The Breathing Field: Meditations on Yoga [Hardcover]

Wyatt Townley (Author), Eric Dinyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 10, 2002

Anyone who has taken a yoga class knows that the benefits of yoga are as much mental as they are physical. Through a rare fusion of powerful poems and evocative artwork, The Breathing Field offers inspiration for achieving the meditative frame of mind that is central to yoga. Much as yoga practitioners follow the path of the breath within the body, in entering the quiet space within the pages of this volume, the reader opens the door to a place of sanctuary and healing. This stunning gift book will appeal to the growing number of yoga and new age enthusiasts everywhere.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Dinyer's images are infused with a knowledge of the poet's quest...Townley's poetry follows the quest of yoga." -- Kansas City Magazine/ June 2002

"Distills the spiritual side of yoga into poems that are provocative and evocative. The images awaken our thoughts and emotions." -- Body and Soul Magazine May /June 2002

"The union of artist and author on the page is remarkable; the essence of each poem is exquisitely captured." -- Napra ReView -Sept / Oct 2002

About the Author

Wyatt Townley is a prize-winning poet. She is founder of Yoganetics, a trademarked fitness system that extends yoga into motion.

Eric Dinyer is an internationally recognized illustrator and a dedicated yoga practitioner.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 76 pages
• Publisher: Bulfinch (May 10, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821227947
• ISBN-13: 978-0821227947
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 6.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,853,141 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Poet's Gift to Yoga and Others, October 4, 2002

By 

Carolyn Howard-Johnson "Author 'This is the P... (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Breathing Field: Meditations on Yoga (Hardcover)

For me, yoga is about images. So is this small book of poetry and art called "The Breathing Field. The poetry is by Wyatt Townley; Eric Dinyer is the artist.

"Slide under the scars where meteors dug their graves in us a millennia ago," it advises. And then we do. As we read, we discard the accoutrements that we no longer need, and breathe life. I suspect that this will be so even for those who do not know yoga for the images are accessible, beautiful and touching.

Although I know yoga, I do not think that one must know it to imbibe. Poetry is meant to reach out. This poetry may convert some to drinking of yoga's serenity; others may be touched only in the moment. That is, after all, what poetry and yoga are about-the moment.

Townley's images are simple, beautiful and understandable. "Here, inside the chest," she says, "a tiny fear is folded neatly like a sweater." I've always ascribed to the theory that poetry should be close kin to our every day speech. It seems Townley might feel the same way.

Unfortunately, I can hardly impart a sense of the images by Eric Dinyer. They are exquisite. They feel like painted photographs, remind me of those patterns one sees behind one's eyelids, deep within the realm of ourselves where reality and soul reside.

What a lovely gift this small book of 72 pages has given to me. What a lovely gift it would make for someone else.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of "This is the Place"

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful!, September 6, 2003

By 

merrymousies (Waterford, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Breathing Field: Meditations on Yoga (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful little book - whether you do yoga or not. If you do its that much more wonderful because you can read the short poem (all of which seem to really touch to the core) and think about it as you're doing a pose - body and mind moving together. But even without doing poses with it, each passage is so deep/intense with things to think about that they're nice to just read and ponder. On each two-page spread one side is a poem, the other side is a dreamy piece of artwork.