Customer Reviews

Anatomy for Yoga: An Illustrated Guide to Your Muscles in Action

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This book is very well done. I have used the "Anatomy for Strength and Fitness Training" book by the same publishers, and now also use this new book of the same series "Anatomy for Yoga". Given that as trainers and yoga instructors we break everything in the physical body down by joint movements, both books hit the mark perfectly. In "Anatomy for Yoga", for each of the basic yoga poses, the following are given: a description of how to move safely into the pose, simple benefits, modifications, diagrams of all the muscles used in the pose, and a concise table explaining the joints used, the associated joint movement (e.g., flexion, extension, etc.), and a list of the active vs. stretched muscles used in that joint movement.

If you have a background in movement (fitness trainer, yoga instructor, pilates, etc.) you will find this book very easy to read and use. If you don't, you'll need to brush up on your movement anatomy, which is outlined very well in the introductory pages of the book, and then it will be easy to use for you.

Also wanted to note: with the deepest respect for the author L. Kaminoff of "Yoga Anatomy", which is another AMAZING book on yoga anatomy written a few years back and a definite must-have, I humbly disagree with Kaminoff's assessment that this new book, "Anatomy for Yoga" (by different authors) is a rip-off of his earlier creation. It is most certainly on a similar topic, as are many many books on many many topics, but this new book by different authors reads entirely differently, does not at all remind me or my colleagues of Kaminoff's book, includes poses that Kaminoff did not include in his book (e.g. marjaryasana), and directly links muscles stretched/activated to specific joint movements, which Kaminoff's book does not. Yoga, by its very definition, means union - we are all one. And so if we are all yogis striving to live out our union, and we truly believe and practice this philosophy, then we do not view ourselves as different or separate relative to "others". It is therefore essential that while observing asteya (non-stealing) and ahimsa (non-violence) to other authors, we create, write, and contribute to the one pool of knowledge on various topics and experience such activities as collective rather than exclusive. Bravo to BOTH authors for each creating such fabulous, intelligent, informative books, each from a very different and unique perspective, that BOTH contribute to the one topic of yoga anatomy.

Although the cover for this book is unassuming, don't be fooled. I received a copy for review and honestly based on the cover would not have given this book a second look. Yes, I know you should not judge a book by its cover. But I am swimming in a vast sea of yoga books where any person who even saw a yoga class on TV feels compelled to write a book on how yoga has changed their life and can help you too. Honestly most writers are not re-inventing the wheel. Yoga is a thousand year old practice and the great yogic texts were written long ago.

So what do I look for in a yoga book I would be willing to pay to add to my collection? Clear, concise dissemination of useful knowledge. Anatomy for Yoga delivers. The illustrations are clear and uncluttered - main muscles identified and their action in some of the most frequent class asanas. What I really appreciated and could have used a few years back were the first dozen pages that breakdown anatomical terminology, movement planes, joint movements, biomechanics and more. This information is well presented and very clear - especially to someone like me who is not a fan of charts or verbose paragraphs. The authors hit the length right on, they give enough detail to get the point across but not too much to overwhelm or bore.

I've enjoyed learning about this topic and it has definitely helped my yoga practice. I would encourage prospective buyers to consider either Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners or Yoga Anatomy.

Makes postures easy to accomplish because of the detailed description. As a physician I can understand the anatomy of the musculature involved in the poses.