Product Description
An anniversary edition of "BKS Iyengar Yoga: The Path to Holistic Health", to celebrate BKS Iyengar's 90th birthday in January 2008. This book contains 30 pages of all-new material and features an introductory celebration of BKS Iyengar's life and teachings. The design of the book has also been refreshed and updated. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (44)

B.K.S. Iyengar: The Path to Holistic Health
I ordered two books, this book being one of the two. I received a package with only one book. The other book I ordered was not in the package. The company Hungybookworm says I received my order because they have proof that it was delivered. I stil have not received my other book that they charged me for. They should take care of their customers and they're not. I'd like my money back or my book.B.K.S Iyengar Yoga the Path to Holistic Health

Beautiful Book
This book is a beautiful portrayal of Iyengar Yoga ......what it is, how it developed, associated philosophy, and clear instruction.Nearly half of the book is devoted to yoga asana routines that address a myriad of physical ailments.Best of all it has beautifully and perfectly photographed asanas showing each pose from every angle and how to get into and out of each. By advocating the use of props ( bolsters, blocks, straps, etc. )it makes it possible for even the beginner to experience each pose. The pictures are accompanied by written instruction and tips for getting the most out of each.

I highly recommend this book.Other yoga books show you the final pose but omit proper direction how to achieve it or the underlying purpose --- to guide you how to put the proper effort ( mental as well as physical ) into each asana so as to realize benefit regardless of your degree of yoga practice.

Great book!
This book is amazing! I am in yoga teacher training currently and this book was a recommended reading book from my teachers. It is a wonderful resource for anyone practicing yoga.The descriptions are clear and concise and the photos are so helpful. I sometimes practice with the book open to a section on the floor next to my mat to guide me. Ver informative and very educational.

Barely OK; Certainly Not Great
B.K.S Iyengar Yoga the Path to Holistic Health was somewhat helpful to purchase when first learning Iyengar. However, I really am not thrilled with it, because I want to know more about poses and practice. Those interested in a wider context (Iyengar's take on the history of yoga, nutrition, and alternative therapies for ailments), will find this to be a valuable resource.

WASTED SPACE
The book emphasizes the health benefits of Iyengar yoga at the expense of postures and practice. The first 45 pages were almost completely unnecessary background on yoga. There is a whole chapter for stress. Pages 238-383 are all about practice tailored to relieve different ailments.

CAUTIONS AND BENEFITS SEEM EXCESSIVE
Cautions and benefits are provided for each pose. This results in some rather ludicrous situations. The entire chapter on stress becomes useless for those suffering from migraines or stress headaches, because most poses caution people suffering from those conditions not to do them. Not only does this presumably prevent them from finding relief, but it makes a large chunk of Iyengar poses inaccessible to them. Oh, the irony!

I find most of the claims to be dubious at best. I've never had problems with the poses that I am cautioned against doing. It doesn't help that the book gives no explanation to back up its assertions. Of course, once you start to question the health claims (can anorexia be treated by a sequence of poses?), you lose interest in the whole premise of the book--a path to holistic health.

POSES
To me, this ought to be the heart of the book. I wish pages 41 to 153 could have been published separately in a spiral-bound book that would stay open while I practice. There are a lot of pictures accompanied by excellent explanations. The arrangement of the pictures, typically in a circle covering two pages, does not help much to elucidate the poses or the explanations. Although, it is an innovative 360 degree approach to showing the poses. If there had been close-ups instead, then it would have been more helpful.

CONCLUSION
If you are planning to purchase this as a desk reference, or if you are a teacher, then this might rate 4 or 5 stars. If you are hoping to use this while you practice, though, and you are a beginner (like I was when I bought it), then this is not so great. Compared to books for other yoga styles that I have seen, it is definitely lacking. I have given it three stars, because the explanations for the poses are worth the price of the book.

Excellent
This book is amazing.I borrowed the older version from a friend and was excited to see the newer version.It is just as great as the old but with a nice added section about Iyengar himself.This is a great book.I especially love the section for yoga for ailments.I use it often. ... Read more

Product Description
A fully illustrated, step-by-step guide to achieve wellness through Viniyoga

Mainstream America is finally catching on to what Eastern countries have known for thousands of years--that yoga is not only a great, low-impact way to increase flexibility and reduce stress, it is also useful in healing any number of afflictions, from common aches and pains to chronic diseases and emotional setbacks. In this easy to follow guide for practitioners at all levels, America's leading teacher of Viniyoga emphasizes the physical as well as the spiritual components of healing through yoga. Beginning with a general introduction, he then includes case studies and specific yoga sequences designed to address individual ailments. Best of all, each step of each posture in a sequence is clearly illustrated with its own photograph. The exercises in this book are truly transformative and certain to help those searching for alternatives to mainstream medicine and those looking for a way of becoming more involved in their own physical well-being.

* A Selection of the One Spirit Book Club

"Herein lies a gold mine of practical knowledge for enlivening all aspects of the physiology. It is a book worthy of study, which no doubt will enlighten the reader in unexpected ways each time it is opened." -- from the Introduction by Scott Gerson, M.D., The National Institute of Ayurvedic MedicineAmazon.com Review
There's more to yoga than stretching and bending andtwisting. In Yoga for Wellness, one of America's top yogateachers gives a clinic on the holistic nature of yoga practice,especially in regard to healing and well-being.With over a thousandphotographs, Gary Kraftsow covers the basic postures, the specificmovements of each posture, and how to sequence postures in aroutine. More importantly, he moves from form to function, showing howsequences of postures can alleviate ailments in each system of thebody, from lower back pain to hypertension--even depression andmultiple sclerosis. In case studies of his own clients, we see howKraftsow's holistic approach has him recommending not only postureprescriptions, but breathing exercises, sound techniques, andvisualizations, not to mention such commonly neglected wisdom aseating a healthy breakfast and getting closer to nature. Yoga forWellness is the rare yoga instruction manual that teaches thebasics of yoga while also paying more than just lip service to theoriginal intention of yoga--achieving a balance of mental, physical,and spiritual wellness. --Brian Bruya ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Ahhh...Relief!
I bought this book because I was introduced to some Viniyoga during Yoga Teacher Training.I was struck by how amazing I felt doing moves that on the outside did not look that challenging, but really were quite effective.Needless to say, I picked up this book off my shelf when I was having some back spasms, usually stress related.When your body feels like it has a lot of chinks and kinks an intense yoga practice is the last thing you feel you can do.I did some exercises and it was unbelievably effective.I have taken it off my shelf from time to time when I'm feeling I need it--PMS, lower back problems, stiff shoulder/neck and have been amazed at how effective it is.The exercises are fairly easy (not strenuous at all) and can be done while having the book opened on the floor.My only criticism is that on the PMS section, he has mixed in pictures of a dude doing the exercises!!? (same thing for the prostate exercises-there is a woman).While I thought this was funny, it did have a cut and paste feel to it, and many of the same exercises are repeated in other sections.His explanations of the anatomy are approachable, yet tend to get redundant (e.g., this happens because of stress, congenital issues, holding a baby on your hip, cellphone to your ear, wallet in your back pocket etc....).However, you can't deny the logic and perhaps these are things that we tend to ignore in our daily lives.Nevertheless, this book is a GEM for anyone looking to gently relieve discomfort from problem areas.

