooke's program. I highly recommend it for beginners, especially Christians. I'm not advanced enough to judge how it stacks up for more advanced yoga practitioners.

I give it 5 stars for the book/DVD being a program that I actually want to do and do do, daily. For a lazy slug like me that says something!

Thank you.... Jo Ann
I just want to thank Brooke Boon and her committment to Holy Yoga.I was relatively new to yoga when I stumbled into her class and I can say just very honestly it changed my life.While I'm not intimitated by secular yoga, I never found the peace and full sense of God's presence in yoga until I took a Holy Yoga class.Her book is a great simple explanation of Christian yoga and worship.I don't find it a debate, but a reassurance that I can praise God physically and I hope you find that same treasure in her book/dvd. ... Read more

Product Description
Yoga’s 5,000-year tradition is rich and varied, and has always evolved to meet the needs of the culture it serves. Ever increasing numbers of people come to the practice and encounter its many benefits: the union of opposites; an understanding of the effect of the outside world on the body; a significant reduction in stress; a path to liberation; and the discovery of one’s true self. Above all else, yoga has been and continues to be about the process of transformation. Linda Sparrowe discusses yoga’s roots in the sacred texts and provides a look at the 20th-century yogis who brought it to the West — Swami Sivananda Saraswati, Indra Devi, and B. K. S. Iyengar, to name a few. Four hundred artful posture-illustrating photographs of the most famous yoga practitioners, including Rodney Yee, Patricia Walden, Sharon Gannon, David Life, and Richard Freeman, pull the reader ever closer to this powerful practice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

Amazing book, incredible pictures !
Very cool piece of art. Everyone in the class wants to steal it ! =)

I'd recommend it for everyone, even for those who don't practice yoga.

The quality of the paper and the pics themselves is what dazzle you as first impression, but the name of every asana and very well organized chapters, make the book a very useful tool... Now the teacher calls the asanas by their real sanskrit names and I know what to do (or what I'm supposed to do), but maybe I will have to wait 30 years in order to reach a similar level than the guys in the pictures; they are all masters and there is a lil profile of everyone of them at the end of the book.

gorgeous photos
The pictures in this book are amazing to look at, and show some really advanced asanas.This is definitely a beautiful coffee-table book, not an instruction book.It doesn't have language describing how to get into the poses or yogic philosophy.But, the pictures are really inspirational so I've found that flipping through it gets me motivated to work on my own practice.For that, I'm using Iyengar's book "Light on Yoga."

A must for any yoga enthusiast
I previously encountered this book at a bookstore.This is the smaller sized version, but it still features the same great photographs.This is the best, most comprehensive collection of advanced yoga poses that I have come across.A must for any yoga enthusiast.

Just a beautiful book with a nice intro.
This book is simply the art of yoga, the most beautiful of all yoginis out there, posing in these impossibly gorgeous and perfect poses, and it is just to please your eyes, to share the possibilities, to show some amazing photography and to inspire you to push yourself further into your yoga. I love the book. It's a coffee table book for me.

Add me to the chorus - simply a beautiful book!
Hundreds of large black and white photos of yoga poses.It's very simple, inspiring, and aesthetically pleasing!A great buy if you want to look at the beauty that is yoga! ... Read more

Product Description
In 1974, the legendary "teacher of teachers" yogi Dharma Mittra photographed himself in 908 yoga postures. He printed each photo as an 8 x 10 and pasted them together to form a poster, creating the Ultimate Yoga Chart as a gift for his teacher, Swami Kailashananda (Yogi Gupta). Asanas collects 708 of those black-and-white photographs, each accompanied by the English name of the pose and the Sanskrit characters, brief commentary, and specific combinations for vinyasa, ashtanga, and Iyengar practice. Because it builds on basic postures, Asanas will appeal to students of any of the 100 yoga styles. In addition, specific sequences for each of the major styles of yoga; for beginning, intermediate, and advanced yoga students; as well as for particular health problems are also featured. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (27)

Inspirational, Not Instructional
Each image in 'Asanas: 608 Yoga Poses' is a beautiful example of what a lifetime of real yoga practice can get you.This is a book to inspire all yoga practitioners, beginners to advanced.

