The Complete Idiot's Guide to Yoga (2nd Edition) [Paperback]

Joan Budilovsky (Author), Eve Adamson (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Complete Idiot's Guide | Publication Date: November 15, 2000

This book is for anyone interested in health, fitness, or the healing arts. It teaches you the basics of stretching, breathing, and meditation, with exercises designed to help you relax, become more flexible, more productive, and more self-satisfied.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

This book is for anyone interested in health, fitness, or the healing arts. It teaches you the basics of stretching, breathing, and meditation, with exercises designed to help you relax, become more flexible, more productive, and more self-satisfied.

About the Author

Joan Budilovsky received her Hatha Yoga Teacher's Certification in 1994 from the Temple of Kriya Yoga in Chicago. She is a national certified massage therapist in the US, and an active member of the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. Eve Adamson is a freelance writer, student of meditation and co-author of many Complete Idiot's Guides including The Complete Idiot's Guide to Yoga, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Massage and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Zen Living. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Alpha; 2 edition (November 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028639707
• ISBN-13: 978-0028639703
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,478,918 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction for the true beginner, July 30, 2000

By 

"tburbey94" - See all my reviews

This review is from: YOGA: COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE (Paperback)

I read the Complete Idiot's Guide to Yoga over a year ago. I have found myself practicing yoga faithfully and referring to the book ever since. The book gives a wonderful overview of this centuries old practice. I particularly liked the book for the authors' humor and openmindedness. As can be found in their other book, Complete Idiot's Guide to Meditation. All the information needed to start practicing yoga today is provided without making the reader feel as though they must change religions or make other drastic changes in their lives. Facts and ideas are presented in such a way that the reader can take as little or as much from the book as he wants.

I found the explainations of postures, breathing exercises and other yoga aspects to be clear and detailed (enough for a beginner). I was particularly impressed with the instructions for the postures as modifications are included. A lot of books don't do that. The book is truly an introduction to yoga - there is so much more to be learned. In fact, it has lead me to read many other wonderful books about yoga. As well as research yoga on web sites listed in the book (including Joan Budilovsky's site - wonderful, & you actually get answers to your letters).

The CIGY offers an EXCELLENT place to begin. I have recommended this book to several friends who have asked me about my yoga practice. I would recommend it again and again.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine introduction, February 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: YOGA: COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE (Paperback)

Granted, I've only begun to practice yoga in the past 3-4 weeks (!), but this book strikes me as the next best thing to live instruction.

* It deals with both the physical and spiritual/mental aspects of yoga without being "preachy" or totalitarian about some behaviors (e.g., meat-eating) that most people aren't willing to give up.

* It demonstrates a wide variety of postures without picturing extreme variations that no beginner could ever hope to achieve.

* It can be read cover-to-cover in just a few hours.

Readers looking for a thorough, basic introduction to yoga will treasure this book; those already immersed in yoga will probably find it less helpful (but then, they aren't the ones for whom "Idiots" and "Dummies" books are written.)

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A complete guide to take you from Beginner to Intermediate!!, August 18, 2004

By 

Mark "Technology, Music and Movies" (East Coast) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Yoga Illustrated, Third Edition (Paperback)

I recently read this book and I must say it was a pleasure. This series is written as a "Complete Idiot's Guide," meaning the material is not only supposed to be easy to understand, it's also supposed to be comprehensive. This book is both, and it is nicely put together to boot.

For starters, I thought the pictures and illustrations were pretty good considering the difficulty of capturing certain Yoga poses. The good quality of the paper stock and clarity of the pictures get extra bonus points.

In addition, the book does have extensive comments on the meaning behind the Yoga poses. Some people may not be as interested in this kind of information, but for me knowing the names of the poses and some of the meaning behind them helps me to remember them better. So I enjoyed that extra research. For those who don't want that level of detail, there are a number of nice picture guides that simply show you the basic routines.

What I really like about this book is that it not only helps you get your feet wet as a beginner, it can take you up to intermediate and perhaps even advanced understanding of Yoga. The book is so full of good info that after you read it the first time, you can continue turning back to it for a long time to come. As a beginner, it's good for me to know that my investment in a book will become a nice reference when I'm done reading it.

I hope you enjoy this book. :)