Easy to understand
The illustrations and explanations are clear and easy to understand.Better, the exercises seem to be working well and as promised.

Excellent Book, BIG Help
This book is a big help for me. Have used it to successfully to eliminate knee and lower back pain by following the well detailed postures. I found the photos and explainations excellent. Most recently began using postures suggested for allerigies and immediately began finding relief. Excellent book, a BIG help.

Most Thorough Book on Viniyoga
This is the most comprehensive book I know on the Viniyoga methodology (at least as it relates to asana practice). It makes for fascinating reading if you are interested in the approach or just have an interest in yoga, physiology, and therapy in general.

Here's what you get:

A description of the approach.

Several sample thematic practices, based on moving in a certain direction (forward bending, backward bending, lateral bending, etc.) Please note that these practices need to be adapted to your body, which takes a little know-how. Definitely not something for a beginner to jump into.

The second half of the book is about using yoga therapeutically. This was really interesting to read, as it includes some high level anatomy and case studies. The practices here also need to be adapted to your own body and needs.

Overall this is an excellent book, however I docked a star due to the fact that beginners who pick up the book would logically assume that the practices given within are ok to try "as-is." The first half of the book includes some advanced postures that could really do some damage to a beginner or even intermediate. To his credit, Gary is very clear in the text that the practices need to be adapted to your body, however I am afraid those small warnings get lost in a tome of this size.

GREAT RESOURCE FOR ONE ON ONE YOGA THERAPY
This book is a great resource for one on one yoga therapy.I can see myself referring to it in the future quite frequently.The practices he uses are fairly easy, there are a few harder poses that your average practicioner won't be able to achieve but as long as the effort is put forward the benefits will be felt.I like the case studies presented.I did find the part on anatomy and the brain a little beyond my reach but I have no medical background so that isn't surprising.Overall this is a great book for anyone who wants to do or teach yoga therapy. ... Read more

Product Description
If you've been looking for a fun and loving way to help your children learn and improve their development, look no further than Itsy Bitsy Yoga for Toddlers and Preschoolers. New studies show that young kids learn best through play and need at least 30 minutes of structured physical activity each day. There's no better way to engage your child than through the simple practice of yoga.

Yoga can help your 18-month to five-year-old child have:
* Fewer tantrums
* Better and longer sleep
* Increased motor coordination
* Improved listening and ability to follow directions
* Better self-expression
* Higher self-esteem
* Easier relaxation
* A healthy and physically fit lifestyle

Named the "Baby Yoga Expert" by Newsweek, Helen Garabedian, a certified yoga instructor, created her program with 8-minute sequences easy to fit into a young child's day. Fully illustrated with beautiful photos, Itsy Bitsy Yoga for Toddlers and Preschoolers features more than 50 simple poses and games kids love, offering creative ways to get active.

Yoga can even help your child throughout the day--from taming tantrums to teaching cooperation--On the Go advice and Super Duper Poses show you how. Enjoy the fun of yoga with your child today! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Too technical
I love to do Yoga with my grandchildren, but this book was more reading than anything.

Cute Book!
I brought this book to introduce yoga to my little ones (2 & 4) they LOVE it.It is easy to follow & fun to do with them.

My Toddler ADORES This!!!!!
We try to use this book every day, often more than once per day.My 2 1/2 year old has so much fun with the poses and games in the book.This is one of the best children's yoga books out there!

Good for Toddlers, Not so much Preschoolers
This is a great book with really creative ideas to do with those 18 mo - 3 yr olds. I was disappointed that these were not really challenging enough for the 3 1/2 to PreK 5 year olds, since the book said Toddlers AND Preschoolers.As a caregiver I tried a few of these out with some 4 year olds and it didn't really hold their attention, even when using the suggested challenges in the "Yogi Wogi" section. For the 2 year olds however it was right on, and good fun. If the author came out with a book for the older Preschool student I think I would give it a try.

a nice follow up to the first one
i bought this to have the follow up for itsy bitsy yoga for infants. it follows in the spirit of the first book and it does great.

it doesn't say though how to slow down a toddler long enough for yoga but i guess i have to figure that one out.

if you liked the first one, you'll like this one.save yourself the hassle and get the together if you can. ... Read more

Product Description
Acclaimed yoga and meditation teacher Sarah Powers is known and loved for her unique approach—Insight Yoga—which combines traditional yoga with the meridians of Chinese medicine, as well as Buddhist meditation. Using Yin (passive) and Yang (dynamic) poses, she demonstrates a series of different yoga sequences that bring benefit to organs, muscles, joints, and tendons—as well as the mind. She also provides a foundational explanation of traditional Chinese medicine theory and mindfulness meditation instruction. Sarah Powers brings us on an inspiring journey inward, and shows the path for cultivating a lasting relationship with yoga that cultivates and strengthens our physical well-being and our mental and emotional clarity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

So much more than yoga
Fantastic book, which includes insights into so much more than yoga: meditation, energy channels, Buddhism and more. I love this book, it has enriched my daily yoga practice.