If you want to learn how to do the poses, spend your time and money on a good teacher. There's no substitute for that.

worlds best yoga
This man is the best in the world and his book shows most of the possible poses performed over decades of his life. My praise for Dharma Mitra. Go on a raw vegan diet with fasting, Bro, and live forever....

in bad conditions
The book is in worse conditions than it was advertised. Thank goodness it was the right price, becouse otherwise i'd send it back. its really worn out.

Totally dispensable
I practice yoga a long time. I bought this book thinking that this cold help me in my practice. But it is just an "art" book. Just a lot of asanas photos. No tips, no advertisements, no variations, no sequences. Nothing!! Just a man whit a thong.
Maybe, purchase the poster. And of course, the best book Light on Yoga of Iyengar.

very disappointed
Please note that this book is very small!! I wish that I had noticed the dimensions.

I purchased this book believing that it would help me learn more asanas... I could not have been more wrong.It is an "art" book of asanas... and does not show you the position, just the man in the pose.They are artistic and gorgeous photos... but not a good instructional book.I wish that I had not purchased this book and am extremely disappointed ... ... Read more

Product Description
In this remarkable book, Paramahansa Yogananda reveals the hidden yoga of the Gospels and confirms that Jesus, like the ancient sages and masters of the East, not only knew yoga but taught this universal science of God-realization to his closest disciples. Compiled from the author's highly praised two-volume work, The Second Coming of Christ: The Resurrection of the Christ Within You, this insightful and compact book transcends the centuries of dogma and misunderstanding that have obscured the original teachings of Jesus, showing that he taught a unifying path by which seekers of all faiths can enter the kingdom of God. Topics include:
•The lost years of Jesus in India
•The ancient science of meditation: how to become a Christ
•The true meaning of baptism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

the book all Christians should read
As a Chiristian enjoyed reading Yogananda's interpretation of Gospel Scriptures.
It offers a practical understanding of Jesus Messiah's teachings,away from arid dogma.I recommend that all Christians should take a look at this book to gain a unified perspective of God and religion and the teachings of our beloved Jeus.

..Seekinthis, towithin YoufindGLORY....
TheYogaofJesus....IsaGood book tofindeverythinginYouisaGreatGift, It'sGodsGlory toAll ofwhat, Godhascreated...

Amazingly Accurate
Paramahansa Yogananda was a God loving man, and had a deeper understanding of things related to Yeshua or Christ.
His revelations, or his take on what Jesus was really here for and the mysteries that he was trying to teach us hits the nail right on the head. As a student of all the worlds religions and (although not a Christian) a lover of the teachings of Christ, the thoughts in this book resonate with me as real truth. I love his explanation of why Jesus called himself the son of man and other times the son of God. It's refreshing to see a reasonable explanation and an enlightened one at that, on the inner mysteries that the man Jesus was trying to convey. It outshines the same old religious dogma and doctrine that is the main stay of organized religion. This book has a very liberating effect on the soul, and has a lot of oh yea, that's what he meant (Jesus sayings) moments. To put it mildly this book is profound and should be read by everyone who claims they are a follower of Christ. Read the book please and form your own opinion, but you can't go wrong with this one it's a keeper for the serious minded spiritual seeker.

spiritual understanding
YOGANANDA LAYS REST TO ALL THE MYTHS,PREJUDICES AND SUPERSTITIOUS NONSENSE CREATED BY LITERAL INTERPRETATION OF JESUS WORDS. HE SHOWS THE BRILLIANCE OF JESUS TEACHINGS FROM A SPIRITUAL REFERENCE AND HOW IT APPLYS TO ALL PEOPLE OF ALL RELIGIONS, NOT JUST TO THOSE WHO ARE OF CHRISTIAN BELIEF.

