Books

Iyengar Yoga
Better Health with Foot Reflexology
Ask Your Body: Relieve Your Food Allergies Instantly and Naturally with Muscle Testing
Home Spa: Feet
Thai Massage
The Joy of Meditation: An Introduction to Meditation Techniques (Square One Classics)
Why We Pick the Mates We Do: a Step by Step Program to Select a Better Partner or Improve the Relationship You Are Already in
Why Stomach Acid Is Good for You
Being One: Finding Our Self in Relationship
Measurement and Evaluation in Human Performance
Exercise Prescription: A Case Study Approach to the ACSM Guidelines
Power Eating
First-Time Parents Survival Guide
Optimum Sports Nutrition
Designing Resistance Training Programs
Pain-free Arthritis: A 7-step Programme for Feeling Better Again
The Stress Buster Box
Tomato Power: Lycopene - The Miracle Nutrient That Can Prevent Aging, Heart Disease and Cancer
Questions for Kids: A Book to Discover a Childs Imagination and Knowledge
21st-century Dad: A New Father's Game Plan to Child Rearing
Men's Health (Not Rocket Science S.)
Black Swan: The Twelve Lessons of Abandonment Recovery
Mate Selection Across Cultures
The Little Book of Etiquette
The Little Book of Reflexology (Miniature Editions)

Back Care Basics: A Doctor's Gentle Yoga Program for Back and Neck Pain Relief

Average customer rating:

Extremely Helpful
Real yoga, really good advice, well written
Review by former physiology instructor and past back pain sufferer!
Not bad, but a let down for anyone with prior yoga experience
Detailed advice for fixing your back

Back Care Basics: A Doctor's Gentle Yoga Program for Back and Neck Pain Relief
Mary Pullig Schatz
Manufacturer: Rodmell Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Yoga | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Injuries & Rehabilitation | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Backache | Disorders & Diseases | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Pain Management | Disorders & Diseases | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Hatha Yoga | Hinduism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief, Second Edition
Structural Yoga Therapy: Adapting to the Individual
Yoga for Scoliosis
Taking Control of Tmj: Your Total Wellness Program for Recovering from Tempromandibular Joint Pain, Whiplash, Fibromyalgia, and Related Disorders
Backache: What Exercises Work

Accessories:

Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 0962713821

Book Description

Back Care Basics offers the low-cost solution for back care in the new millenium: therapeutic yoga. Dr. Schatz's approach to back rehabilitation is gentle, effective, and without drugs or surgery. Her program encourages both positive health practices and a positive outlook; the important tools needed for prevention and healing. Dr. Schatz has designed this program to help those with pain from chronic musculoskeletal back and neck strain, spinal arthritis, osteoporosis, premenstrual syndrome, pregnancy, and scoliosis. Simple and practical ways to heal the back, restructure the body, and cope with stress are taught so that one becomes more sensitive to early warning signs of an impending "back attack" and what to do to ward it off.

Customer Reviews:

Extremely Helpful.......2006-08-13

I have scoliosis and this book has been a tremendous resource in understanding and caring for my condition. The book is a good start and it eventually got me interested in taking some yoga classes and exploring some of the different practices. I'm so glad I found this book; yoga has been a positive force in my life for some time now.

Real yoga, really good advice, well written.......2006-08-07

Lots of back pain books provide exercises, but this one takes them directly from the Iyenger Yoga method; Iyenger revolutionized Yoga from the 1960's to the present by applying contemporary knowledge of anatomy and physiology to the traditional and spiritual aspects of yoga. Teachers trained and certified in Iyenger Yoga are a 'cut' above others from my lengthy experience with Yoga practice. That said, dr. Schatz uses Iyenger's methods (Iyenger also wrote the intro) to design a comprehensive program for all types of back and neck problems; she also provides accurate and clear illustrations of the spine structure and related anatomy. The photos are very clear and easy to understand as are the instructions of asanas and restorative poses.. The book is the right length, size and format. Many back problems can be treated. This book offers programs for many of them; also included is a self-analysis of one's own current posture and alignment. This is no quick fix book; the programs she recommends may take a couple of years to 'work' but it's definitely worth it to live a more vigorous, pain reduced or pain free life.

Review by former physiology instructor and past back pain sufferer!.......2006-06-06

This is my favorite book for addressing back pain issues. It presents a great foundation in the basic anatomy of the back and then uses this information to develop the concepts that help people understand why back and neck pain occur and how to correct it.

The book contains progressive exercises and workouts of various lengths that use Iyengar yoga to address back pain. Each exercise is carefully explained and includes good tips on how to perform each correctly. I also like that it provides the rationale for each exercise and important points to focus on while performing each movement.

There are also chapters on specific problems. This is definitely a comprehensive reference and it has helped me a lot with my own back problems. In addition, it is an excellent overall introduction to yoga.

The author is a physician who had back problems herself. She is highly credible and treated her own back problems with the methods described. I recommend this book to anyone interested in an introduction to yoga or wanting to learn more about rehabilitating back and neck problems using yoga.

Finally, if you are looking for another book on this topic "The Pilates Back Book" by Tia Stanmore is also very good. It also starts out more gently and is somewhat more accessible. However, it's not nearly as comprehensive or as detailed in describing the exercises. I own and use both and recommend owning both to people who are serious about understanding and working with back issues. (

Personally, I also found Tai Chi helpful before I was ready to do yoga. However, I don't have a book I would recommend that would be a good standalone resource. If you go this route, it's probably best to find a good teacher who is also a physical therapist or at least has some knowledge of dealing with back and neck related issues.

Not bad, but a let down for anyone with prior yoga experience.......2006-03-14

The best part of this book is the section on evaluating your own back problems. I learned quite a bit about my own back pain, posture, etc.. I did have a bit of a problem with the section on scoliosis where you have to have a partner help you - if you don't have a partner, you're apparently out of luck. I was also a bit disappointed with the fact that this book assumes no prior experience with yoga. I have practiced yoga at the intermediate level for about 2 years, and was hoping to find a resource that would advise me on what poses would be specifically helpful for my back problems, and perhaps which poses to avoid. For someone at my level, this book is a bit *too* gentle.

Detailed advice for fixing your back.......2006-03-03

I got this book because it came recommended by my Yoga teachers, one of them being one of two advanced Iyengar certified teachers in the world. For the uninitiated: this recommendation comes from someone who seriously knows the body and how the fix it.

This book is great because it starts out with a detailed physiological description of what is going on in your back so that you can approach fixing it in a more academic sense. It then gives you detailed instructions on how you can evaluate the health and structure of your own back, so that you can identify what is wrong with it now, and what could go wrong in the future. Then it moves on to the exercises and targets specific muscle groups and types of pain, showing you how to open, lengthen, and strengthen neglected muscles.