Wonderful resource
I have had the good fortune to study with Sarah Powers, in the teacher training programs at Kripalu, a total of 3 weeks and the books is wonderful reflection of Sarah. Of course nothing replaces being with a teacher, and I have 3 notebooks filled with Sarah's words of wisdom from my trainings with her. But when I need some additional inspiration or reminders, this book is close at hand. MInsight Yogay main teaching now is yin yoga, a much needed yoga to address the connective tissues that start to become a significant issue once over age 40. Great book, buy it, and savor Sarah's insights. Namaste, Grateful student, Tina RamsdenInsight Yoga

Insight Yoga
As a Yoga Instructor, I found this book refreshingly easy to read and understand, not to mention the accuracy of the information presented.The uses of Yoga as therepy and as an adjunct to other forms of Yoga is presented with pictures and helpful guidelines for even the beginner.I would highly recommend this book for any person interested in Yoga whether a beginner orbeyond.

I love the blending!
Sarah Powers melds together pieces of philosophies and practices that she finds to be insightful.I love the blending as this is what I've naturally been drawn to doing throughout the course of my life, and I am more inclined to read a book that is not so strict regarding lineage or a "set way" of practicing.

She clearly explains the theories behind Yin Yoga, just as marvelously as Paul Grilley & Bernie Clark do-- but then she also provides excellent, though brief, info on pranayama and Buddhist meditation practices.What Powers ends up providing us readers is a multi-layered practice that incorporates many aspects of yoga: asana (yin & yang), pranayama, & meditation.Practiced in this way, daily, we can cultivate mindfulness, strength, and fluidity.

I've been recommending this book to all of my fellow yoga teachers!

Insight Yoga Book
Insight Yoga is a wonderful fusion of Yin/Yang Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Buddhist philosophy. Many detailed photos of specific poses to balance and focus on each meridian. Overlay of meridians on photo of body, including internal branches help you to understand how the pose affects that meridian. Interesting insights on each organ and it's related meridian in the body. Modifications given for each pose make it available to students of Yoga of all levels. ... Read more

Product Description
Ilusstrations, Dimensions: 7.76 x 5.10 x .98 inches

Founder of the Iyengar Institute in India, B.K.S. Iyengar utilizes his over fifty years of yogic teaching experience to translate and comment on a central text, PatanjaliÂ’s Yoga Sutras. Dating back to the first half of the first millennium, this collection of 196 aphorisms defines the path to spiritual liberation through the practice of yoga. Iyengar translates this ancient Sanskrit text for the modern day yogi, providing a thorough yet accessible breakdown of each aphorism, capturing the essence of its teaching. Charts and diagrams map out the path toward spiritual evolution and explain the relationship between the different aspects of yogic principles for living and for eventually attaining Kaivalya (freedom). IyengarÂ’s translation came about from his desire to address the need for the practical application of the spiritual text. Though not recommended as a substitute for a teacher, this pragmatic exploration is an invaluable tool for dedicated yoga practitioners who wish to deepen their spiritual exploration as well as their physical practice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Light?
I read about 15 translations of the Yoga Sutras. This one is surely not the best one among them ... to say the least ... It is overstuffed with words and lacks logic in many ways. There are passages in it wich are completely devoid of spiritual insight. It even doesn't invite the reader to think for himself and to contemplate. I was extremely disappointed. The author is very old now and surely one of the best worldwide when it comes to the subject of asanas. But the precision one can find in Iyengar asanas can nowhere be found in this treatise.

Yoga Student Must Read
I am an Iyengar Yoga student and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali was chosen for our book club's first subject of discussion.Everyone in the group was free to choose whatever version they wanted. I read 2 versions and found this one to be the most user friendly, as did many of the other students.The sutras are stated and then a clear explanation is given for each.If you are a student of Yoga, please read this and understand the reason you are practicing.It will change everything.

Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali B.K.S. Iyengar
Iyengar is reveered by students of yoga trained by his method, available in Light on Yoga and Light on Pranayama, practical guides that are lived with over the years. No one knows how traditional his methods are because like all else our understanding changes over time. Anyone familiar with Patangali's Yoga Sutras will know how concentrated his teaching is, or rather will appreciate that the sanskrit he taught in was a precision instrument difficult to explain to English speakers with a vast and shifting vocabulary. Patangali was not only a great exponent of yoga but also of sanskrit, the most ancient language still known, precursor of Greek, Latin and most other languages. Patanjali considered the sanskrit word for anything was sound equivalence of the thing itself. A different world, a world of sound and silence it is difficult to comprehend, to enter.
Yet Iyengar has entered and lived in that world most of his life.
Moreover he has a use of English that enables him to take us along with him. This is not a book to read in a day or two, which would scarcely be possible and certianly totally indigestable. It is a book to get to know in silent study, preferably a page or two a day whilst sitting in one's favourite asana. Everything Iyengar wants to convey and through him Patangali wants to convey is already part of your makeup as a person living in the world of nature around you. The Yoga Sutras were compiled to allow you to be yourself by getting to know yourself thoroughly. Although an alarming prospect at first sight it need not be under such expert guidance.
It is hardly conceivable that this book would mean anything at all to anyone who has not even begun yoga training. On the other hand anyone wishing to embark on exploration and improvement of self could read this book alongside Light on Yoga, learning simple yoga at first but gaining early insight into the subject from the Yoga Sutras.
Existential Buddhists will need to be tollerant of Iyengar's Hindu worship of idols (eye catching cover illustrations only) and translation of Isvara as God, these are superficial practices he, like Ghandi, adopted as their native contemporary Indian culture, harmless enough, they do not detract from brilliant lives and expositions of perennial philosophy.
Great soul, great book, used as intended it is the best purchase you are ever likely to make.

Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
This book was easy to understand and really offered an excellent explanation of the Yoga Sutras.

not the same edition I received
As you can see from the picture, this edition is not the one I received. That was a disappointment. ... Read more

Product Description
The yogas of dream and sleep are used in the Bon and Buddhist traditions of Tibet to attain liberation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (35)

excellent book!
very intensive and descriptive! because it covers both buddhism and lucid dreaming the first half of the book is a condensation of buddhism and does a great job of laying it all out quickly and neatly! the stuff on dreaming is so cool and unique, it really delves into the spirituality of dreaming as well as introducing you to the folklore of bon/buddhist dream tradition. read it, love it! just know that waking up every two hours will not help you remember dreams. wake up 4.5, 6 and 7.5 hours after you go to sleep instead because this is when you are likely to be in REM sleep (dreaming) and therefore much more likely to remember your dreams;) the author says to wake up for three different periods at two hour intervals so you just switch it to what i just said and still do everything else he says the same. good stuff.