Very lnteresting book!
Being a practitioner of yoga as well as a Christian I found this book to be very enlightening. It delves into the deeper meaning of Biblical scriptures.It was written in an understandable style that was not difficult to follow. ... Read more

Product Description
Modern science and ancient wisdom traditions agree that the universe is a symphony of vibrational frequencies. In this beautiful, comprehensive, and unique work, Dr. Frawley elaborates the essential truths about cosmic sound, and how we can employ important mantras for healing, transformation and inner awakening. ... Read more

Product Description
The Woman's Book of Yoga and Health is the first comprehensive book about women's health issues and how to treat them with yoga. The authors offer a complete yoga program for general health as well as pose sequences that address specific health problems—all in the Iyengar tradition, which targets health needs more than other forms of yoga. For example, in the first part of the book, Patricia Walden has organized three chapters showing yoga poses with clear instructions that tell how to get into each pose and describe its benefits: chapter one is the Essential Sequence for all women, and includes modifications for people who cannot or should not do all the poses; chapter two is the Restorative Sequence for stress relief and relaxation; chapter three contains advanced poses that energize and tone.

The second part is presented in four sections that broadly represent the stages of a woman's life: teen years and early twenties, later twenties and thirties, midlife, and wisdom years. Each section contains chapters offering specific information about a particular health issue from author Linda Sparrowe, as well as sequences of yoga poses from Patricia Walden that address the problem. For example, the back care chapter includes information about common back problems and their causes (scoliosis, arthritis, lordosis, sciatica, kyphosis, among others) with an emphasis on: emotional and psychological roots of some back problems; physiological information about the spine and back muscles; general information about how yoga addresses different areas of the back; and finally, Patricia Walden's sequences of poses that target different back problems with the goal of not only relieving back pain but of strengthening, and healing old injuries and misalignments.



Sections of the book include:

   •  Teens and Early 20s: Eating disorders, menstrual health, immune support
   •  20s and 30s: Back care, pregnancy, headaches
   •  Midlife: Depression, menopause, digestion
   •  Wisdom Years: Osteoporosis, postmenopause, the heart




The final section of the book includes listings of yoga centers, instructional videos, yoga equipment, and where to go for more information about yoga. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

Wow!A wealth of knowledge!
I just finished reading the entire book and it is a wonderful book packed with great information..

I have long been a fan of Patricia Walden who created the yoga sequences for this book.

I had not read anything by Linda Sparrowe before but I really enjoyed her style of writing.

The main thing I was looking for in this book was how to deal with pelvic floor disorders.And this book addresses them.This book teaches you how to tone your pelvic floor helping with such things as prolapses and also urinary incontinence.
Urinary incontinence is something that many women deal with every day but are ashamed to admit to it.There is hope for women with urinary incontinence..whether
through yoga or westernized medical treatments.

Great book for women!
I got this book when it first came out, and still enjoy reading it.I'm a yoga teacher, a mom, and a women, so this book touched me on many levels.I think it's a great guide for your yoga practice and your life.Patricia Walden is one of my favorite teachers and she does a wonderful job on this book along with Linda Sparowe.Thank you ladies!Namaste'

Excellent resource
I found this book to be an excellent resource which I will use for many years to come. The most outstanding aspect is the individual routines that focus on specific problems, such as poses which focus on releaving backaches or headaches. Each pose is discribed well, with several photos to illustrate the different stages of the pose. Overall a great yoga book geared towards women of every age and life stage.

The woman's book of yoga and health
This book is a must have for any woman who enjoys yoga. It provides information and step by step asana instruction for conditions we face throughout our lives, beginning with adolescence and puberty and continuing through menopause and beyond. Its useful for teachers to assist their students, but its written well enough that I think anyone with a basic understanding of yoga postures could use the descriptions to get into the poses.

Comprehensive guide to yoga for women...and men (sometimes).
Whether looking for an explanation of individual poses or a full therapeutic routine, this book is invaluable. Previous yoga experience with an instructor is helpful (as it is difficult to monitor oneself in doing yoga). The author is an Iyengar yoga teacher. This form of yoga focuses on alignment and precision, so that a practitioner of any form of hatha yoga can learn much here. ... Read more

Product Description

A step-by-step guide for the millions of baby boomers who want one simple practice for feeling and looking great—yoga!

