Customer Reviews

Yoga Poems: Lines to Unfold By

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Wow. I love this book. It has a way of inviting you in to a place where you are breathing and stretching your mind just reading this. I have tried many of these poses and it was uncanny to me the way Lowitz was able to capture in words and spirit the experience of the movement. In addition, it was interesting to hear her own autobioraphical experiences and struggles move through these pages. The next time you go into Yoga class or practice on your own, after reading this book, you will not only be working through your body and mind - Lowitz gives you the tools to find your own voice (how incredibly valuable!) and work it out through your spirit. Bravo.

WHEN I PICKED UP LEZA LOWITZ'S "YOGA POEMS" IT FIT PERFECTLY IN MY HAND IN A REAL INVITATION TO ENTER...THE GRACEFUL ILLUSTRATIONS... THE PAPER AND PRINT... A FITTING FRAME FOR THE WORK WITHIN. I DO NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT YOGA BUT I WAS MESMERIZED BY THE WORDS FLOWING DOWN THE PAGE LIKE MUSIC...NOT ONLY THE THE SOUND BUT THE SENSE AS WELL. THE METAPHORS ARE GORGEOUS. I FELT A KIND OF ENCHANTMENT BECAUSE AS A SINGER SO MUCH OF THE EXERCISE AND PHILOSPHY BEHIND YOGA ARE WHAT A SINGER PURSUES ALL HER LIFE. I COULD FEEL THE BREATH RISING TO FILL THE BODY, THE SOUND FLOWING THROUGH THE BLOODSTREAM, THOUGHT, ALWAYS THOUGHT PRODUCING THE ULTIMATE BEAUTY AND PROMISE OF THE MUSIC. ONE NEVER REACHES FOR OR MANUFACTURES A SOUND OR AN EMOTION. ONE THINKS AND IT IS THERE. IT TAKES SO MUCH CONCENTRATION AND REPETITION UNTIL NEAR PERFECTION IS ACHEIVED AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS IT IS A SUPREME MOMENT. ALL THROUGH LOWITZ'S BOOK I EXPERIENCED AGAIN MY PREPARATION AS A SINGER AND ISN'T THAT WHAT POETRY IS MEANT TO DO.... TO MAKE THE READER RELIVE A PARALLEL EXPERIENCE, TO APPROACH IT FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE, TO SEE AND FEEL ANEW.... ENRICHED...AND THAT IS WHAT THIS BEAUTIFUL BOOK CREATED FOR ME.

When I read the poem about the Warrior 2 asana, I was hooked. These poems are evocative and beautiful. Leza Lowitz's book is a pleasure for the mind, for the eyes, for the hands, and for the heart.

Namaste!

Her first words spoke as if from my own heart. I am a poet and life is poetry for me...this book is full of life and poetry. Yoga is much more than twists and poses, yoga is an art that lives from within, and from within these poems paint like no other I have read. Simple, passionate and caring, this is a book for the true yogin.

I have never "done" yoga but have been intrigued by it as a discipline and a mental exploration. So I read YOGA POEMS: LINES TO UNFOLD BY and was caught up in Yoga, in the poetry, in the explorations of the poet - a wonderful poet, by the way. Not only are the narratives, the interconnections between the physical and the mental/spiritual, deftly and movingly handled, but the music of the line, the play of words, the deep introspection of body, movement, and the considerings of the mind show a gifted poet at work. The person who does Yoga will enjoy this book for its moments of the familiar and its interesting approach by this particular poet. The reader for whom Yoga is unfamiliar territory may yearn to give it a try after seeing how much more there is to it than bending a leg into a difficult position.

Recently, having found the pleasure, pain and expansiveness of yoga I read Leza Lowitz's YOGA POEMS enthusiastically finding myself in many of her passages. As a workout yoga is demanding; as a meditation it is an ever-quieting place, and as a life journey it is never-ending. YOGA POEMS totally echoes my own personal feelings and works to help me further explore them. I feel I am going to run out of the journal pages contained in the book too soon. I highly reccommend this gently bound book!

Yoga Poems: lines to unfold by
tell the truth about more
than the poses they limn;
they tell about we
who unfold in the poses,
our moods
our aspirations
our whims;
lines to unfold by
are lines to live by;
as we learn to unfold the lines
as we learn to unfold the poses
we unfold ourselves.

I picked up the Yoga Poems after reading the author's collection of short stories, Green Tea To Go. This is poetry at its absolute best. I know very little about yoga poses and breathing exercises. But this is a collection about the language of emotion, the difficult postures of passion, this is for anyone who's struggled with loss, or as the author puts it in her introduction, feels like an "expatriate in my own skin." I loved the poetry about healing, a search for serenity in the jolting insanity of every-day life. And some of the lines are so frank and funny, I couldn't stop laughing. For example, the first line in, "Knee to Ear," is, "I was almost married to dispassion." It suddenly reminded me of this girl back when and then this and that and as I went on, it was a very sad poem reflecting on the poet's past. On the reverse side, there's a sensuality that reminds one of the bodily calligraphy that yoga forms with every pose.
"There are two perfect
shapes in the world
a man once said:
... and he
might have added a third:
a woman's body."
I appreciated the honesty of, "Lord of the Fish." "There is one pose I cannot do," it starts. I've tried yoga several times and there's a thousand poses I can't do, haha. I highly recommend this book for any fan of poetry independent of your knowledge of yoga. If you love language, these are literally, "Lines to unfold by."

Yoga Poems- Lines to Unfold By... is a glorious collection.
These poems bring a beautiful perspective to each asana.
At the end of a practice, I select a poem of an asana of focus for the day. I quietly share this with the class during relaxation, as the mind is open and the body calm. It is truely heartening to me to see the soulful, connection it often brings to the receiver.

This book is ideal to sell in your studio as well as a simple and delightful gift for anyone in your spiritual community...

laughter, love and light in Colorado

Superb little book! I use it when I teach yoga as a finishing poem (like "Eagle") or as a thought inducer during a challenging asana. It's great!