Disappointingly Theoretical
I've tried to use this book on and off for nearly seven years now. Its concepts are great and everything appears to be laid out. However, I've never gotten it to work at all. Perhaps it's something about me, or perhaps it has to do with the book. I can really only say that I'd probably have more luck with something more substantial and rougher going. The exercises were way too spaced out between various bits of theory for me, so that I found myself skipping around a lot through the milky masses of Buddhist concepts, trying to find actual traditions. If I were writing the book myself, I'd divide it into two parts, theory and practice. However, if that were done with this book, the theory section would take up 85%-95% of the book.

I think that teaching yourself lucid dreaming is probably only accessible to people who are highly visual in the first place, or who have cultivated their visual sense, like Hervey de Saint-Denis. Westerners who study Chinese for many years tend to be able to maintain awareness while experiencing hypnagogic states, in my experience. So, I can't wait until someone translates the Saint-Denis book or reissues the French ed. in full.

I gave the book 2 stars because it still contains some practical tradition. This includes sleeping posture, visualization, and breathing exercises. The number of pages used for writing about these things is equivalent to a short essay.

At last - the real deal on dreaming.
Finally a book on dreaming by someone who actually knows the true nature of the mind. And you don't have to be a buddhist, or wear the cultural clothing to take advantage of the practical advice contained within its pages. There is an excellent glossary for the more technical terms, though I have to say that the guide to Tibetan pronunciation left me more mystified than illuminated. (For example: Dzogchen - Tib., rdzogs chen). How the heck is rdzogs chen any clearer than Dzogchen?

If you read carefully, you will discover a wonderful road map for the awakening mind.

A tid-bit that has already worked wonders for me is the technique of blowing blue smoke up the central channel to dispel laxity. Here's the full quote:

"The second obstacle is laxity. It manifests as an internal laziness, a lack of internal strength and clarity. When you are lax in practice, you drift around, clouded and perhaps comfortable, even while attending to the object of attention. The antidote is to visualize blue smoke slowly drifting up the central channel from the junction of the three channels (a few inches below the navel and in the center of the body) to the throat. Do not get hung up thinking of physics - where the smoke goes and if it collects and that kind of thing. Just visualize the smoke slowly moving up the central channel, as if it were already a dream."

Highly, highly recommended.

The Singing Stones (Volume 1)

Brilliant Dharma Book
Brilliant, clear, instructions on an important practice, staying awake, day or night. Recognizing your dreams as dreams.

Awesome Book!
This book is excellent, and rich with great wisdom and knowledge. It just doesn't teach you about mastering dreams, but also mastering sleep. It is both dream and sleep yoga in one book.

This book also help clear up some things on the belief of deity yoga, but taught me a little more on karma that other Buddhism books left out. Not I can see the misunderstanding of how many see karma as something one carries, not as a force that is like a boomerang. They mixed karmic trace for karma.That is why many need stop thinking, and meditate for understanding. As for the dream yoga, the teachings are most simple to folow and remeber, it is one's practice that needs effort. For those who do not understand true spiritul being and cosmic reality, such teachings may seem weird. For those who seek truth and true spiritual being, these teachings may make much sense, clear as crystal reflecting sun rays. This book teaches how to master dreams by starting seeing this reality as a dream, since this world is an illusion. While in sleep yoga, it teaches on how to master sleep, and prepair one for enlighten when one times come to depart from this realm in death. Sleep yoga is given as opptional teaching, on can just practice dream yoga. But it is best to learn both, so one can prepair to know what to do when death comes, if one does not want to be earthbound or reborn else where, if not as human in this realm.

... Read more

Product Description
Two genuine relaxation methods from the Nyasa Tantra, 20 minutes and 45 minutes - and a piece of music. 20 page information booklet included.

Swami Janakananda guides you into a deep relaxation of body and mind. He also uses the tantric mantras and visual symbols to awaken and harmonize the chakras. With a background of nature sounds and music. Roop Verma, on sitar, is the first musician to record the chakras' ancient music symbols. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (41)

Haven't received the product yet
I paid more than the price of the product for shipping and yet haven't received it. There was no tracking information available and I have no idea what to do. Very pathetic service.

not what I expected
I am a regular yoga nidra practitioner but cannot recommend this as I found the barn yard noises and the curious spoken accent too distracting - the opposite desired effect.

Perfect Relaxation
Having tried various forms of yoga over the last six years, I finally found something that provides genuine deep relaxation without heavy lifting, boring holosync rain sounds or much effort at all. Yoga Nidra is the ancient practice of "yogic sleep" wherein the individual remains conscious, lucid and in total control of their faculties while still experiencing deep relaxation of the body and mind.Swami Janakanada Saraswati not only has a fun name to say, he is also the soothing voice that provides the guided meditation(even though he does have a bit of an accent). It doesn't matter if you are new to meditation or a seasoned practitioner, Yoga Nidra will allow you to quiet your mind, develop your left and right brain simultaneously and provide you with a truly peaceful outlet.Meditation offers nothing more than that, but what wonderful benefits they are.

Yoga Nidra
This recording is a must-have for a wonderful deep-relaxation that awakens the spirit while calming the body--every part of my being is both relaxed and energized. This is the third time over 15 years that I've ordered Yoga Nidra. The first two were on tapes that gradually got worn out or ruined. I was delighted to see it out in CD now.

Great Yoga Nidra Experience
I bought this CD a month ago. I didn't know anything about Yoga Nidra. The yoga club where I go to announced that they would be teaching a Yoga Nidra class. I did research online and bought this CD based on the reviews from other customers.The first week of listening to this program, I was ready to throw the CD away. I started Yoga Nidra class the following week. In class I learned not to judge the voice but to make it my own and to let go of judgment. It made a world of difference.I like this Yoga Nidra CD way better than the one given to me by the Instructor in class.After three weeks of listening to Yoga Nidra on a daily basis, I am more relaxed and at peace with myself, family, and friends. ... Read more

Product Description

Internationally renowned and bestselling author Donna Farhi moves yoga practice beyond the mat into our everyday lives, restoring the tradition's intended function as a complete, practical philosophy for daily living.