One in five Americans is now moving toward the age bracket of "sixty and beyond," and while many are calling sixty the "new forty," this milestone is the perfect time to take stock in good health. One form of exercise that is proven to prevent or alleviate a host of physical and mental ailments for the last 5,000 years is yoga.

Now, under the guidance of a qualified and well-known Iyengar yoga teacher, who is also the author of The New Yoga for People Over 50, readers can reap the benefits of yoga with this gentle and clear guide written specifically with today’s baby boomers in mind. Filled with clear instructions, including the use of yoga props and modified poses, plus crisp follow-along photographs, The New Yoga for Healthy Aging takes readers step by step through the asanas (poses) that can prevent or lessen ailments such as osteoporosis, hip fractures, chronic pain, arthritis, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. With heartfelt interviews and tips from some of America's most active yoga teachers and their older students—each sharing wisdom, insights and successes—readers will discover a source of inspiration that will help their practice evolve into more than just those moments they spend on the mat.

Customer Reviews (14)

inspiration
that's for sure i will continue practicing and teaching yoga till the age as those feature models in this inspirational , motivational & excellent book!they are my mentor indeed. this book now is going to inspire and encourage all my students of ages to keep on practicing Yoga. how wonderful! and my salutation to all the teachers / models ,they do not look as old as their ages............. A MUST HAVE CHOICE.. you will be amazed...you would probably start to look for a studio where you could learn YOGA!( if you never do yoga )

A Review of The New Yoga for Healthy Aging by Catherine Fisher, Editor, Yoga Vidya Journal.

In recent years there has been a paradigm shift in health care.It is moving away from focusing on chronic disease, toward preventive lifestyle changes. To Suza Francina, yoga is an integral part of this shift.

A certified Iyengar yoga instructor in Ojai, California, Suza has over 30 years of experience in teaching older students. Her previous books include The New Yoga for People over 50.

This new book primarily addresses the unique needs of people over 60.B.K.S. Iyengar, now almost 90, is a master role model: "a timeless, ageless practitioner who is showing the world what healthy aging really looks like."

[Citing the National Academy of Sciences, Suza states that if the average age of institutionalization of the elderly could be postponed by just one month, it would save over $3 billion in Medicare and Medicaid.And one year of yoga costs less than a single day in the hospital.

What is so positive about yoga is that it is never too late to begin. The New Yoga for Healthy Aging is full of inspiring role models and uplifting personal vignettes. Many featured practitioners began yoga in their 50s, 60s, 70s, or even later, and some have travelled to Pune once or more to study at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Institute (RIMYI).The cover shows the joyful energy expressed by Betty Eiler, over 70, doing full hanumanasana--enough to make anyone eager to find out more. This young-at-heart lady, a long-time student of Ramanand Patel's,says that yoga practice can help us to cope with whatever challenges life may bring.

Suza makes a place for everyone to tell their story: how yoga helps them to live longer and be stronger.One practitioner's story is especially dear to our local community--that of Bernard Spira. Although Bernard has now sadly passed away, the memory of his commitment to practice inspires us with possibility.

Suza first encountered Bernard when reading the Event Book from Guruji's 2005 book tour to Southern California. A photo of Bernard in Virabhadrasana II was captioned, `To Guruji B.K.S. Iyengar, who has made all this possible, Thank you,' with Bernard's birth date, October 12, 1911, and a website address: [..]

Suza has structured her book to serve aspiring novices as well as those who already practice. She gives a glimpse into one of her own classes, so newcomers may witness the benefits experienced by those who have practiced yoga regularly.

Readers are shown the special benefits of using the props developed by B.K.S. Iyengar. Throughout, lovely photos by Jim Jacobs show practitioners --all over 60 -- increasing the possibility of their poses, with props; Jim is himself an Iyengar student over 60.

