Customer Reviews

Yoga: The Poetry of the Body

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First of all, I should tell you the quality of the paper alone is worth the price-- high quality pages with lots of artsy photos, and a cover designed to lay open. It's silly, but I was struck by that when I got the book home and began to flip through it. It's made to be read and read and carried around and abused.

Second of all, despite Oprah's adoration of Rodney Yee ;o), after doing 'A.M. Yoga' a couple times and reading a couple other yoga books, I wasn't that impressed with "Rod". I felt like he was serving it up really watered down, if you know what I mean, even for a beginners' tape.
But this book has given me a lot of respect for him, and Nina Zolotow. Between each yoga set there is an unusual thoughtful qoute and then a transcript of a conversation between the authors. I found these conversations to be really helpful in my quest to get into a regular yoga practice, both from the aspect of making me want to practice every day, and encouraging me not to be so critical of myself during practice.

Also, with the tape I didn't feel like I was be given the ability to do yoga on my own-- I felt like I needed the tape, when I dreamed of going off into a field, laying out my mat next to a lake and practicing. The book is a nice break from that, I feel like it gives you the skills to practice without a voice directing every movement. (and you take a book into the fields much easier than a TV, he he).
So, yes, I highly recommend this book. It has changed my opinion of Rodney Yee, made me glad I was introduced to Nina Zolotow and her 1-sentence stories, and really helped me to learn more about yoga, as well as help me to dedicate time to regular practice. Excellent for beginners, and great for those with some familiarity as well.

In the yoga world, Rodney Yee is a legend. his videos sell zillions of copies and his Oprah appearance was extremely successful. Yet, as a beginning yoga practitioner, Yee has never been accessible to me.

Now, with his first book, I can finally incorporate his vast knowledge into my life. Yoga: The Poetry of the Body is an excellent guide for beginners (like me). based on 45 basic yoga positions, the book has helped me build a foundation for my yoga life.

The useful photos and exercise descriptions, alone, would make this a 5 star book, but with all of the added content from Yee and co-author Nina Zolotow, the book is a must-have. The teacher-student dialogues sprinkled throughout the book are engaging, intelligent and realistic, Yee and Zolotow answered a lot of my questions and recognized some of the insecurities I had about starting yoga (even though I didn't know I had them!!)

And for the expert practitioner, the philosophy is uniquely Yee and the book can become an excellent way to hone th craft. I can't say enough about how great this book is!!

I didn't know what to expect from this book, considering Mr. Yee's popularity. Being part of the latest craze and adored by Oprah could polute the good intent of even the most devout but I found this book remarkably candid and thorough.

The mysticism of yoga is absent, replaced by caring detail. For instance, in the second section, Getting Ready to Practice, the parts of the body likely to be referred to in the book or videos are pointed out, clothing is suggested, props are explained and illustrated details are provided to improvise them, right down to how to properly fold a blanket. This sort of detail, the anticipation of each tiny question has been attended to in all parts of the book.

The third section, Falling Into Yoga, is my favorite. It begins with a summary of the 8 practices included, briefly discusses timing, breathing and the like and then proceeds to the practices. The first practice, A Playful Practice, is very gentle with flowing movements for stretching, twisting and opening followed by relaxation. Each pose has a photo and "Instructions" and "One Thing" to the right of them. The "One Thing is usually a metaphor, visualization or something to help you get it. I like this level of attention and thoughtfulness. As an aside, if the prose in these makes you snicker, move on and pay attention to the instructions. Some will find them helpful and others will not. They do not detract from the book either way. Anyway, following the details of the practice are two pages with tiny photos of each asana to facilitate practicing without flipping back and forth.

The conversations with Ms. Zolotow reveal Rodney Yee as a real person, not a celebrity or mystic. He has a personal life, a wife and children and the concerns that come with living, of having experienced a childhood and of being in this world. That he speaks so openly and modestly increased my respect for him tenfold.

I have many yoga books and tapes but I can't imagine finding another as accessible as this one.