Expanding upon the teachings of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, the core text of the yoga tradition, Donna Farhi describes yoga's transforming power as a complete life practice, far beyond its common reduction to mere exercise routine or stress management. This is the philosophy of yoga as a path to a deeper awareness of self. Drawing upon her years of teaching with students, Farhi guides readers through all the pitfalls and promises of navigating a spiritual practice.

Farhi's engaging and accessible style and broad experience offer important teachings for newcomers and seasoned practitioners of yoga alike. And because her teachings of yoga philosophy extend into every corner of daily life, this book is an equally accessible guide to those seeking spiritual guidance without learning the pretzel bendings of the physical practice itself. As one of the top teachers worldwide, Farhi's exploration of the core philosophy of yoga is destined to become an instant classic.

Customer Reviews (7)

best book
One of my top 10 books in yoga to read and you can read it over and over again and gain something new each time!!!

An easy, relateable read
As a writer, yoga studio owner and yoga student myself I am constantly reading books of a yoga nature. "Bringing Yoga into Life" was a nice, easy read that was very easily relateable for me. I always appreciate when an author is able to give the sometimes heavy yogic philosophies a modern view.
Tracey L. Ulshafer, author "Butterfly"

Bringing Yoga ToLife, Donna Farhi
This book is a an absolute essential for any Yoga Practitioner. I have been practicing yoga for over 5 years and teaching for over 2 1/2 years. I keep rereading this book so I can have the knowledge and experience from this book embedded in my body and brain. I have highlighted, underlined, bookmarked many pages in this book to share with my yoga students. I could not say enough about this amazing book.

Pure Fluff
Not to be too negative, but from my angle, this book contains nothing of substance. It's Farhi's journal entries for a period in her life (as far as I can tell) that add nothing of value to the discussion of or learning of yoga. Save your money.

A Real Gem
I really treasure my copy of Donna Farhi's "Bringing Yoga to Life." No matter how many times I've read it, I can always pick it up and glean some new insight or perspective from any passage. Her writing reflects genuine depth, wisdom, and experience, and she has a real gift for expressing sentiments that we intuitively realize but may not yet be able express ourselves.Note that this is not your typical manual of physical postures (there are certainly plenty of those available), but a very unique work that speaks to the process of integrating one's practice into daily life (which is what yoga is really about). Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
This chunky, richly colorful volume takes yoga "beyond the mat" to reveal classic yogic wisdom pertaining to the mind, emotions, spirit, and of course, the body. Drawing from such classical texts as the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads, as well as modern Indian and Western teachers, this treasure trove of yoga knowledge defines key terms and highlights important themes. It's also a helpful supplement to yoga classes, offering asanas, meditations, breathing exercises, mantras, and mudras for every occasion and skill level. Just the right size to pop into a yoga bag, here's a guide to the practical and philosophical aspects of yoga that complements any spiritual practice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Nice book for office or train
It's the kind of book to keep in your office drawer for those unnerving times that inevitably arise in day-to-day life situation. It reminds youof the principles and practices of Yoga, and neatly divides its not-so-neat philosophy into multiple categories easy for the reader to identify with. Whileit breaks no new ground in discussing Yoga, and can be New-Agey in its mostly tip-of-the-iceberg approach to the topic, the "pearls" are real gems and help to balance the mind, body and soul. A lovely book to remind yourself of the higher ground that surrounds you always!

Great book, not so great format
I love the information presented in this book.Only problem is its size.The book would have been so much more useful if it had been 6x9 instead of a mere 4.5x5.The book is hard to read without breaking the binder, so after some wear the pages will most likely pull out of the cover.

All in all though it is a treasure.

Great Gem
This was a random find and I love just opening this little book to a page and read the quotes or wisdom therein. I liked it so much, I bought a hardcover copy as a gift to someone or just as a coffee book. Its a little book and so portable.

Great info in a small presentation
I really liked this small but "big" book, basic begginers' info but refreshing. The good thing about yoga and this book is that each time you read/practice it you see something else you didn't "read/saw" before.
Really fits in your gym bag.

yoga wisdom
As the product suggests, this book is full of wisdom from around the globe and centuries.I love, LOVE this book because it has yoga teachings and many other useful guidance for life. I strongly recommend this book. ... 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
This book has been specially designed by the author keeping in mind the needs of the students of Yoga in Europe and America,who need practical but non-technical presentation of the subject in a language accessible to the beginner in the path.

At the end of the book an Appendix has been added and a glossary of Sanskrit terms given. ... Read more

Product Description
New larger format, easier to read and follow edition of this Yoga classic. Includes a brand new foreword by the author.B. K. S Iyengar's Light On Yoga is established now as the classic text for all serious students of yoga. It's a jewel in the list and we are delighted to have the enthusiastic support of B. K. S. Iyengar for this new edition.There has not been a substantial redesign of Light On Yoga since the 1960's and although this orginal, cramped design does sell, we know our new look book will broaden it's appeal, ensuring Light On Yoga remains fresh and accesible.Contains: / Step by step photo-guide to routines for beginners to highly advanced. / Guide to yoga breathing / Introduction to the philosophy behind the Yoga. / Guide to healing specific health problems with yoga poses.New design will appeal to new yoga readers and existing Iyengar students:Larger, more spacious, squarer format pages / Improved structure -- so its easy to see where one exercise ends and next begins / Updated page design and typeface / Larger, easier to read type / Larger photo's of each completed Asana (pose) -- to show more detail.Iyengar's original text is retained throughout and we also have a brand new foreword written by Mr Iyengar especially for this edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

A+
The book arrived sooner than estimated and in pristine condition, so Amazon gets another A+ from this satisfied customer!

OK
The book was what I ordered and Amazon delivered perfectly.However, the book itself is jammed into too small of a space.Hard to read and seemed stuffy.

The best
Im a student of yoga and I have to say this book is the best, Im a fan of Iyengar yoga and this book es easy to read and understand.

Light on Yoga
Light On Yoga is my favorite book on yoga!With today's many Western teaching modalities and variety of teaching styles, it is nice to come back to the this book and review the traditional alignment for the many different asana's in yoga.
This truly is a reference book with in- depth description of the pose's along with photos of Iyengar demonstrating each asana.