"I believe that someday yoga chairs, bolsters, wall ropes, pelvic slings, and even backbenders will seem as normal as any other common item," writes Suza.Props are not just an investment in healthy aging--they can be a lifeline.

Suza articulates yoga's ability to ameliorate the health challenges we typically face at 60 and beyond: keeping the cardiovascular and skeletal systems healthy, relieving arthritic joints, and coping with rehabilitation after hip surgery. She also covers yoga for neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease.Suza cites numerous medical studies on how yoga benefits our quality of life, and how there is an ongoing integration of yoga with Western medicine to treat medical disorders.

Suza presents a series of short sequences for healthy aging, including a sequence called `Your daily yoga vitamin.' These are organized to illustrate, explain and guide the practitioner step by step through each pose. Teaching tips are also provided.

The last chapter is appropriately titled "The Last Asana."It concerns savasana--corpse pose.Yoga teaches that we cannot be ready for death when we remain psychologically attached to the things of this world:"In savasana, we practice the art of releasing ourselves from our attachments and letting go."An afterword provides an excellent list of resources and a bibliography on related subjects.

Opening this book is like opening a door into a new, positive world of possibility--the world we all seek as we age.This book shows, by example, a way to ongoing health and grace.It demonstrates how we can be independent and strong, and why yoga is especially important to this age group.

If we embrace our golden years, we are open to possibility: to discover great wisdom, compassion and joy.We owe it to ourselves and to those dear to us to buy this book, to read it, and to commit to its wise message: "Do not waste the Gift of Old Age."

Info: [..]

Catherine Fisher is ayoga teacher and the editor of Yoga Vidya, Journal of the BKS Iyengar Yoga Association of Southern California.

This review originally appeared in the Summer 2007 issue of Yoga Vidya and is posted with permission.

Haven't Bothered To Use It Yet
I have a previous book by the same author.I have yet to use it, and will probably do the same with this one.The reason is simple. I don't want to have to go out and buy about 6 Yoga blankets,bolsters,folding chairs and belts, ropesand other itemsthat are picturedin order to do most of thepositions.If I had all these items,thinking of where to store them all and the thought of dragging them out every day in order to do my exercises is a complete turn off to me and my aging body.

Great Resource!
As a brand new yoga teacher (at age 62), I find Suza Francina's latest book, "The New Yoga for Healthy Aging", to be a great resource.I teach in the 55+ community where I live, so many of my students have health challenges.I often refer to the chapters on teaching seniors, as well as those dealing with specific health issues, like hip replacement (I have two in class), arthritis and osteoporosis.I also like to share quotes from Suza and the other senior teachers featured in her book with my students.I highly recommend this book for new teachers and older students as well.

Carin Seebold, RYT

Very good book.
With the innumerable yoga books on the market and the attempts of companies trying to make a buck of the yoga boom I am leary of buying any products, including books, marketed for yoga.Also, from my own experiences I feel many reviews give an exaggerated view of the books.

However, this book is truly a good book.I am 49 yrs old and have been practicing yoga for almost 5 years, two to four times a day.I am constantly trying to find out more about books, DVDs, websites etc on yoga related items in order to improve and deepen my practice.I am glad I bought this one.

For someone who recovered from a severe and incapacitating lower back injury with the practice of yoga asanas, this book is a reaffirmation of my own experiences.Had I not taken to an asana pracitce, I know for a fact that my injury would have made a "cash cow" out of me for the "medical professionals" in our health care system.More importantly the book offers tremendous inspiration, hope and encouragement to the aging -- which includes all -- and people recovering from chronic pain.It does this by sketching the lives of those who have been practicing yoga asanas.

I assure you that if you are serious about your mental, physical and emotional health, and if you have had a year of yoga and want to give your practice a boost then this book will not let you down.It will confirm your realizations and build on them regarding the healing potential of yoga asanas.I have already bought two copies and will be buying numerous more to give to everyone I know.This will save them a lot of pain and suffering as they grow older, not to mention the expenses of a medical system that is absolutely out of control.In my opinion and experiences medical science itself is shallow and flawed despite the many sincere practitioners.People suffering from chronic ailments are a testimony to this claim.