As an 25 year old Iyengar Yoga pracitioner, I consider my back to be reasonably healthy, but still found many exercises in here that I could benefit from doing. For the seriously afflicted patient or their care taker, this book is a wonderful self motivated tool for improvement. Even if you have very mild pain, doing the exercises now will prevent that mild pain from becoming debilitating later on.

Great book!

Average customer rating:

Shed your own Light....
One of the Best translations of the Vedic Scriptures!!!!
even if you have never been to a yoga class ...
excellent, but only for professionals
The theory behind the practice

Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
B.K.S. Iyengar
Manufacturer: Thorsons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Yoga | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Eastern Philosophy | Other Eastern Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Sutras | Hinduism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Light On Pranayama: The Yogic Art of Breathing
Light on Yoga: The Bible of Modern Yoga...
Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom
The Tree of Yoga (Shambhala Classics)
Yoga: A Gem for Women

ASIN: 0007145160

Book Description

This book provided readers with a fresh and accessible translation of this ancient text.

Customer Reviews:

Shed your own Light...........2007-05-10

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are a simple, clear series of aphorisms designed to help a person realize that the human mind is controllable. This authors' ruminations and personal opinions prove that, given enough pages to write on, an author can muddy even the clearest water.
As Patanjali himself said, "There is knowledge of everything through intuition".
My recommendation is this: Save your money. Find a copy of Patanjali's Sutras,
without editorial comment.Listen to his words.Feel your own intuition. You will be amazed at what you find.

One of the Best translations of the Vedic Scriptures!!!!.......2006-10-25

This Translation of the Yoga sutras...is Superb!!! The only translation of this or any other vedic scripture that is on the same level is Swami Satchitandas yoga sutras, both are the jewels of all modern translations of the Vedas! I have been studying and practising the vedic religion since 1996 and both B.K.S Iyengar and Swami Satchitanandas translations are the most comprehensive, in-depth, intuitive, scholarly and truly Spiritual and Vedic. I believe that the reason that both men have written such Great translations...is because they are generational Caste Brahmanas....period. That is why they have such an in-depth understanding of the Vedic sriptures and principles. Iyengars translation...to me, is Mind blowing!!! I could only read one or two pages at a time, just to really ingest and digest the information on an intuitive and intellectual levels. With this translation and Swami Satchitanandas translations....ALL OTHER TRANSLATIONS OF THE VEDAS PALE IN COMPARISION!...and are the scribblings of philosopical neophytes....period.

even if you have never been to a yoga class ..........2005-12-30

... this book will still be of great interest and value to you if you are spiritually inclined.

the top reviewers assertion that the yoga sutras represents the theory behind the practice of hatha yoga is not really correct.

hatha yoga (which is what 'yoga' normally stands for in the west) is actually only a minor part of the yoga sutras - i think it occurs in no more than a single verse in the text! one can infact say that to be a yogi as per patanjali one needn't even practice hatha yoga!

historically the most ancient philosophical school in india was the saamkya as taught by the sage kapila (even for the historical buddha circa 500 bc, kaplia was 'ancient'). patanjala yoga is traditionally considered the sister system of the saamkya. while saamkya taught metaphysics and the theory of enlightenment - about the eternal purusha (one's true self/soul), the transient praakriti (primal matter which includes the body and mind as well as the objects we experience), how the purusha is seduced by the 'dance' of praakriti and thus bound to a limited existence and how the seperation of the two effects enlightenment - yoga provided a practical path as to how such enlightenment can be effected. thus one of the traditional meanings of the sanskrit words 'saamkya' and 'yoga' itself is 'theory' and 'practice'.

the heart of the yoga sutra lies in the verse 'chitta vritti nirodah' - the cessation of mental modifications. ie when the mind is controlled and brought to stillness, you will know the true nature of your own self - enlightenment.

hatha yoga can be used as an aid to achieve this goal - that is what it was created for - but that doesn't make it indispensable. there're even more serious philosophical/spiritual/ethical/discipinary issues involved which is what this text mostly covers apart from the philosophy.

so this book is more for those who're looking for greater spiritual/philosophical depth behind/beyond the science of hatha yoga. or for anybody who is looking for greater depth and meaning and spirituality in life even if they have never been to a yoga class. this is a seriously deep spiritual text.

btw saamkya had no place for 'God' in its philosophy. even for patanjali, yoga does not mean union with god (as per the popular interpretation) - rather the seperation of purusha from praakriti, where god *can* help.

excellent, but only for professionals.......2005-07-31

This beautiful book from the world teacher Iyengar was difficult to read, and I am teaching yoga already for 25 years. So, for me it was marvellous, but not recommended for beginners.

Herman Gielen. Holland.

The theory behind the practice.......2003-10-20

There was yoga before the time of Patanjali but it was not written down, or at least no text survives. We find elements of the practice in the Upanishads and of course in the Bhagavad Gita. But before Patanjali's codification there was no systematic text to guide the aspirant. Since then Patanjali's sutras have been translated into many languages along with commentary to elucidate the concise text, with Vyasa's commentary from the ninth century--upon which Iyengar makes some reliance--being the most important.

With the publication of this book a decade ago, B.K.S. Iyengar laid his claim to being one of the world's foremost experts not only on the practice of yoga--which he certainly is--but on its theory as well. Mark well that the bulk of what we call yoga stems from these pithy aphorisms first written down by the Indian sage Patanjali some eighteen hundred years ago.* One can see in this authoritative, comprehensive--indeed, nearly exhaustive--translation and commentary that Iyengar aspires to take his place among the great yogis of history.

For each of the 196 aphorisms (most texts have 195 omitting number 3.22 as superfluous, which Iyengar includes), Iyengar gives first the Sanskrit, then the Sanskrit in transliteration. Then he breaks down the expression into its individual words and gives an English translation of each word. Indeed he often gives several possible English equivalents for each Sanskrit word. Then he gives his English translation of the aphorism. In this way the reader can judge the fidelity of Iyengar's expression. Better yet, the reader can have reference to another translation (I have Ernest Wood's, Alistair Shearer's and Barbara Stoler Miller's in front of me, but there are many others) and compare the results, and in doing so, come to a fuller appreciation of Patanjali's sometimes enigmatic words.

Finally there are Iyengar's commentaries on each of the aphorisms, some of which cover several pages. Occasionally Iyengar gives tables for further clarification; indeed there are 18 tables and diagrams spread throughout the text. The sutras and commentary are framed with an Introduction, an Epilogue and four Appendices. There is a Glossary and an Index.

