Asanas: 608 Yoga Poses [Paperback]

Dharma Mittra (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

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

Product Details

• Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: New World Library (April 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1577314026
• ISBN-13: 978-1577314028
• Product Dimensions: 0.4 x 0.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #99,179 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Jewel in the ocean.., June 9, 2003

By	Ashwini Aragam (Worcester, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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This review is from: Asanas: 608 Yoga Poses (Paperback)

Pictures say more than words. These 608 pictures truly does. For the Intermediate to the Advanced student, you don't really need a descriptive guide - the pictures tell you all. This is going to be an inspiration to me all the time. For the great price Amazon.com offers, think no further. Just buy it and your Yoga practise is bound to get more inspired.

The size of the book (small) is a plus as you can carry it along even on your vacation. The quality of the pictures is not going to impress the aesthetically prone, but the point is the variety of asanas come out quite well with few words!

Dharma Mittra put Yoga to work in the form of Karma (Yoga), when he spent time and effort in photographing himself and distributing it to the public (I have read he did this free). Pure, selfless action results in such works that will stand the test of time!

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Emulate a yogi master, April 22, 2003

By	Lori Federman (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Asanas: 608 Yoga Poses (Paperback)

I have watched Dharma Mittra`s incredible poses live and through his poster, and I have wished to scrutinize each under magnification and learn from each pose to the fullest. My wish came true. This book is an incredible reference and inspiration, covering the full scope of hatha yoga (many poses come as a surprise even to the experienced). There are beautiful introductions to the chapters written by Dharma. Otherwise, the focus is simply and brilliantly on the asana (1 per page- one can also interestingly use this as an animated "flip book" to better understand Dharma's movement in the sequences). There are no distractions of accessory text or excessive design on these pages. Although the book has a contemporary look, I feel at times I am viewing an ancient book on yoga...and I realize in many ways I am. We are told the best path to perfecting our hatha yoga practice is to watch a yogi master practice to perfection and then emulate them. Here is our opportunity.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 608 Asana, May 5, 2003

By	Jody (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Asanas: 608 Yoga Poses (Paperback)

Dharma's little pocket book (it fits in my purse), much like his poster, is truly an inspiration. It reminds me of Light on Yoga without the explanations and would be a wonderful companion to this book. Much like Iyengar in Light on Yoga there is something about either Dharma's expression or body language that demonstrates a deep devotion. You can tell that Dharma sees the yoga postures as a dedication. Truly a work of art and devotion.