The writer has done a very good job of writing this book.Thank you Suza.
... Read more

Product Description
Mudras also playfully called the "finger power points" are yoga positions for your hands and fingers. They can be practiced sitting, lying down, standing, or walking. They can be done at any time and place while stuck in traffic, at the office, watching TV, or whenever you have to twiddle your thumbs waiting for something. Hirschi shows you how these techniques can prevent illness, relieve stress, and heal emotional problems. 82 illustrations. Index. Bibliography.Amazon.com Review
Yoga for the hands--sounds too good to be true. Do it at the office, on an airplane, lying in bed. Seasoned yoga teacher Gertrud Hirschi has used these hand postures to ease asthma, relieve flu symptoms, think more effectively, relieve tension, even have a bowel movement. The possibilities she attributes to these ancient Indian techniques are endless. Join the tips of the index finger and thumb: this clears the mind. Switch the thumb to the little finger: this restores the body's fluid balance. It's not quite that easy, of course. Hirschi is careful to lay out exercise regimens, related herbal remedies, and associated affirmations. Like a classroom instructor, she guides with simultaneous breathing advice and conjures up helpful images. From building character to healing emotional pain, from bringing luck to connecting with the divine, mudras can work wonders. Now limber up those digits and lets get into spiritual shape. --Brian Bruya ... Read more

Customer Reviews (29)

Mudras: Yoga in Your Hands
The book is clearly illustrated and directed towards a general audience. However, it is derivative and lacks the comprehensive quality of the original sources. For yoga practitioners in particular, the original sources may be of greater value.

Could be better
Since I am a professional editor and proofreader, I found this work to be one that could use a lot of my services.Within individual paragraphs, the writing is alright, but the overall construction of the work leaves some things to be desired.The first half of the book is theory, and I can't argue with it much.The second half is practice (the individual mudras themselves), and here is where I got flummoxed.The description of each mudra is okay for the most part.She tells you how to form it. tells you what it's for, usually gives you an herbal remedy that would go with the mudra, and also provides a visualization to practice.All this info could be useful.My problem with the "practice" section is the way it is organized.If I were to edit the work, I would put all the simple mudras at the beginning and gradually work toward the most complicated.Alternatively, I would group those mudras together that relate to similar conditions.Hirschi does neither.The organization seems completely willy-nilly to me.I can find no rhyme or reason for it. Hence, I find it much more difficult to find what I'm looking for and also to remember what the mudras are good for.It's not a bad book, but if you are looking for something scholarly, look elsewhere.

Very Helpful
I bought this book for the Kindle and I like it so much I am now buying the hard copy . Although I love the Kindle I find it is better for novels than for reference books where you want to look things up and use the index. I woke up this morning with a sore neck, used the suggested mudra and in a few minutes felt better.The mudra or the power of positive thinking who cares I felt good. I also bought the card set which is "handy".

One of the few good books on mudras
Total Healing to the Limits of Living: A Sourcebook for Awakening and Engaging the Healing Energies of the Tree of Life
This is the best, easiest to understand book on mudras available. The diagrams are clear and basic and the descriptions of the uses of the various mudras are succinct. The focus is somewhat pragmatic rather than spiritual, but Hirschi has brought the mudras together in one place for all readers. The practice of mudras is very powerful when done with the right intent.

This is a GREAT book...
This is a great book. When I began to do research on this and energy healing in general, via the web, I mentioned this book to a family member also interested in enery work, and before I knew it she'd surprised me with a copy of it. I was eternally grateful.
My first experience with Mudras was with the Mushti mudra. I was going through an immense amount of tension, and when I performed the gesture, I felt the left side of my brain deflate. This is the best I know how to describe it. I was relieved of so much pressure. Ever since I have used mudras for many things and the resuts keep getting better and better. I can actually feel the shifts in energy and the difference.
I chose not to give this book a five star rating because it is not a thorough book. There are several, if not all, more mudras Gertrud Hirschi could have shared with us to make this a more rounded practice. She could not have possibly put all of the mudras in this book as there are thousands of them, but a few key ones more and it would have been a greatly compiled piece of work.
Still, a great buy, easy to understand and use and overall wonderful. Ms. Hirschi puts you on the track to self healing, self reliance and knowledge. By no means should this hinder your study of mudras, only help it. This is a great starting place.
[...] has also compiled a wonderful amount of mudras that is of great help.
Happy Practicing! ... Read more