To be candid, there is more in this book than can be assimilated by most persons interested in yoga. Even the most sincere practitioners will find the information and interpretation given by Iyengar daunting. Some may also object to Iyengar's non-secular presentation. While he stops short of calling yoga a religion, it is only the word "religion" that is left out! Iyengar makes his position clear from the opening sutra which he translates as "With prayers for divine blessings, now begins an exposition of the sacred art of yoga." Usually this opening statement is rendered simply as, "Now, instruction in yoga." In the Sanskrit there are only three words. Iyengar even identifies Patanjali as "an evolved soul incarnated of his own will to help humanity" who has "assumed human form, experienced our sorrow and joys, and learned to transcend them." (p. 1)

Clearly Iyengar is taking a more spiritual position in this book than he took in his famous treatise on hatha yoga, Light on Yoga, first published in 1965, although even there he calls yoga "the true union of our will with the will of God."

Personally, I have no problem with this. Properly understood, yoga is a religion if one so desires; and properly understood yoga is not a religion if that is what is appropriate. Most authorities believe that yoga works best as an adjunct to religion so that one can practice yoga and remain devout in one's own faith; in fact this is the usual practice. Furthermore, the emphasis here, as in all of Iyengar's work, is on the practical and the non-sectarian so that Iyengar's yoga is accessible and appropriate for persons of all faiths, and is in negation of none.

I should add that from the spiritual yogi's point of view the idea of God is not personal. Although Patanjali refers to Isvara as our Lord and as God, many authorities believe that this is an inexplicit augmentation of his text that one may take or leave as one sees fit. Indeed most yogis who embrace God embrace a God similar to the God of the Vedas; that is a God that is Ineffable about which nothing can be said, a God beyond any human comprehension, a God without any attributes that we could name.

By the way, Patanjali's yoga is often referred to as astanga yoga (astanga meaning "eight-limbed") because there are eight limbs or steps leading to liberation. It is also called raja yoga, the so-called king's yoga that comes after one has mastered the preliminaries of hatha yoga. More correctly however, hatha yoga and raja yoga are both integral parts of Patanjali's program with the purely physical aspects including asana and pranayama being mentioned but without any exposition. It wasn't until the middle ages and such works as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika by Svatmarama that hatha yoga gained prominence as something separate.

There are four other yogas that have come down to us from ancient times that should not be confused with Patanjali's yoga. They are bhakti yoga, the yoga of faith and devotion; karma yoga, the yoga of selfless work; jnana yoga, the yoga of knowledge; and tantric yoga, the mystical yoga of self-indulgence. All but the latter are mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita.

*Iyengar identifies Patanjali with the grammarian who lived some four hundred years earlier, but this is more of a traditional understanding than it is historical; most scholars including Georg Feuerstein and Mircea Eliade believe that Patanjali the grammarian and Patanjali the author of the Yoga Sutras are different persons who lived at different times.

Bottom line: this is as close to an essential work on Patanjali as I have read. Any serious aspirant should have this book and study it.

Average customer rating:

Excellent
Great Yoga technique!
Informative and easy
Take the nutritional advice with a grain of salt!
A beautiful and complete collection of expert yoga information

Yoga: The Path To Holistic Health
B.K.S. Iyengar , and Daphne Razazan
Manufacturer: DK ADULT
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Yoga | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Holistic | Alternative Medicine | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Hatha Yoga | Hinduism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Light on Yoga: The Bible of Modern Yoga...
The Light On Pranayama: The Yogic Art of Breathing
Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom
Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners
Yoga: The Iyengar Way

Accessories:

Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, Original Orange, 10 Tablets (Pack of 3)
Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor
RESPeRATE Blood Pressure Lowering Device

ASIN: 0789471655

Book Description

Around the world, increasing numbers of people are turning to yoga as a means of keeping fit and reducing stress. In this comprehensive and highly illustrated guide B.K.S. Iyengar, the world's leading teacher of yoga, shares his unique, holistic approach. For Iyengar, yoga is more than just a form of exercise; it is a holistic experience that benefits the body, mind, and spirit. He outlines the philosophy and ideals behind this ancient practice and explains how yoga can help to counter the stresses of modern living. Designed for every level of ability, age, and physical condition, there are detailed instructions for beginner, intermediate, and advanced students. Clearly illustrated, step-by-step instructions explain how to perform each yoga asana, or posture, correctly, while a unique 360-degree view of the final pose shows exactly how to position each part of the body. A special section introduces B.K.S. Iyengar's innovative use of props, enabling beginners or the less flexible to practice the classic yoga asanas more easily and effectively. A further section illustrates sequences of asanas to treat or prevent a wide range of ailments. In addition, there is a 20-week yoga course, personally formulated by B.K.S. Iyengar, which progresses from simple to more challenging postures. Without a doubt, Yoga: The Iyengar Way is the definitive guide to the practice of yoga by the master.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2007-06-15

This is the best yoga book because it gives excellent guidance to perform the postures safely which is very important. I'm doing specific postures for a health issue and they really work. I am amazed by the power in them to affect healthy functioning of the body. I highly recommend it along with diet and other approaches to resolving health issues.

Great Yoga technique!.......2007-05-18

I find BKS Iyengar yoga to be awesome. I began this style practice in a local yoga studio. I recently purchased this book to help strengthen my home practice. I value the details of each pose, it reassures me that I am doing the poses correctly. It is a great purchase!

Informative and easy.......2007-03-10

This book is one of the best for yoga, whether beginning or advanced. All information is laid out well and easy to follow.

Take the nutritional advice with a grain of salt!.......2006-11-21

B.K.S. Iyengar stands as the greatest modern innovator and popularizer of hatha yoga.

But I hope that this review will help prevent the admiration which he certainly deserves from spilling over into unthinking adulation.

Why? This book offers plentiful, good advice on asana practice, but in its advice on nutrition, among several other topics, this book just doesn't stand up. Iyengar makes no reference to protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, food allergies, eating disorders -- he instead only provides a very brief gloss on ancient Hindu concepts of sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic foods. (I suggest a Web search on those words to get a detailed understanding of them, and their cultural context.)

On pages 18 and 19, Iyengar attempts to "sell" yoga, going so far as to contend that the physical exercise in yoga is intrinsically different from other physical activity involving the same or nearly the same actions. For example, he disparages isometric exercise for aging people, although isometric exercise is widely recommended for aging people and is a major component of many yoga poses.

Iyengar's advice on application of yoga to certain physical ailments is just as far off the mark, as Dr. Mohamed F. El-Hewie indicates in his Amazon review of this book.

