Customer Reviews

Awakening the Spine: The Stress-Free New Yoga that Works with the Body to Restore Health, Vitality and Energy

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is a wonderful book. I've read it cover to cover and also open it up occasionally for reflection and guidance. I've never met Vanda, but I take yoga instruction from one of her students. Vanda was a wise woman and it shows in her writing and through her students. Some of the customer reviews posted here are rather negative, but I realize where they are coming from. The editor's note implies that this is a book on yoga instruction. It is not. Vanda even says in her book (not a direct quote) that it seems to be a fad now to write yoga instruction books, and she didn't want to do that. But she had many people press her into sharing her wisdom in writing. I'm so glad that Vanda shared her gentle wisdom in this book before she passed on. This book is an excellent addition to one's current yoga practice, as well as a primer for someone who wants to get started with yoga. Really, any person of any age or gender will benefit from this easy to read, inspired, wise, and thoughtful book!

This is not so much a technique, how-to book. It is more about the spirit of yoga. It's beautiful pictures and wonderful meditations on the meaning or intentions of the poses illustrates and deepens an understanding of yoga and meditation. There are three parts to the book. The first part takes up the majority of the book (125 pages). It's called "the Story of Stories" and is about the philosophy of yoga. The second part called "The Asanas" is about 34 pages. It is where the poses are illustrated through drawings and photographs and described in short paragraphs. I would not recommend it as the sole source for beginners, however, it would make a great supplement to a yoga class or videotape/dvd. The third section is called, "Breathing" and is 8 pages long. It has excellent pictures that illustrate the concepts described in this section. A list of references and an index greet you at the end. The reference lists 32 books. Ranging from "Disc Regeneration" by O.J. Ressel to Deepak Chopra's "Quantum Healing," to "Symbolism in Greek Mythology" by Paul Diel, to " The Revival of Qui." by Kunio Miura, to F.J. Bueche's "Understanding the World of Physics," and Elisabeth Ripely's "Leonardo da Vinci. A Biography."

This is the only book I own which I never lend out. I never know when I'm going to need a boost in my yoga practice and in my consciousness. Scaravelli was an extraordinary women. Her grace and intelligence permeate every page of this book.
I would not recommend this book for instructional purposes, except as an addition to ones practice. Scaravelli's techniques are unusual, but they are the techniques I find myself returning to over and over. This book makes sense on many levels.

This is the single book of a singular teacher. It has the impact of a condensed truth, worthy of being met again and again. The truth is that yoga is not a sport, there is no score, there is only an inquiry and a resounding experience of the self.

I met this book in the guestroom of a friend, where I browsed the remarkable pictures and felt immediately the freedom and relaxation of this teacher. Vanda Scaravelli rose to the occasion of writing her one book by packing it with myriad moments of access to her life vision, especcially the possibilities of old age. Any page is worthy of repeated attention, and can serve as a breath of inspiration during a busy day.

The text can be read in one sitting. The book does not take your time, it gives you a way of being in time that floats above the ordinary.

This book is the only one Vanda Scaravelli has written. Her work has been appreciated as well as influenced by Iyengar and Desikarchar. Although few asana illustrations are included, it is a masterpiece in understanding how the breath and gravity and the spine are centerplace to our work in yoga. We have lost Vanda but this book is a fine connection to her brillance. Bravo!

There have been a number of reviews of this book already. Why add one more?

Well, the existing reviews seem to fall into the "love it or hate it" category. I read just about the whole of this book in a very understanding bookshop in Sydney. I did not buy it then; I was looking for more "instructional" books. But I remember more of the content than I would have believed possible on so short an acquaintance, in fact I was quite sure I had bought a copy until I had gone through everything we shipped back from Australia. Alas it is not currently available, otherwise I would certainly be buying a copy right now.

The book is valuable for its reflection of a life inspired by yoga, and as a demonstration of what can be achieved by someone who came to yoga relatively late in life. Her anecdotes of meetings with the 'giants' of modern yoga underpin the theme that finding the correct teacher is crucial to a student's development. And none of this is presented with the self-serving egotism which, I'm afraid, disgraces many well-known writers on yoga (even some of the best).

Not a book to buy if you are short of cash, but certainly one to read - and to lend to your friends.

One reviewer noted that reviews fall into two catergories, loved it or hated it. I read it with the advantage of having practiced with Vanda's students People who hate this book wanted clearer descriptions. But, Vanda's genius was this- she applied Krishnamurti's idea of the "pathless path" to the physical discipline of hatha yoga.

I had a firm background in traditional forms of hatha yoga and had been teaching for several years. The first weekend workshop I took completely decontructed my yoga practice because I practiced yoga, like most of us, from the outside in. Vanda taught an intuitive approach, from the inside out. Attention and resting in the body are key elements of this practice.

The effects are wonderous. I'm pushing 60 and my body feels better than it has since my mid-20's. Even without the opportunity of working with one of Vanda's students, there is much to be learned from this book.

Vanda Scaravelli offers a most heartful insight. Simply, she tells us things we might not notice during a class or alone in practice, offering a light perspective. She provides a gentle, careful model for daily practice.

A beautiful book, not to instruct one in hatha yoga but to inspire the path of the yogi with shared words and beauty.

This is a beautiful and thoughtful book inspiring to those of us that are looking for more in life and realize that being happy and healthy usually does not just happen -- but must come from within ourselves. Ms. Scaravelli physical condition is amazing. She binds together the physical, mental and spiritual pursuit of yoga in a concise, readable text with photographs to connect us to the ever present outside world. A must for those asking themselves if yoga might be the thing for them