Customer Reviews

Essential Yoga: An Illustrated Guide to Over 100 Yoga Poses and Meditations

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Essential Yoga is an excellent guide to the novice student looking to expand their yoga practice. This book covers the Pranayama (Breathing Ch.1), Asanas (Warm ups Ch.2 Poses Ch.3), Dhyana (Meditations Ch.4) and Vinyasas (Flowing Poses Ch. 5) as well as Recommend Sequences (Ch. 6 & 7). It omits other stages of yoga such as Yamas and Niyamas, Pratyahara, Dharana, and Samadhi which would give the beginner a fuller picture of yoga. However, the authors state this book is for "someone who wants to do yoga and not just read about it".

Overall, I really enjoyed the graphics, general appearance, and construction of the book. This one seems to be well built in its lay-flat format which is good when you find yourself on the mat. The choice of yellow header may be hard for some readers since it does not reflect strongly against the white pages. The red text and graphics do appear well but the text might be small for some readers.

There are some very good breathing exercises (Ch.1) for more advance students of yoga. Usually, advance techniques like these are introduced to the novice student after becoming well versed in poses and basic breathing techniques.

The Asanas (Ch.2 & 3) have nice graphics of the postures with modifications. I liked the Sanskrit Names under the English Names of the poses. The benefits of each pose are presented in the beginning but no warnings which should have been included. The descriptions for getting into the posture are minimal which is nice since you want the basics to spend more time doing them, which is fine for the more advance yoga practioner but beginners might feel somewhat lost.

The Meditations (Ch. 4) were wonderful. The explanations were fantastic and the descriptions were very solid. It really allows the reader to visualize and affirm the thoughts during the meditation. I really enjoyed them.

The Vinyasas (Ch. 5) are described very well and the artwork was clean and crisp. It is nice to see a yoga book include more than the basic Sun Salutation. However, the poses didn't have their page numbers next to them to help the user reference them which seems odd because later in the book they are there for the Chapters Yoga Sessions and Recommended Sequences. No big deal, but the omissions itself is quirky.

The Yoga Sessions and Recommended Sequences (Ch. 6 & 7) are basically designed for students that allow them to work on specific conditions, goals, such as athletic improvements or time constraints. The poses do have corresponding page numbers for quick reference if you are rusty on certain poses. Beginners might be discouraged by this since they would be flipping back and forth too many times.

Beginners should always find a good teacher to start learning yoga. This allows the teacher to answer questions and make adjustments for them to get the maximum benefit from their yoga practice, then progress to books, videos, and retreats as ways to supplement their yoga practice.

Bottom line, this book would make a nice addition to your yoga library and give you some nice inspiration to help expand your yoga practice.

This is the GREATEST yoga book!!! I wouldn't buy another. I'm a beginner and the illustrations (TONS!) are amazing. The book also gives you explanations on all positions and groups the exercises for the area that you want to focus on. The sessions range from 20 minutes to 1 1/2 hours!!!! EXCELLENT BUY!

I tried a lot of other yoga books but this one seems the most informative and flexible... The many routines presented in the back of the book are varied and easy to follow, duration anywhere from 20min to 2 hours, thumbnail pictures means no flipping once you do the routine the whole way through. "Lie flat spine" actually does lie flat, to my suprise. Directions are clear and concise. It's no substitute for a teacher, but it makes my home practice MUCH easier and helps give me direction. And there's room for me to grow. I think someone else mentioned the yellow headers didn't contrast very well, the brown text doesn't contrast well in dim light, but that's all there is to complain about. Seriously, an excellent book.

A useful resource for beginners, Essential Yoga provides instructions for a wide variety of yoga practices, including poses, breathing practices, and meditations. The introduction provides a general overview of the text as well as several valuable recommendations and cautions; each chapter begins with an overview of the practices described within as well as advice on adjusting them to your specific needs. The authors give clear illustrations and simple instructions for each pose, pranayama and meditation, then provide a large number of recommended sequences for different times of the day, different activities and different mental and physical ailments. The lay-flat format makes it easy to refer to during practice, and the inspiring quotes that begin each chapter help underscore the practice's spiritual qualities for those who haven't yet immersed themselves in yoga philosophy. Few, if any, other yoga manuals offer such a wealth of information within their covers.