Iyengar has traveled the world and been exposed to educated people from many cultures, making these deficits is all the more perplexing. Yoga certainly isn't *the* one path to holistic health, it doesn't address all aspects of that topic, and less so when it doesn't embrace modern knowledge.

To summarize, this book is useful for its advice on yoga practice, but Iyengar has overstepped his limits on other topics. He also has suffered from the work of editors who would not help shape the book to reflect its title properly, or else select a title to reflect the content. Want to compare, contrast, be led onward? This book doesn't even have a bibliography!

Well, enough, I need to have time for my asana practice today.

A beautiful and complete collection of expert yoga information.......2006-08-19

I am a complete beginner to yoga...less than 6 months of practice and I'm 64 years old... Even with an excellent yoga teacher and a once a week class, I felt I needed some type of guide so I could do yoga at home. Videos went too fast for me and often I'd be unable to see the TV from the floor.. This book was absolutely perfect....as yoga requires a lot of practice in order to become more limber and competent. After taking many different yoga books out of the library and this being one of them, I felt I had to own it because this was the only book where I could find a specific pose, read exactly what to do (and what not to do), see beautiful photographs of someone doing the pose and adapt any of the poses to my own level by adding my own props.

In no way are all the poses easy and many are advanced, but with props like blankets, blocks and belts, most are adaptable to a person's age and fitness level. Also, I like the fact that many variations are shown for each pose so I have easier
options if I need it. I would honestly say this book is as appropriate for a beginner as it might be for an advanced student.

This book is quite large, actually more of a coffee table book, and if I had to say one negative thing about it, it would be that it's a little cumbersome, having to prop it up somewhere in order to see the photograph while practicing. The advantage
of the book being large is that I am seeing a large detailed photo of a person doing each pose, step by step.

This book has so much information about each pose that I find myself reading it just to learn what health issues a pose might help. For example for better digestion, a whole group of poses are categorized together and then broken down into specific ailments, specifically if someone had an ulcer or irritable bowel syndrome there are specific poses on different pages for each. There is a guide for those who want to do an individual yoga practice, suggesting 20 weeks of asanas (poses) to do if someone wanted to completely learn yoga without a teacher at all.

There is always a list of cautions with each pose and always a list of benefits. Very few yoga books I've read explained this much and often I just do poses for women's health or mind and emotions. There are wonderful uplifting quotes interspersed
throughout the book, like, "Yoga is the golden key which unlocks the door to peace, tranquility and joy".

I like looking at the photos of the skeletal system and muscular system which are
located in the back of the book and there is an extensive glossary that translates sanskrit terms. Every pose is listed in sanskrit and has an English translation.

Important information like how to come out of the pose is rarely included in other
yoga books but I found it immensely important for a beginner. I love this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants to own a really complete, well written, and definitively illustrated yoga guide, written by a wonderful master teacher, B.K.S. Iygengar.

Light on Yoga: The Bible of Modern Yoga...

Average customer rating:

GREAT BOOK
The essence of yoga
Excellent yoga book
Light on Yoga
If You Could Have Only One Book on Hatha . . .

Light on Yoga: The Bible of Modern Yoga...
B. K. S. Iyengar
Manufacturer: Schocken
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Yoga | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Meditation | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Hatha Yoga | Hinduism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners
Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom
The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice
The Light On Pranayama: The Yogic Art of Breathing
Anatomy of Movement

Accessories:

Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 0805210318
Release Date: 1995-01-03

Book Description

The definitive guide to the philosophy and practice of Yoga--the ancient healing discipline for body and mind--by its greatest living teacher. Light on Yoga provides complete descriptions and illustrations of all the positions and breathing exercises. Features a foreword by Yehudi Menuhin. Illustrations throughout.

Customer Reviews:

GREAT BOOK.......2007-06-20

Tells you everything you need to know about Modern Yoga, it gives a physical view of the poses and even the back ground. I really enjoy this book.

The essence of yoga.......2007-05-17

The best reference on yoga poses with thorough explanations of how to get in, be in and get out of each pose safely and effectively. Also provides excellent context for how poses relate to one another and progress one to the other. Though Iyengar yoga instruction is the key to learning how to practice yoga properly, this book is your best friend after class and when conducting a home-based practice.

Excellent yoga book.......2007-05-08

I have just started practicing yoga and I think that this is an excellent book for a beginner. I like the fact that each asana is explained in such detail and that the benefits of each asana are also enumerated. It ia an outstanding companion to my Iyengar yoga classes. I read some of it almost every day.

Light on Yoga.......2007-03-14

A MUST for all serious students of yoga. It is not an easy read, but the information is necessary for a complete practice.

If You Could Have Only One Book on Hatha . . . .......2007-01-18

. . . this would be it. It contains clear explanations and photographs of every asana there is--or, to be more precise, if it isn't in here, you don't need it. The brief section on yoga philosophy is excellent, as is the brief, but thorough, introduction to pranayama. This book has been The Bible of hatha yoga since its publication and deservedly so.

The tone of the book, however, is very austere. Very no-nonsense. And humorless. Given the nature of the book, those are certainly not to be considered flaws. But to lighten and sweeten your yoga reading and library, you would probably do well to add one of Donna Farhi's excellent books, or the Sivananda Companion, or really any other contemporary hatha-oriented text that appeals to you. Iyengar is a master and a master teacher, but his prose here does not make one feel like hitting the mat. It's quite cold and technical. If, like me, you find it helpful to have an author who coaxes and coaches and does some virtual hand-holding, get a more touchy-feely text to go along with this one.

Average customer rating:

Great information!
Good for the beginner, not useful for me
1st Yoga book
Excellent book to amateurs of hata yoga
Yoga: The Iyengar Way

Yoga: The Iyengar Way
Silva Mehta , Mira Mehta , and Shyam Mehta
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Yoga | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Hatha Yoga | Hinduism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Light on Yoga: The Bible of Modern Yoga...
The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice
How to Use Yoga: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Iyengar Method of Yoga, for Relaxation, Health and Well-Being
Yoga: The Path To Holistic Health
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: Commentary on the Raja Yoga Sutras by Sri Swami Satchidananda

Accessories:

Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 0679722874
Release Date: 1990-04-07

Book Description

A comprehensive, practical, and authoritative guide to the method developed by Iyengar. 100 key postures with detailed step-by-step instructions and photographs. This is our most recently published yoga book and has quickly become a backlist bestseller.

Customer Reviews:

Great information!.......2007-03-10

The book is very well laid out with clear pictures and explanations on the moves. I am really enjoying it.