Oldest and still the Best 1 book on asana

As a yoga practitioner and teacher,this book has been a wonderful companion for many years. It would be very unusual indeed for a teacher to have either not heard of or own this book. The serious student would benefit from owning a copy also but for people new to yoga or who have physical restrictions, they may be better off looking at what people call "Therapeutic Yoga" these days. Hatha Yoga has always been a therapeutic discipline for over 5000 years but today we have the advantage of looking for specific areas that focus on a particular bias. Everyone should have the opportunity of learning how to master the mind-body complex.Camella Nair RYT author of "Aqua Kriya Yoga" ... 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
Millions of Americans know yoga as a superb form of exercise and as a potent source of calm in our stress-filled lives. Far fewer are aware of the full promise of yoga as a 4,000-year-old practical path of liberation--a path that fits the needs of modern Western seekers with startling precision.Now Stephen Cope, a Western-trained psychotherapist who has lived and taught for more than ten years at the largest yoga center in America, offers this marvelously lively and irreverent "pilgrim's progress" for today's world. He demystifies the philosophy, psychology, and practice of yoga, and shows how it applies to our most human dilemmas: from loss, disappointment, and addiction, to the eternal conflicts around sex and relationship. And he shows us that in yoga, "liberation" does not require us to leave our everyday lives for some transcendent spiritual plane--life itself is the path.Above all, Cope shows how yoga can heal the suffering of self-estrangement that pervades our society, leading us to a new sense of purpose and to a deeper, more satisfying life in the world.Amazon.com Review
Despite skeptical jibes from his well-meaning friends, StephenCope set off for a four-month yoga retreat in rural Massachusetts. Tenyears later, he is still there. A psychotherapist left in the lurchafter a long-term relationship, Cope was experiencing the same deepquestioning of life that he had witnessed so often in hispractice. His self-prescribed antidote was to pursue a life ofcontemplation and inner discovery that he had felt drawn to for sometime. Yoga and the Quest for the True Self is Cope's chronicleof self-discovery. Cope is at turns frank in describing his ownobstacles and epiphanies, brotherly in relating anecdotes of friendsand patients on similar quests, and clinical in his trenchantpsychological summations of why we find ourselves estranged and howyoga and meditation bring us back to clear awareness. Like MarkEpstein's Going toPieces Without Falling Apart, Yoga and the Quest for theTrue Self is a milestone in the melding of Eastern and Westernmethods of personal transformation. --Brian Bruya ... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

Finding the True Self is important for Life
A dear friend suggested this book to me. And I am very happy she did. Finding the True Self is very important to find enter peace and happiness with self. What Yoga/meditation do is help us to be still long enought for us to tap into the true self. Very great book to read.

Yoga and the quest for the true self
This is the most wonderful and skilful book I have ever read on yoga as it is so wonderfully truthful about yoga. Both of Stephen Cope books are a must for any true yogi, I have loved his work and his depth of insight into yoga. Stephenbrings the light to the truth of yoga, which we all know can be confusing and frustrating. So thank you Stephen for clearing up the yoga monopoly and all the misunderstanding that has been evident for century in the yoga fraternity. I am so very grateful I can now hand on this wisdom of truth to my yoga students to embrace. thank you!

Top 5 books I've ever read.
I rank Cope's work right up there with Prisoners of Childhood by Alice Miller. This book shed light on some of my own experience andgave voice to spiritual yearnings of my own. This is a yoga of transformation. Excellent.

Insightful and Accessible
I so enjoyed reading this book. I very much felt that this book is written for real people who are skeptical/curious about yoga philosophy.Cope takes you through step by step how and why yoga works using real language not hippie/bliss out language seen in other yoga books.Also, for someone who is familiar with psychotherapy and wanting to add a spiritual dimension to their self-care this book is invaluable in merging the two lines of thinking.This book was very influential to me - I plan to refer to it much as I continue to develop my yoga practice.

Honest, Deep and Practical.A Life Changing Book !
Yoga and the Quest for the True Self is definitely one of the best (if not the best) and most useful books I've ever read. It truly speaks to developing a mature, real life approach to spirituality.

Stephen Cope writes from a perspective that I feel really speaks to the Western spiritual seeker. He combines his experience and knowledge as a psychotherapist with his knowledge of Yoga and other spiritual paths.

While Yoga is a path of union, it appears only too clear that without removing the layers of psychological baggage, union with the divine cannot truly mainfest in ones life. All of the spiritual insights and epiphanies will never be more than a transparent veil placed thinly over the unresolved baggage. Insights without fertile ground to take root will soon fade or be used as another vehicle for ego building.

The author makes clear that the mature path of Yoga is not one of renunciation, or a solitary journey, but explains that "as spiritual practice matured in India there arose a radical new understanding of the paradox of action and inaction. This was the doctrine of inaction in action, and goes further to explain that Krishna teaches in the "Gita" to "Act in the world in alignment with your true vocation, your true self etc....." Clearly not a path of renunciation or a solitary path but one that involves action IN the world.

I found this book really spoke to me as a person on the spiritual path in a way that is truly transformative and not just a bunch of religious dogma. Using his own personal experiences and the experiences of other seekers throughout the book, he has woven a beautifully written guide that is really eye opening and practical. It clearly put into perspective many things that I have either personally struggled with or wondered about.

Stephen Cope makes no claims to be an enlightened master with "wisdom from on high"nor is he trying to "convert" anyone to a particular spiritual path. He explains how the various tools of yoga can help us become more in touch with our true selves. How the process and practice of Hatha Yoga for example, isn't just physical exercise but a spiritual and yet practical process that can help people grow by becoming grounded in their own bodies. At the same time one can work at developing their witness consciousness thru the process of Hatha Yoga.

Of the many things I took away from the book, one particularly valuable was the "mantra" Breathe, Relax, Feel, Watch, Allow" which can be used in Hatha Yoga practice, meditation, or even in one's ordinary life when they are scattered and want to become grounded, focused and internally centered.

Some have mistakenly concluded that the author's final assessment is that all of his spiritual practice was for nothing. While there is a "moment" in the book where Cope leaves in the middle of a retreat, a retreat that he had preconceived notions of it's outcome , that is not by any means the conclusion of the book. Actually the crux of what Stephen Cope comes to realize after refelecting on his10 years or so of practice is that "In the entire path of yoga, there is really only one lesson...... Whenever we relinquish our craving, clinging and grasping, whenever we stop the war with reality and are totally present and undivided, we are immediately in union with our true nature".