Essential Yoga is like a medicine cabinet for yoga practitioners. Inside are simple, precise, and thorough single-page guides to about 100 essential poses, warm-ups, meditations, and breath exercises...plus, what is far more important, two chapters full of creative and unique routines and sequences. Each pose is simply and crisply illustrated, and detailed instructions are given. (It's particularly nice that the book is sewn to lie flat, a feature which makes it quite easy to use while actually practicing! This nicely supports the premise of the book, which is to be a text that is for the practice of actual yoga--and not just "about" it.) Each pose includes English and Hindi names, suggested modifications and variations, and a sentence or two about its physical and mental benefits. What really makes this sublimely practical book a "medicine chest", however, are the sequences. From short vinyasas (everything from Camel to Sun and Moon Salutations) to complete workouts of several lengths and intensity levels, the back chapters of this book contain everything you need to begin a home practice for all moods and occasions. Best of all are the short series geared to various physical goals and/or ailments (from "Biking", "Golf" and "Skiing" workouts to programs for "Toxin Flush", "Cold Prevention" and "Depression")--they're effective and eminently doable.

Good guiding book for yoga learner, I made yoga with it at home, the description and the illustration made it very easy to understand.
The book not only teach seperate yoga pose, it also contain 15 min-90 min yoga program.
Anyway it is good book for beginer.

I agree with the other reviews about the book being thorough and high quality. I like the fact that the principle names of the asanas are in English, and the the Indian names are there if I need them. I mainly bought the book because of the excellent final section on routines, which a lot of yoga books lack. I've been doing yoga a long time and don't need a lot of instruction on the individual poses: I wanted some new routines and variations to check out.
My one problem with the book is the small, light fonts, including the section headings. It makes it hard for me to read, and with all the empty space on each page, it would have been easy and helpful to use a larger font and darker print, as well as having more defined chapter headings. Otherwise, it is a great book and useful for beginners and intermediates alike.

I received this book today, and was already inspired to try one of the recommended routines. Essential Yoga aims to be an interactive guide to Hatha yoga. As such, it consists of detailed instructions on over a hundred yoga poses, with sections on breathing and meditation as well. My favorite parts of the book are the recommended routines, which are either sequences geared towards specific activities: yoga for golfers, for knee pain, for runners, etc; or for times of day; or sequences for routine practice.

I think this is a book which will grow with you as you increase in your knowledge and ability in yoga. It's practical as well. The lay-flat spine does indeed lay flat, the line drawings are informative and clear, and the layout of the book is intuitive and motivating. Highly recommended.

This guide acts as a valuable reference for beginner or intermediate yogis wishing to start an at-home practice regimen. Olivia H. Miller provides detailed descriptions of over 100 poses and meditations as well as various yoga sequences.
Ideally, beginner yogis should practice under the watch of a certified yoga instructor; but if practicing at home, beginners should make sure to follow safe, reliable sequences accompanied by detailed descriptions. For each of the 100 poses and meditations within the guide, Miller goes into great detail and devotes at least an entire page to description. Each page provides the reader with tips and tricks to maintain safe body-alignment as well as thorough explanations of breathing strategies. She also provides modifications for many of the poses, allowing the reader to monitor the level of difficulty. Also, detailed illustrations accompany each and every pose description--the illustrations are very tasteful and provide valuable information.
In addition, the guide is very organized. It provides a detailed index allowing the reader to locate any pose in the guide. The individual pose descriptions are also very organized and readable. They each begin with a short introduction to the pose, giving hints and tricks to achieve deeper relaxation. Then, the steps are bulleted and correspond with the illustrations along the side of the page. The descriptions themselves are very readable and to the point. The guide also provides six different flowing sequences (ex: sun salutation, moon salutation, etc) as well as 58 different yoga sessions--ranging from 15 minutes to 1 ½ hours.
Having once been a beginner yogi myself, I can honestly say that this is the best beginner guide I have ever come across. It provides very detailed descriptions, a variety of sequences, and useful illustrations. I would highly recommend this guide.

i really like this book. i have many yoga books, videos and decks and this is amongst the best. as an instructor i find the descriptions and visuals very helpful. i like the sequences that are written out. it's just a good book to have. this is a book i'd feel totally comfortable referring to my students for their home practice.