Good for the beginner, not useful for me.......2006-11-04

This was a required text for a yoga teacher training I took. I found it an nice introduction but compared to Iyengars light on yoga it is a brief overview. I'm going to give it to my Mom who has a bit of a yoga practice. It will be perfect for her.

1st Yoga book.......2006-06-27

This book provides a great overview of the poses and other information for people just beginning Iyengar yoga. It is easy to understand and not at all intimidating. It is not too long either. I am really glad I purchased it!

Excellent book to amateurs of hata yoga.......2006-03-20

Easy to understand. Excellet for beginers et lovers of hata yoga who wants to work at home safely.

Yoga: The Iyengar Way.......2006-02-23

If you are new to yoga, this is an essential book to have. Stresses form and body tracking.

The Light On Pranayama: The Yogic Art of Breathing

Average customer rating:

Highly detailed classic for serious practioners
Perfect!
An excellent work!
Too much unnecessary in depth, not simple
Fabulous book

The Light On Pranayama: The Yogic Art of Breathing
B.K.S. Iyengar
Manufacturer: Crossroad General Interest
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Yoga | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Light on Yoga: The Bible of Modern Yoga...
Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom
Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners
Yoga: The Path To Holistic Health

Accessories:

Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 0824506863

Book Description

In this classic, a yoga master describes the techniques of breathing together with a comprehensive background of yoga philosophy in this authoritative, practical and indispensable guide.

Customer Reviews:

Highly detailed classic for serious practioners.......2006-12-17

I teach meditation and I am educated in biology, biochemistry and psychology. I am also a student of world religions and a yoga practioner. During my graduate school years, I was also a Teaching Fellow in Physiology and I teach workshops on pranayama and biofeedback. Therefore, I think my opinion has some weight in this arena although I realize there are more serious yoga practioners who have more in-depth knowledge than me. My purpose in sharing this information is to provide context from my review. I hope this is useful.

This book is incredibly detailed and goes deeply into respiratory physiology, muscles, practices and the details of pranayama practice. There are clear explanations, however, many people may find them to technical without a biology background or the desire to take this information in slowly.

There are many good diagrams and photos in the book that any practitioner will find helpful. In some cases, they are unique in the yoga literature in some way and I can't imagine not having this book on your shelf if you are serious about the practice of pranayama.

While this is not the most colorful or modern looking text, it certainly packs a lot of information into a small space. It is also written by someone who has travelled this road and understands it both technically and from the inside. In short, it is an authoratative text on this subject.

A lighter book along the same lines which I have also read is the Science of Breath. For beginners, this title might be more appropriate. However, any practioner at any level will eventually want to own this book.

Perfect!.......2006-10-23

This book is a treasure to me. It teaches a safe means of progressing through all of the variations of pranayamas. If all of the advice is taken, there will be no problems in this area of your personal practice.

This is only one part of the yogic path, though. The rest needs to be in place for this to be effective. For that I rely on Yogani's Advanced Yoga Practices book. It gives step by step, safe instructions utilizing the techniques of the Gheranda Samhita, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, as well as other great works. I highly recommend it to any serious yoga student.

I am so glad to have found "Light on Pranayama". I am somewhat of a beginner to the serious practice I've undertaken, but with this book I feel confident that I will succeed. Thank you BKS Iyengar.

An excellent work! .......2006-03-19

As far as I know, it is the only work that gives such complete instructions for this very important aspect of yoga. It deserves more attention.

Too much unnecessary in depth, not simple.......2006-02-24

Mr Iyengar says you need teacher to practice Pranayama, on the other side he makes thick book which he himself thinks can not be used without a teacher. After reading many books, I have concluded following:

Try The Little Book of Yoga Breathing: Pranayama Made Easy instead of B.K.S. Iyengar's book and see for yourself.

Scott Shaw's book is an answer to any introductory pranayama and worths it's weight in gold.

Following are two techniques:
Alternate Nostril Breathing
(Anulom Vilom Pranayama with no breath retention) This pranayama (control breathing) is done with alternate breathing from the left and right nostrils for cleansing of Nadis. (energy meridians). Seated in a convenient posture, start off with slow inhalation from the left nostril first by closing the right nostril with the middle of right hand thumb ,and after fully filling the lungs, (not the belly breathing) breathe out slowly from the right nostril by closing the left nostril with the two ( left hand middle and ring) fingers. Now breathe in from the right nostril by closing the left nostril in the above manner and exhale from the left nostril by closing the right nostril with the right thumb. It completes one cycle. Do this for three minutes for two months then gradually increase to 5 minutes.

Do it two hour after eating or drinking. (Do it on empty-stomach) Do not eat for 15 minute after you are done. Better to lie down for five minutes after you are done. If you limit practice to maximum of five minutes, it will be the best.

The very first sign you will experience is lightness in the body and clearer thinking.

The practice of this breathing for a period of three to four months can open up thirty to forty percent of the heart arteries' blockages. This pranayama alleviates all the diseases of the body, leads to the state of joy, enthusiasm for living , fearlessness, peace of mind and deep meditation.

Benefits:
-Hair will regrow within two months of practice.
-Body will go to it's ideal weight by itself.
-Face becomes bright and luminous.
-Lost vision will return.
-Removes fear/anxiety of any kind.
- Aligns both hemisphere of the brain for full brain functionality
- Creates a deeper sense of well-being and harmony
- Helps alleviate migraines and headaches and frazzled states of being
- Works great in situations where you find yourself anxious, board and need grounding
-Blockages in the arteries of the heart are removed and the arteries become clean, making circulation unimpeded.

Ujjayi Pranayama

1. You can do this sitting, standing or walking anywhere anytime.

2. Inhale slowly through both nostrils, keeping the throat slightly constricted so as to make a gentle sound that will help you to feel the breath in the throat. The sound will remind you of ocean waves washing up the beach. Concentrate on the feeling of the breath moving in and out through the throat.

3. During inhalation do not allow abdomen to bulge out, let the chest expand.

4. After completing inhalation slowly exhale. (Either by both nostrils or by left nostril) During exhalation chest should go inside and abdomen should remain steady.

Remember :-

1. While doing Ujjiayi air should touch the throat.

2. Breath must be mentally locked in chest area. (Do not do belly breathing)

3. After practicing it for few days, knowing your limitations, keep the ratio between inhalation and exhalation 1 : 2.

4. In easy Ujjiayi Pranayama, inhalation and exhalation can be practiced by both the nostrils.

Benefits:
This simple practice has a subtle influence on the whole body. It calms the mind and has a soothing effect on the nervous system. Ujjayi is very useful for people with high blood pressure as it slows down the heartbeat. It has subtle effects on the flow of life force in the astral (energy) body and helps you to be aware of its movement within the sushumna (astral spine).