The book also talks about the Kripalu Center and it's own growth, through the early years with founder Amrit Desai, to his (Desai's) fall from grace, and how this community matured rather than fell apart in the midst of this controversy.

It also explains much about the "false" Guru phenomena. In particular what happens when disciples own needs for an "all knowing father" can in their own way create a monster of their own making.

If you are a Yoga practitioner who wants to go "beyond the postures" as strictly physical exercise, or a spiritual seeker of any faith who wants to read a book that speaks with honesty and depth, intelligence and insight (and to "real people") then I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (18)

Super cute and fun
My little girl loves yoga.The book has great pictures and at the end it gives parents something to read to better help work with the poses.

Great for Toddler Yoga
I am a yoga teacher and use this book A LOT! I appreciate the simple pictures and phrases.The kids love the pictures in the back of real kids doing all of the poses listed in the book.Wonderful!

yo! yoga!
my two year old daughter will pull out this book and her yoga mat when she wants to 'stretch' like her mommy.

great book for bonding, and a great beginning to teach our little ones about the fun to be had in yoga!!!!!

we have had so much fun and created so many fun memories! we absolutely love this book!!!!

Best yoga book for kids out there!
My sister (2 years old at the time) loved doing yoga with me and was starting to make me lookbad with her natural flexibility! :P

I wanted to find her a fun yoga book and checked out every single yoga for kids book and DVD from the library. This one was by far the winner. Some of the books were way too difficult and boring for her (My Daddy is a Pretzel) and some were just too weird (Wai Lana's Little Yogis VHS).

The first time we read this book she immediately jumped up and started trying the poses, all of which are perfect for kids and not so difficult that they get discouraged. She loved repeating back the animal noises and demanded that we read it again the second we finished reading it!

I also thought the illustrations were some of the cutest I've ever seen. The kids actually look like kids! I'm not digging the trend in kids' illustrations that make kids look like miniature emaciated adults.

Anyway, after reading it everyday while I had it from the library, I bought it here on Amazon along with Sleepy Little Yoga for her birthday. Now, at the ripe old age of 3 she's mastered all of the poses in this book and we can do the same poses together when I do yoga!

Great First Yoga Book!
My daughter (14 months) really loves this book. I didn't know if she would and honestly purchased it because I practice, but she thoroughly enjoys the illustrations and the pictures of the toddlers in the poses.I am going to purchase for friends who have little ones. ... 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
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

It's no secret that yoga increases muscular flexibility and strength, but you may not know that yoga is a proven treatment for back pain, knee pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other chronic pain conditions. Yoga also helps to ease the stress, anxiety, and depression that can create and reinforce pain, making you feel more comfortable in both your mind and your body.

Written by a yoga instructor and former chronic pain sufferer, Yoga for Pain Relief is packed with gentle postures and practical strategies for ending pain. This complete mind-body tool kit for healing also includes deep relaxation practices drawn from the yogic tradition and psychological techniques for helping you make peace with your body and dissolve pain. As the ancient practice of yoga releases the hold that chronic pain has over your life, you will begin to feel more like yourself again.

This book is very much in line with all that the American Chronic Pain Association teaches. I recommend that you relax, renew yourself, and enjoy your adventure through Yoga for Pain Relief.
-Penney Cowan, executive director of the American Chronic Pain Association

Those of us who practice yoga know that it has many benefits, like the reduction of all kinds of pain. Now we have a sourcebook that explains why yoga has this effect. McGonigal s book presents salient research on pain and its causes and explains exactly how yoga helps. This book is a must for yoga teachers and anyone suffering pain. Highly recommended.
-Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D., PT, yoga teacher and author of Yogabody

Customer Reviews (15)

Healing Yoga
I bought this book for my friend who has lupus.She said the stretches and exercises make her feel good.Everyone should give yoga a try.

Relief
Great little book to help to learn to ease tension and stress .
You will learn to calm the mind.

Practical Help
This book is calming and soothing in tone and content. It gives a clear path to follow in handling chronic pain and by extension, a lot of life's other challenges. The yoga exercises are not difficult and should be possible for a lot of people to do, depending on their situations. The breathing and meditation sections are great and focus on the concept of coping with your situation. The author gives a total program that can be customized to fit anyone's particular circumstances. I was very interested in her discussion of how the mind treats chronic pain and how changing one's thinking and approach can make pain easier to bear - and also happy to see that there were practical ways to go about it. Clearly written and easy to follow with sufficient photos.

A valuable, hopeful resource for those who are suffering
NOTE:I received a free copy of this book to review for the web site Metapsychology Online Reviews; please see a more complete version of my review on that site.

Yoga for Pain Relief offers simple strategies from the mind-body approach of yoga to ease pain--both physical and emotional--and to alleviate suffering.In her Introduction, author Kelly McGonigal describes how pain itself is a mind-body experience; she notes that chronic pain in particular is a learned response.Through the regular practice of yoga strategies, including breathing techniques, befriending the body, physical exercises, and relaxation, McGonigal maintains that one can attain greater control over one's mind and body both to increase comfort and to decrease suffering.

McGonigal begins by providing an overview of the pain response.She then introduces some basic ideas from the yogic tradition that will facilitate further discussion of the yoga healing practices.These concepts are very straightforward, such as the importance of the breath and the focus on the experience of inner joy as part of the practice.At this point, McGonigal is ready to begin reviewing some actual healing practices, starting in Chapter 3 with Breath.Throughout the practice segments of the book, there are detailed descriptions of how to perform the various exercises accompanied by clear, helpful black-and-white photos of McGonigal and other models demonstrating the movements.Also, at the end of every yoga practice chapter, McGonigal includes a "Putting it All Together" section which offers suggestions for how to use the exercises/practices in different ways.

