The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice [Paperback]

T. K. V. Desikachar (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 089281764X | ISBN-13: 978-0892817641 | Publication Date: March 1, 1999 | Edition: Revised

The first yoga text to outline a step-by-step sequence for developing a complete practice according to viniyoga--yoga adapted to the needs of the individual. 

• A contemporary classic by a world-renowned teacher. 

• This new edition adds thirty-two poems by Krishnamacharya that capture the essence of his teachings. 

Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, who lived to be over 100 years old, was one of the greatest yogis of the modern era. Elements of Krishnamacharya's teaching have become well known around the world through the work of B. K. S. Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, and Indra Devi, who all studied with Krishnamacharya. Krishnamacharya's son T. K. V. Desikachar lived and studied with his father all his life and now teaches the full spectrum of Krishnamacharya's yoga. Desikachar has based his method on Krishnamacharya's fundamental concept of viniyoga, which maintains that practices must be continually adapted to the individual's changing needs to achieve the maximum therapeutic value. 

In The Heart of Yoga Desikachar offers a distillation of his father's system as well as his own practical approach, which he describes as "a program for the spine at every level--physical, mental, and spiritual." This is the first yoga text to outline a step-by-step sequence for developing a complete practice according to the age-old principles of yoga. Desikachar discusses all the elements of yoga--poses and counterposes, conscious breathing, meditation, and philosophy--and shows how the yoga student may develop a practice tailored to his or her current state of health, age, occupation, and lifestyle. 

This is a revised edition of The Heart of Yoga.

Editorial Reviews

From Scientific American

Here, the practice of yoga is directed toward the individual's needs and goals. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"I can think of no better book to recommend to a friend beginning to be excited by yoga but bewildered by the plethora of different schools and their sometimes-conflicting teachings. In addition, I would be hard-pressed to think of a book I would recommend more highly to any yoga student seeking to deepen a yoga practice . . . The great gift of  The Heart of Yoga lies not simply in the depth of Desikachar's learning, but in the compassion, gentleness, practicality, and down-to-earth spirit that permeate the book."
(Yoga Journal )

" . . . a milestone in the transmission of yoga from the ancient masters to the modern world."
(Bodhi Tree Book Review, Winter 1999 / Spring 2000 )

“Read this book from cover to cover and you will begin to understand what yoga is all about.”
(The Sunday Times )

“Those who are interested in understanding what yoga is about, those who are looking for a larger context and focus for their hatha practice, those who look to the Yoga Su-tra for guidance, and all those who have loved and benefited from Krishnamacharya and/or Desikachar, directly or indirectly, will want this book.”
(Yoga International )

“An invaluable source of information regarding the theory and practice of yoga. A must for students and teachers alike.”
(Indra Devi, author of Yoga for You )

“Desikachar speaks from the heart with tenderness as well as an engineer's careful attention to details and individuality.”
(LA Yoga, January 2011 )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Inner Traditions; Revised edition (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089281764X
• ISBN-13: 978-0892817641
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Exercise & Fitness > Yoga
  • #24 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Personal Health > Stress

More About the Author

A structural engineer by training, T. K. V. Desikachar lived and studied with his father until Krishnamacharya's death in 1989. He has devoted his life to yoga instruction for people of all backgrounds and all levels of ability and currently teaches at the school founded in his father's memory in Madras, as well as in Europe, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

318 of 321 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to understand yoga?, July 10, 2002

By 

Vasudevan Srinivasan "vasya" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice (Paperback)

No introduction is needed for the author (son of famous yogacharya Sri T Krishnamacharya). I got interested in yoga after reading his series of articles in Indian magazines in late 1980s. First of all, this book is not an explanation of yoga poses (I recommend Light on Yoga for that). I first bought the book thinking its another book about yoga poses. But I was wrong. This book is exactly what the title says - how to develop a personal practice. The emphasise of the book is for the practitioner to observe himself/herself and see how he/she can augment the benefits of the poses. This is an invaluable and a very important step in learning yoga.

Now, everytime I read it I find it throws more light on understanding yoga. I used to do yogic poses mechanically, but now I have a different perspective. The book really makes you think about an asana and how to improve yourself to benefit from it (the term for this is viniyoga). The emphasis is on gradually learning and enjoying each pose instead of hurrying to accomplish some asana. There are several tips for maximizing the benefits of asanas - for eg counterposes, developing breathing techniques by observing oneself etc. The explanation is lucid, the writing is so simple and effective. Several common questions are answered in Q&A format which is very helpful.

The second part of the book contains Patanjali's yoga sutras in Sanskrit and followed by explanations in English. (Yoga sutras are the foundations of yogas in other words - the heart of yoga). The explanations are very simple and easy to understand.

103 of 103 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent all around yoga resource, March 16, 2006

By 

Patrick D. Goonan "see profile for URL" (Livermore, CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice (Paperback)

I own a lot of books on yoga and this is one of my favorite introductions. What makes it particularly valuable is that it explains how to construct a practice. This allows the reader to intelligently use other resources and link his or her yoga practice to overaching physical, psychological and spiritual principles.

I also found this volume to be well balanced. It covered a lot of ground and had a broad scope, but it was not overwhelming in any way. It really did a great job of covering the essentials of yoga philosophy, principles of joining breath with movement, connecting poses and varying poses.

The book also contains a good introduction to pranayama and presents the basics of the bandhas. The material on the mental and moral application of yoga are also well done, but not over done. I also liked that the book included a pronunciation guide for Sanskrit and 60 pages of a translation of parts of the yoga sutras of Patanjali with insightful commentary.

If you are looking for a book that explains how to do particular asanas, then this isn't your best choice although it does include a short section on Four General Practice Sequences.

This book does NOT provide detailed instruction on how to perform particular asanas. For this, you might try 30 Essential Yoga Poses by Judith Lasater, Dancing the Body of Light by Dona Holleman (a must have) or Back Care Basics by Mary Pullig Schatz M.D. (don't let the title full you, it's a great general introduction to yoga, especially for people starting later in life).

The Heart of Yoga will compliment any of the books above, which are not nearly as strong with respect to how to construct a yoga practice on your own.

93 of 96 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best translation of the Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali., May 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice (Paperback)

This is an excellent book. Be advised that this book contains an incredible bonus - the best, and most understandable translation (actually a translation/interpretation) of the Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali that I have ever read. After years of searching for a translation that I could actually use in my personal practice, I am very grateful to have found this one. This alone is well worth the price of the book. Highly recommended.