Fabulous book.......2005-12-09

What an excellent book on the art of pranayama, a skill which requires respect and conscienciousness. I have read the "Light on Yoga," another book yogis should not be without. Both books offer an avenue into the vast Hindu pantheon. To the reviewer who thinks Hinduism is gibberish, you are truly missing the point of yoga. Yoga and Hinduism cannot be separated. If you want a practice devoid of sprituality do pilates or aerobics. Yoga is designed to prepare the body for a spiritual practice, whether you want it or not.

Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom

Average customer rating:

A book telling of a journey
And I always thought...
beautiful
Obviously, it's Iyengar
True light

Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom
B.K.S. Iyengar
Manufacturer: Rodale Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Yoga | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Light on Yoga: The Bible of Modern Yoga...
The Light On Pranayama: The Yogic Art of Breathing
The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice
Yoga: The Path To Holistic Health
Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners

ASIN: 1594865248
Release Date: 2006-09-19

Preface

If this book is to lay any claim to authenticity, it must make one point clear above all others. It is this: By persistent and sustained practice, anyone and everyone can make the yoga journey and reach the goal of illumination and freedom. Krishna, Buddha, and Jesus lie in the hearts of all. They are not film stars, mere idols of adulation. They are great inspirational figures whose example is there to be followed. They act as our role models today. Just as they reached Self-Realization, so may we.

Many of you may worry that you are unable to meet the challenges that lie ahead. I want to assure you that you can. I am a man who started from nowhere; I was heavily disadvantaged in many ways. After much time and effort, I began to reach somewhere. I literally emerged from darkness to light, from mortal sickness to health, from crude ignorance to immersion in the ocean of knowledge by one means alone, namely by zealous persistence in the art and science of yoga practice (sadhana). What held good for me will hold good for you too. Today you also have the benefit of many gifted yoga teachers.

When I began yoga, there was, I am sorry to say, no wise, kind teacher to lead me. In fact my own Guru refused to answer any of my innocent inquiries on yoga. He did not instruct me as I do my students, offering them step-by-step guidance in an asana. He would simply demand a posture and leave it to me or his other students to figure out how it could be realized. Perhaps that stimulated some stubborn aspect of my nature, which allied to unshakable faith in the subject of yoga made me burn to go on. I am ardent and passionate, and maybe I needed to show the world that I was not worthless. But far more than that, I wanted to find out who I was. I wanted to understand this mysterious and marvelous "yoga," which could reveal to us our innermost secrets, as equally as it revealed those of the universe around us and our place in it as joyful, suffering, puzzled human beings. Download entire preface in .pdf format here.

Downloadable Excerpts

Click on the images below to download excerpts from B.K.S. Iyengar's Light on Life in .pdf format.

Preface Download Preface	Chapter 4: Clarity Download Chapter 4	Asanas for Emotional Stability Download Asanas for Emotional Stability
Index Download Index

Book Description

B.K.S. Iyengar—hailed as "the Michelangelo of yoga" (BBC) and considered by many to be the most important living yoga master—has spent much of his life introducing the modern world to the ancient practice of yoga. Yoga’s popularity is soaring, but its widespread acceptance as an exercise for physical fitness and the recognition of its health benefits have not been matched by an understanding of the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual development that the yogic tradition can also offer. In Light on Life, B.K.S. Iyengar brings readers this new and more complete understanding of the yogic journey. Written with the depth of this sage’s great wisdom, Light on Life is the culmination of a master’s spiritual genius, a treasured companion to his seminal Light on Yoga.

Customer Reviews:

A book telling of a journey.......2007-05-13

I thought this was quite an interesting book of life--the life of B.Y.S. Iyengar. Recommended for those who are real curious.

And I always thought..........2007-05-03

...he was just another pretty face. Here is a work of genius. Iyengar's sincerity exudes from every page. What a fine man, and what a gift this book is, from one who has already given us so much. He has plumbed the depths of his yoga, and we are all the richer for it.

beautiful.......2007-04-01

A gem of a book. I had the good fortune of have met venerable Iyengar and he is such a great being.
This book is full of wisdom and wonder.
Thanks!

Obviously, it's Iyengar.......2007-01-14

What more can you say. A great book, especially if you are searching for meaning in life and yoga. I appreciate the writing style that interjects personal life experiences with philosopy and esoteric minglings.
I felt better after reading the first 10 pages, and it just kept growing.

True light.......2006-07-10

Iyengar's wisdom and experience radiate from every page. A must for seekers from any tradition....

Average customer rating:

A great tool for beginners
Great book!
Yoga taught the traditional Eastern way
Competent Reference Book
A wonderful book for women

Yoga: A Gem for Women
Geeta S. Iyengar
Manufacturer: Timeless Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Yoga | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Hatha Yoga | Hinduism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Light On Pranayama: The Yogic Art of Breathing
Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom
Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Light on Yoga: The Bible of Modern Yoga...
The Tree of Yoga (Shambhala Classics)

Accessories:

Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor
Luna Bars, Nutz Over Chocolate, 1.69-Ounce Bars (Pack of 15)

ASIN: 0931454980

Book Description

Yoga, A Gem for Women presents a detailed, practical guide for the yoga student who wants to go deeper with her practice of Hatha Yoga. The book is divided into three sections that create an integrated path of yoga suitable for both the beginner and advanced student:

Theory--Yoga and Women
A natural bridge to health and well-being
Practice--Knowing Your Body
Techniques and benefits of over 80 asanas complete with photographs and detailed instructions
Experience--On the Threshold of Peace
Relaxation, breathing and the practice of meditation

Customer Reviews:

A great tool for beginners.......2006-01-13

I first got this book from the library when I was waiting to have surgery for uterine growths. I had never done yoga, and I was looking for a way to ease my pain. This book can actually help with many mild medical conditions. It is set up in an easy to reference way, with lots of pictures and clear, detailed descriptions. Many of the positions even have 2 possible methods, one for the novice, and one for the advanced student. This is great when you are first starting out and you lack flexibility.
My favorite thing about the book is that it allows you to look up positions by name and by function. If you want to ease back pain, or just get more flexibility in your back, you can reference moves that aid the spine. There are even suggestions for building a routine.
I highly reccomend this book.

Great book!.......2005-07-28

Great book! Very practical information. I have bought this book when I was pregnant. I was not confused what I can or what I can not during pregnancy. As well the pictures help believe that is possible to do yoga even nine month pregnant!