Product Description
For modern spiritual seekers and yoga students alike, here is an irreverent yet profound guide to the most sophisticated teachings of the yoga wisdom tradition–now brought to contemporary life by a celebrated author, psychotherapist, and leading American yoga instructor.

While many Westerners still think of yoga as an invigorating series of postures and breathing exercises, these physical practices are only part of a vast and ancient spiritual science. For more than three millennia, yoga sages systematically explored the essential questions of our human existence: What are the root causes of suffering, and how can we achieve freedom and happiness? What would it be like to function at the maximum potential of our minds, bodies, and spirits? What is an optimal human life?

Nowhere have their discoveries been more brilliantly distilled than in a short–but famously difficult–treatise called the Yogasutra. This revered text lays out the entire path of inner development in remarkable detail–ranging from practices that build character and mental power to the highest reaches of spiritual realization.

Now Stephen Cope unlocks the teachings of the Yogasutra by showing them at work in the lives of a group of friends and fellow yoga students who are confronting the full modern catastrophe of careers, relationships, and dysfunctional family dynamics. Interweaving their daily dilemmas with insights from modern psychology, neuroscience, religion, and philosophy, he shows the astonishing relevance and practicality of this timeless psychology of awakening.

Leavened with wit and passion, The Wisdom of Yoga is a superb companion and guide for anyone seeking enhanced creativity, better relationships, and a more ethical and graceful way of living in the world.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

a wonderful guide for yogic philosophy
This book is so well written, and is really helpful if you want to understand the philosohpy of yoga, or need help going through your own "spiritual crisis".

Uninspired
I didn't like this book for a few reasons.

First, The writing style is very flat and boring despite the pedantic use of impressive-sounding words.

Second, it adds nothing of value to the yoga literature, and failed to inspire this reader to pursue yoga.

Third, the cases provides as examples are so uninteresting that it really takes away all interest to continue on the path of yoga.

Fourth, one gets the feeling that this is the new style "trendy" yoga, rather than the old style spiritual path, because of absence of any genuine guru. The author is definitely not a guru, but to give him credit, does not represent himself as one either.

Fifth, well, the absence of eastern mysticism really takes the taste away...

one of the best
I consider this one of the most important books I have ever read. From his historical explanation of the relationship between yoga and Buddhism, to the step-by-step explanation of how to analyze patterns of behavior in yourself and others, it is a remarkable book. I have read several other books on Eastern/Buddhist psychology, before and after reading this one, but I always come back to "The Wisdom of Yoga" because it is the easiest to understand and apply directly to my life.

Making the Westerner's Connection
This is the book that tied it all together for me.After years of studying the Eastern books and trying to understand the deeper meaning of samadhi, Stephen Cope really brings it home for the Western mind.His ability to share real-life experiences of the Sutras from an American/Western standpoint rang all the bells for me.I have given this book as a gift to many others who just needed a slightly different perspective to join the stream of consciousness.Bravo Stephen and Namaste.

The Wisdom of Yoga
An easy to read, deep and personal account of the exploration of yogic principles and how they apply in everyday life.I found it hard to put down and marked just about every page for later review and pondering. ... Read more

Product Description

After studying yoga in India and traveling all over the world with traditional Vedantic masters, Steve Ross returned to his hometown of Los Angeles with a broadened point of view of what yoga could be. He was surprised to find that yoga classes at home were missing the humor, joy, and celebration that fueled his Eastern studies. Instead of expanding and enhancing the joy of being, Western yoga classes focused obsessively on correcting body positions and developing a picture-perfect physique. Determined to keep his yoga practice true to cultivating bliss and inner radiance, Ross started his own yoga studio and has created a yoga movement in Los Angeles that is, to put it simply, revolutionary.

