Customer Reviews

Ashtanga Yoga Primer

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The Yoga Primer has served as an inspiration and light to my yoga practice for the past 20 years. It is a rare and precious offering from a true yoga master that goes to the pure heart of the essence of the 8 limbed path. As a shining example of karma yoga, all proceeds from the sale of this book (and all books by Baba Hari Dass) go to support an orphanage in India.This gem of a book offers teachings on many aspects of yoga practice. It has great photos and some of the best descriptions of asana benefits that I have read anywhere. It further teaches extensive practices that support asana practice such as shat karmas (internal cleansing) and mudras (exercises to raise the kundalini energy). The section on chakras clearly defines the path kundalini takes as it rises. One section is devoted to pranayamas which not only help with the ultimate aim of quieting the mind so it can rest in it's true nature of peace, but also reduce negative emotions and increase the prana (subltle air) which uplifts the mind and enrgizes the body. For the devotional types, there is a lovely description of arati and graceful hand mudras to enhance the worship aspect of your practice. All in all, a joy to have, a guide and companion on the path, and a great gift. My family and friends have enjoyed receiving it for a few generations now. Blessings on your way!om shanti om,Urmila

Baba Hari Dass is a silent yogi who communicates via a chalk board. He is very straight forward and to the point and does not waste words. The book opens up flat so you can look at the wonderful pictures of the poses. It has a great introduction that includes all the limbs of Ashtanga (8 limbed) yoga. If it has a fault it is that Baba Hari Dass would hav you doing 2 to 3 hours of yoga practices a day if you followed his regimen, not very realistic for Americans.

A beginner who follows the practices in this amazing book will have great rewards in physical health and inner peace. Some of the shat karma practices should be used with an experienced guide but most of the book is easily accessible to any who are motivated enough to practice. You can always make the journey to the Mount Madonna Center for group practice if you are in the neighborhood and want some personal assistance.

I particularly liked the hand mudras for use before and after meditation and found it easy to learn them from the book. Doing them gives me such a beautiful feeling of serenity. The basic pranayama exercises also are very helpful and can be done for a long time without ever needing to go looking for anything more 'advanced'

The sun salutation routine is well illustrated and easy to follow and makes a great daily practice for those with less time for hatha yoga or who want to spend more time doing pranayama and sitting quietly.

This book describes the eight limbs of the Ashtanga Yoga system, also known as Raja Yoga. For the people who look for an Ashtanga Vinyasa book, as taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, I would recommend Swenson's Practice Manual or John Scott's Ashtanga Yoga. As an Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga teacher, especially if you are new to yoga, I would also recommend great caution when doing some asanas as taught in this book. The body alignment is scary. My final word: practice yoga with a qualified yoga teacher first.

This book could well be titled "Chakras, Kundalini and How to Awaken It" as that is the information it contains. A concise guide to the systematic stages of this "open secret." I highly recommend this deceptively simple book to the seeker of spiritual yoga.

I noted one reviewer here was disappointed because this book didn't fit their idea of "power yoga." This struck me as odd since kundalini yoga is very, very powerful. I think perhaps they, like many people, have confused power with perspiration. If you just want to be physically strong, yoga can do that for you. Perhaps one day though you will discover that yoga goes far beyond that. Perhaps then you may find this book helpful in your search for true spritual union.

Namaste

If you are planning to purchase this book thinking that it somehow relates to a power yoga regime (as I did) you would be mistaken. Although the book shows some very therapeutic poses, it also shows how to "purify " your nose by using dental floss and how to purge your stomach - not the book I thought it would be. For those fellow fans of power yoga I suggest Birch's Power Yoga - an excellent book.