Yoga taught the traditional Eastern way.......2004-01-23

This is a reference guide written by Geeta Iyengar, daughter of BKS Iyengar, probably the most famous living yogi. The book is designed specifically for women who wish to develop their own self-study of yoga (Yoga Sadhana), and it covers not only asanas (postures) but also the other vital components of traditional yoga such as pranayama (breath) and meditation.

Geeta is clearly a master yoga practitioner who has created a comprehensive, thoughtful manual, but her book was not at all what I was looking for. Although I have practiced yoga at home for over two years, I was overwhelmed by the level of detail in the book. In addition, I found it difficult to follow, partly because the author uses only the original Sanskirt names for the poses and partly because the visual guides to the poses were all placed at the end of the book (rather than interpersed side-by-side to the instructional information included throughout).

This book would definitely not be appropriate for the casual, Westernized yoga practitioner, especially not someone who is using yoga primarily as a form of fitness. However, for someone who wishes to extend their yoga practice beyond the poses as well as to connect with yoga's original Eastern roots, this book may be ideal.

Competent Reference Book.......2001-12-06

This book, written by the daughter of the famous teacher, B.K.S. Iyengar, is a nice enough reference book but would not be my first choice for a beginning North American yoga student. It contains brief, rather dry, descriptions of yoga philosophy (neither engaging for a novice nor sophisticated enough for a serious student of yoga). The book contains many useful black and white photos of yoga poses. There is a good section on yoga during pregnancy.
However, this book is not as visually appealing as many others on the market. There are several recently published yoga books with large color photos that lie flat for use during practice and which have more readable text. For example, Mira Mehta, a long time student of B.K.S. Iyengar, has a couple of nice books. I particularly like her book, How to Use Yoga. Mr. Iyengar, himself, has written many books, and his new book, Yoga: the Path to Holistic Health, is lovely.

A wonderful book for women.......1999-11-27

This is a wonderful book with specific reference to the main biological stages of a womans life & identifies which asanas (poses) should be practiced or avoided at those stages.. i found this book during my pregnancy at a time when i was confused whether to continue with certain yoga poses.. the book helped to clarify all my questions and has helped me continue with yoga confidently during pregnancy. My copy of this book is published in india in 1983 & subsequent publications may have a different format, but my copy is not the sort of book that you can open up at a page, & simply copy a pose by looking at a picture, some of the newer yoga books i have noticed follow this "easy" format which is weak in content & high in glossy pictures.. this book is very rich in content - be prepared to spend some time reading in detail about useful background information as well as the poses & their effects & various techniques for achieving a pose.

Average customer rating:

why I keep going back to this book
Great Iyengar book
A must read on yoga principles
Light from one of the great teachers of yoga
foundational understanding of the simplicity of yoga

The Tree of Yoga (Shambhala Classics)
B.K.S. Iyengar
Manufacturer: Shambhala
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Yoga | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Hinduism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Yoga | Hinduism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Other Eastern Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Light on Yoga: The Bible of Modern Yoga...
Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom
The Light On Pranayama: The Yogic Art of Breathing
Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice

Accessories:

Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 1570629013
Release Date: 2002-03-26

Book Description

Iyengar developed a form of yoga that focuses on developing strength, endurance, correct body alignment, as well as flexibility and relaxation. The Iyengar method integrates philosophy, spirituality, and the practice of yoga into everyday living. In The Tree of Yoga, Iyengar offers his thoughts on many practical and philosophical subjects including family life, love and sexuality, health and the healing arts, meditation, death, and Patañjali's Yoga Sutras. This new edition features a foreword by Patricia Walden, a leading American teacher of the Iyengar style.

Customer Reviews:

why I keep going back to this book.......2007-01-08

After more than 30 years of yoga practice and classes from expert teachers, I continue to look for the lessons that will take me beyond where I am today. I have read this book so many times and always find new lessons in it. The first time, I probably read it through in a couple of hours. Now, I keep it on top of a stack of frequently consulted works. Most mornings, here in Brooklyn (NY) in a winter that seems an object lesson in global warming, I turn to The Tree of Yoga in the first hour after wakening. This practice reminds me to consider the important lessons I might forget: my stage in life, the stages that came before, how short life is, what is happening today, the tendency of memory to distract the mind, the power of attention, the value of self-study, etc. And tomorrow, a new lesson, a new understanding, with the next passage read carefully in the pale light of a winter morning. This is a book that keeps on giving.

Great Iyengar book.......2003-07-24

This is a great book for the new and the familiar to yoga. This compilation of lectures is a more philosophical look at his yoga, unlike the more technical books Light on Yoga and Light on Pranayama. Although these last two are indispensible, in this book, Iyengar's love of yoga shines through his words. He develops the analogy of the eight limbs of yoga as a tree skillfully and beautifully. Really excellent!

A must read on yoga principles.......2001-09-16

While being an avid yoga practicioner, the first time I got to know anything about B.K.S. Iyengar was when I picked up this book. Since then, I have done much more reading by him. Tree of Yoga was wonderful in explaining some basic principles of yoga, and the concepts behind it. The book didn't go into explaining or documenting the various asanas (for that read Light on Yoga), but instead spoke of the history of yoga, the concepts, types, what it was about, etc.

I read this book within a night, and have reread it many times since then. It's simple and inspiring, and will forever be a part of my collection.

Light from one of the great teachers of yoga.......2001-08-29

B. K. S. Iyengar achieved an international reputation with the publication of his classic Light on Yoga in 1966, which today stands as the definitive work on hatha yoga, a work made distinctive not only by the 602 photographs of Iyengar himself demonstrating the various poses, but by the detailed manner in which they are explained. He was then 38-years-old. Since then he has written several other books on yoga and lectured widely while continuing his teaching practice. He is today recognized as one the greatest of all yoga teachers.

In this book, editor Daniel Rivers-Moore has taken it upon himself to construct a narrative by Iyengar, gleaned from lectures given by the master in Europe and India during the nineteen-eighties. Rivers-Moore has done an admirable job of bringing the voice of Iyengar to the many readers who have not had the opportunity to hear him speak. The continuity of expression is maintained throughout, and the book reads as though Iyengar wrote it himself.

One sees that Iyengar is speaking to teachers of yoga as well as students. The extended metaphor of yoga as a tree is an apt one since when our practice is strong we are like a tree, solid and unshaken by the vicissitudes of life. But it is only a metaphor, one of many used by Iyengar in his teaching practice. His metaphor is not related to what is one of the most profound metaphorical images in yoga, that of the tree upside down with its branches in the earth and its roots exposed to the sun. It is said that this is the way we will see the world after becoming firmly established in yoga. Much of what we once believed (as children and young adults), we will now disbelieve and embrace the very opposite.