The next chapter focuses on Befriending the Body, or moving from a more adversarial relationship with oneself and one's pain to one of compassion and acceptance.For the physical exercises, McGonigal's emphasis is always on healing.She presents gentle asana (held postures) and vinyasa (movements combined with breath), many of which are performed on the floor or can be modified with use of a chair.After introducing a basic pose sequence which can be combined in many different ways, McGonigal moves on to restorative postures.These poses require props to support the body and to allow for a more complete relaxation experience.The final yoga practice chapter focuses on Meditation.As with the previous chapters, McGonigal offers several different options for establishing a meditation practice and explains each in detail.

In the final chapter of the book, McGonigal offers suggestions for developing a personal yoga program.I especially liked her encouragement to establish a "homecoming" practice--that is, choosing just one simple exercise from the book that you will commit to practicing daily.She provides various suggestions for how to incorporate the exercises from the preceding chapters into different types of practices.In addition, McGonigal notes how the short personal vignettes from her students which appear throughout the book offer examples of various yoga rituals.McGonigal concludes the book with a Resources chapter offering information on books, music, DVDs, and other resources for people with pain.

For those who are suffering from chronic pain, this book is an excellent, hopeful resource.McGonigal herself is not only a psychology, yoga, and meditation instructor but also a former chronic pain sufferer.When practiced regularly--perhaps in as little as 15 minutes per day--these easy-to-use, gentle yoga techniques can give you the tools to manage your pain and to reduce your suffering.Dr. McGonigal has written a book that is clear, well-researched, easy-to-understand, and potentially extremely valuable, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

Hands-down best book on this topic
yoga for pain relief is hands-down the best guidebook written on the topic of yoga and chronic pain. It is practical, compassionate, science-based and easy to understand. This is Yoga; this is science; and best of all, this is accessible to people who do not know yoga.
Three specific groups of people should read this book - people with chronic pain, practitioners who treat people in pain, and all Yoga teachers. Kelly's expertise and experiences allow her to provide hope and a realistic view that improvements are possible. Her book offers compassionate guidance, and makes it clear that chronic pain is a complex multidimensional problem requiring much more than a recipe approach or modifications of yoga postures. Many of the simple to perform techniques she describes are effectively used in multidisciplinary pain management settings. Even people with severe pain will find some assistance from this guidebook. With over 20% of the North American population reporting chronic pain, there is a huge need for greater understanding of pain self-management and the role Yoga can play in recovery.
I recommend yoga for pain relief to my patients and students for the following reasons:
* The instructions are simple and easy to follow, including powerful breathing, body awareness, relaxation and meditation techniques.
* There are no recipes provided.
* The guidance includes many aspects of Yoga, rather than a biomechanical focus on Yoga postures as physical therapy.
* Her `five guidelines for movements that heal' answer an important question about how to move in the face of ongoing pain.
* The clarity that some techniques are for immediate pain relief and others are for long last benefits.
* The integration of real-person stories to highlight key aspects of recovery from pain.
* Comments such as, "Your goal is create peace of mind even in poses that create strong sensations of stretch or require effort to hold". The same goal of course applies when one is at the edge of increased pain.

Don't be misled by the title of this book. It teaches as much about chronic pain, pain self-management and the current science of pain as it does about Yoga. There is even a citation list for those interested in delving further into the science behind Yoga practices for people in pain.
Like all guide books, you may find the best results by working with a practitioner who understands Yoga and understand chronic pain. If you cannot locate one, don't let that stop you from slowly working through these techniques. Give them enough of your attention and enough practice and they will help you towards less pain, better movement and improved quality of life.
Neil Pearson, MSc, BScPT, BA-BPHE, CYT, RYT500 is a physiotherapist, certified yoga therapist, and Clinical Assistant Professor at University of British Columbia.He is the founding chair of the Pain Science Division of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association, and an active member of Pain BC Society.Neil travels extensively teaching pain science and pain management to health care professionals, yoga teachers and people in pain. His clinical work, in Penticton BC, is exclusively with people with complex pain problems. [...]
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Product Description
The innovative YogaKids(r) program offers more than just poses: It blends traditional yoga and its benefits with new theories of multiple learning styles in a comprehensive, imaginative, and playful approach to education.

The best-selling YogaKids(r) video (a Parent's Choice award winner) has been helping kids-and their parents-discover the pleasures and benefits of yoga for more than seven years. With this book, Marsha Wenig's fun and child-friendly course is expanded and enriched for parents, teachers, and caregivers.

YogaKids(r) presents more than 50 carefully selected poses, in clear, easy-to-follow, color photographs, paired with special activities that stimulate children's verbal, spatial, and artistic skills. The book includes special yoga routines to cover a multitude of common situations, such as calming down, getting ready for a test, or even riding in a car, as well as help for children with special needs. Parents learn the physical and emotional benefits of each pose; children discover that learning is fun, that exercise feels good, and that taking care of their bodies is easy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Excellent resource for teachers & parents
I teach Kid's Yoga & Energy Awareness and purchased this book as a reference book for ideas. I LOVE this book! It has great pictures (my 3.5 yr old also loves to look at it), simple explanations of the poses and wonderful ideas. I highly recommend this book if you are teaching your child yoga at home or are a teacher of anything kid-related. You could simply pick a few poses to teach them (my kids love volcano and I suggest they use this pose when they have 'steam to blow off'). I then use a Tai Chi pose called Waterfall to cool off all the fire from the volcano.

so good!
I LOVE THIS BOOK. beautiful picture and explain easy,detail to understand.
so kind book^^!

Fun and educational
I've searched for many yoga books for kids. This is by far one of the best! The photographs are bright, happy and eye-catching. It would be a great gift for a child interested in yoga. It goes beyond what I've found in similar books, even including a section on the chakras. I would recommend this book for parents, school teachers and definitely yoga teachers. The concepts are fun, inventive, and easy to understand.

Rip Off
I purchased "Yoga Kids: Education for the whole child through yoga" by Marsha Wenig for about $30 on Amazon.A few minutes after placing my order I visited the Yoga Kids website and found the SAME book for $18.I feel very ripped off by Amazon and Marsha Wenig.

For Adults Too!
Adults who are new to yoga can learn a lot from this book, regarding the principles and philosophies of yogs.This is a very well-rounded resource.My daughter is only three so she cannot do everything yet, but there is still plenty.I'm glad that she will be able to grow into this book and continue to find new things within it.I particularly like the charts in the back of the text that suggest music and picture books or poems that complement the poses.This is simply THE BEST yoga book for adults and kids to use together. ... 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