Ross lives and teaches according to his belief that the secret to yoga is not obsessing over whether your feet are parallel or whether you can bend as far as the person on your left can, but about transcending the serious and allowing joy into your life, your body, your mind, and hopefully your yoga practice itself. It's about lightening up.

In Happy Yoga, Ross reveals that everyone is inherently happy, but that our true self is shadowed and concealed by the layers of worry that, through habit, become our daily thoughts. In each chapter, he examines one of our seven greatest human fears -- depression, ill health, loss of love, career failure, war, death, and emotional stasis -- and uses yoga wisdom to explain how to strip away these worries to reach your core of calm radiant joy. By sharing his system of yoga postures, diet, meditation, music, supplements, and philosophy, Ross has effected profound physical and mental changes in both his life and the lives of his students.

Ross's power is that he goes back to the source -- five thousand years of ancient yogic wisdom -- and decodes the abstract Eastern ideas for a Western audience. Happy Yoga is not just a set of movements and facts to consume, it is a way of shifting your awareness to bring the spirit of yoga into each movement, each meal, each relationship, each thought, and each breath.

With love and joyful abandon, Ross offers us a new way to practice and live yoga. The result is profound calm, a dramatic release of anxiety and pain, and the realization that there really is nothing to worry about.

Customer Reviews (39)

Quiet the Mind - Be Aware
My first ever book review, but I had to share my impressions on this book.I am near the end of it and just wish it would continue.
This is a book that I will start over again, reference and share with friends.Steve Ross describes the achievement of enlightenment in an understandable way with a dash of humor.I hope he writes more books!Quiet the mind, be aware and appreciate each moment.Namaste.

A Great Introduction to Yoga if You're Not Sure if Yoga's Right For You
This book makes an excellent introduction to yoga for both people who have never done yoga before and for new yoginis who are still looking to learn more about the practice of yoga both on and off the mat.Happy Yoga is also just an excellent book for anyone looking for a fun, easy to read, self help book.Steve Ross encourages you to stop worrying throughout the book and includes both yoga poses, with pictures demonstrating the poses, as well as mental and written exercises to help you acheive "happy yoga" and go about your daily life with less worry and anxiety.He also includes soundtrack suggestions to help enhance your yoga practice.

What set this book apart from other yoga books for me was the inclusion of modifications for yoga poses that can either be done in bed (yes, in bed! Like immediately after waking up in the morning or right before settling in to sleep for the night) or in your chair at your desk while at work.Ross' ideas of doing a little bit of yoga everyday wherever you are really embodies the idea that yoga is more than just going to a class to get a flatter stomach (although yoga can certainly do that to) but that yoga is about enjoying life and accepting who you are and the unique abilities your body has.

Happy Yoga is one of the first books I read about yoga (I must admit, I was drawn in by the colourful cover and yes, I know what they say about judging a book by its cover but this book truly delivers) and is one that I return to and re-read often.This book is well worth buying and adding to your personal library whether yoga is something you already do everyday or if it's something you would like to incorporate into your life more frequently.

happy yoga is a great choice!
Happy Yoga

Steve Ross uses his sarcastic humor to inform the reader about yoga philosophy and how to use yoga in your life today. it is an easy read, i have really enjoyed it!

Cool yoga book
Steve Ross's yoga book is a great read.I actually gave it to a friend after I read it and wish I had it back!The only thing missing is a CD of his "Inhale" series!

....I'm very stiff.
Funny thing is, my GF started recording and doing her Yoga via Steve Ross's Inhale on Oxygen.I chided her at first, then found the lighthearted vibe and instruction refreshing.I enjoy the show, even thought I have always been stiff as a board and find performing the postures difficult.I was curious about Steve Ross, his anecdotal references were insightful.So, I googled him and came across his book...I'm about 40 pages in and I dig it. ... Read more