The value of asana, pranayama, and meditation in preventing disease and maintaining health has been established beyond doubt, and is one of the great boons humankind has gotten from yoga, and is under no circumstances to be underestimated. However, I took Iyengar's prescriptions for the further medicinal value of yoga with the proverbial grain of salt, just as I take the ancient claims of superpowers developed through the practice of yoga. His is a way of speaking that is native to India and has a long and honored tradition in the literature. One recalls the miraculous claims of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika of Svatmarama and the Siva Samhita, in which all disease is cured, and understands that the authors are speaking in a symbolic and intentional manner. What is most interesting and valuable in this book are the chapters on meditation and pranayama, and on the advice and warnings that Iyengar extends to teachers of yoga.

Iyengar's yoga is the yoga of Patanjali, whom he reveres as "the noblest of sages." It is a yoga of discipline and dedication, a yoga of power and grace developed over at least several thousand years of practice. Of the four traditional yogas of India--bhakti, jnana, and karma--it is perhaps the oldest. It is certainly the one with the widest international application since it melds well into any and every way of life, from the monastery to the streets of the city.

Iyengar has been described by some as a teacher of physical yoga only--an unfair description that he recalls and rejects in two different places in this book. On the contrary he demonstrates here that he is also a master of raja yoga, and in particular a man who understands that the prerequisites of hatha yoga are essential to the achievement of samadhi.

Those who are familiar with Light on Yoga and Iyengar's other works, will find this volume a fine addition to their library and of value because of the light it sheds on the personality and understanding of one of the great teachers of the ancient art of yoga.

foundational understanding of the simplicity of yoga.......1998-09-18

Mr. Iyengar brings the practice and understanding of yoga into everday people terms. He weaves the intricacies of yoga into a picture beginning with the tree and connecting the tree's parts to all the different parts of yoga. It is filled with simplicity and humanness. His knowledge and experience of 80 plus years is weaved together to create a complete understanding of the history of yoga to how to practice it with more wisdom. Mr. Iyengar is an inspiration to those of us who don't intend to give up family, career and laptops to live on mountain tops. He assures us that living as a married man and as a father has not diminished his practice but has enhanced it. A must for beginner and advanced students and teachers for your bookshelf.

Average customer rating:

Fabulous book - a must for all levels of yoga practitioner!
Best reference on asanas
Truly The BOOK
The Bible of Hatha Yoga

Light on Yoga
B.K.S. Iyengar
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Yoga | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: Commentary on the Raja Yoga Sutras by Sri Swami Satchidananda
Anatomy of Movement
Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Anatomy and Asana: Preventing Yoga Injuries

ASIN: 0007107005

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous book - a must for all levels of yoga practitioner!.......2007-02-12

This book has a wealth of information for any practitioner of yoga, from beginner to advanced. The content is concise and practical, and the poses are sequenced in a way that allows for a gradual and safe progression in the practice. There are also dozens of practice sequences given for both improvement and how to treat common ailments through yoga. The introduction is especially valuable, as it offers a no fluff in-depth commentary on the philosophical thought behind the asana practice. I pick it up again and again and am still referring to it after nearly 15 years of owing it. My copy is dog eared and loved, and was well worth every penny.

An earlier reviewer mentioned that the photos and layout were not user friendly, and only gave the book two stars, which is a shame. This book was first printed in the mid 1960's - over 40 years ago! It was the first yoga book of it's kind to ever be printed, and it's content is timeless and as relevant today as ever. Mr. Iyengar even had to struggle with his then publisher to be allowed to include so many photos, as it was so expensive in those days to print such a book. I say hats off to the man who brought yoga to the west long before it was ready. He's a pioneer and a virtuoso of his craft, and his marvelous work should never be over overlooked just because it doesn't come in some glossy package fit for the masses.

Best reference on asanas.......2006-08-12

One of the most complete books on asanas. And B. K. S. Iyengar don't just show you the picture. He goes on with explanations, benefits, variations, sequences, etc. If you are a serious practioner of asanas, this is the best and most complete reference. It goes well beyond what your asana hatha yoga teacher can do. For me, I find it a good reading to expand my knowledge on asanas, especially when I want to find something new to challenge my body. there is always something in this book that I cannot do yet, may be forever! This book is not intented to be a textbook on yoga, though. If you are beginner and don't intent to challenge your body too much, then this book may not be what you want. Try taking classes, and have a books such as " Yoga: The Iyengar Way" by Silva Mehta instead.

I am personally interested in asanas, but not so much as in doing all of the feats here. It all depends on why you want to do yoga. Don't forget that asana is only a small part (one of the eight limbs) of yoga. Even if you do asana with a meditative mind, you still miss what deep meditation can offer¯peace, health, a focused mind, and eventually bliss. And don't forget pranayama too. This book does contain some basic instruction on pranayama. But it's not comprehensive. And some long-time practioners of the Iyengar pranayama have reported undesirable side effects.

For a comprehensive and effective, non-sectarian approach to meditation and other advanced techniques in yoga, try Advanced Yoga Practices: Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living by Yogani. Supplementing Iyengar yoga with these missing pieces will give you the best techniques you have for your body, mind and spirit.

Truly The BOOK.......2002-12-15

This is the book for anyone who takes asanas seriously. There are so many variations and each asana properly explained.
If all you want is 1 yoga book, this is the book.
Note that this is Iyengar style yoga focusing on detailed alignment.
It is impossible for anyone to improve on this book as far as Iyengar yoga is concerned.

The Bible of Hatha Yoga.......2001-07-22

I have been priviledged to have a copy of this book since it was first published. Being a student of yoga, I was always watching for new books on Yoga. My teacher of the time had taken me as far as she knew to do. When I met BKS Iyengar through his book, my work started again. I thought I knew a lot, but this book showed me how much I didn't know about the practice of asana, bandhas and pranayama. (postures, lock and breathwork) I was overwhelmed with the amazing amount of instruction written and discovered quickly that by using these instructions, I could take my own body further than ever before. At that time, I was quite flexible and I thought, also strong. Light on Yoga is a book that allows one to move beyond any limited thinking and limitation in a healthy body and has an amazing therapeutic section for those that suffer dis-ease and limitations. This is truly the "bible" for the asana work and is considered that by many teachers and in all traditions. The details given when followed precisely will take you beyond yourself into the most subtle and deepest levels one can experience. The first 63 pages are a translation of the Yoga Sutra's. This is a book for those that have a teacher and regular class as well as the book for those that prefer to be self-taught. You won't find a better book anywhere.

Books:

Books