I have a lot of respect for Rodney Yee, so I had to buy this book. I enjoy his tapes, and of course he's very famous, but there's a reason that he makes the big money, and it's not just because he looks good in those little shorts! If you've ever been to his workshops, you'll find out that he really is that good. He has lots of subtle tips and tricks that can make a big difference in your practice, and I enjoy his call to be playful and let the postures breathe. This book is quite different from other yoga books, and it captures his playful side and gives insight into his personal views on yoga and life. The postures are definitely beginner's stuff, but advanced practitioners and teachers will benefit from his descriptions and will likely find a new way to look at an old pose. The dialogue between Yee and Zolotow is pretty interesting, but I have to say that Zolotow's stories that were sprinkled throughout the book seem to be out of place. I guess she wanted to publish them somewhere and this was her chance, but I think they should have been edited out. All in all, I'm glad I bought it. It makes a nice addition to my yoga library and I've found some valuable advice to share with my students.

I have been practicing yoga at home with videos for about 2 years from now, and Rodney Yee is my favorite instructor. However, I've heard some people criticize his videos as being too mystical or too fast-paced, especially for beginners. In this book, Yee makes yoga accessible to everyone in part by making HIMSELF accessible--ie, via the reprinted conversations with his co-author, Nina Zolotow. The interviews allow the reader to see Yee as a real person rather than the yogi "master" he is often considered to be (he even jokes about this title in the book!). Furthermore, although he does discuss Eastern influences in his own yoga practice, he places great emphasis on yoga being fun and enjoyable and encourages modifications rather than a strive for "perfect" form.

In addition to talking about his craft, Yee offers eight varied yoga practices appropriate for beginning students; each practice focuses on a theme, such as "falling" or "breathing." Beautifully simple black and white photographes of either Yee or his wife, Donna Fone, performing the poses accompany each practice. In the last section, "Posing and Reposing," each of the 45 poses utilized in the practices is photo-illustrated and described in detail. Although this book is aimed at beginners, it will stimulate the thought of any aspiring yogi. Highly recommended!

This book definitely breaks the yoga-book mold (Yes, there is such a thing!). Rodney Yee and his co-writer/student, Nina Zolotow, cover a wide range of postures in depth and offer wonderful guidance about alignment and breathing, but the thing that touched me most about this book is how creatively it explored the possibilities of yoga in every way! The practices allow room for spontaneity and exploration, and the dialogues give you a different framework from which to approach and deepen your yoga. Also, Ms. Zolotow's ingenious short stories and the inspiring poems from poets all over the world that are sprinkled throughout this book feed the creative fire. My friend gave me this book for my birthday along with YOGA POEMS: LINES TO UNFOLD BY (by Leza Lowitz) and these two books together show that yoga is so much more than what you do on a mat. It moves the heart, the mind, the spirit and awakens the poetry within.

"If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry." --Emily Dickinson

I Love yoga! (--have since I did my first yoga vhs about five years ago though it feels like a lifetime, it's so natural for me.) This book is good for all yoga enthusiasts. Everyone will appreciate the photographs of Rodney's examples of each pose (although I think they should be larger) along with instructions of the poses and probably all who practice yoga should enjoy the conversations between Rodney and Nina Zolotow. In the section of part three, Why We Do Yoga, Rodney shares this: "For me their was an immediate emotional component to the practice of yoga. When I started practicing yoga, I felt like I was no longer ruled by my emotions. I felt like I still had emotions--very strong emotions--in fact, I could observe them more deeply--but I felt like I was no longer controlled by them, that I actually had a sense of choice and a sense of deeper understanding because I wasn't so emotionally reactive in my life."
We shouldn't be controlled by our emotions. I've learned this and let me tell you, it is wise and liberating.

One more quote by Rodney...

'I read an article in a newspaper that quoted the {} church as saying, "Yoga is dangerous because it clears the mind and leaves way for the devil." It clears the mind and leaves way for the devil. That's amazing to me, but in some sense, I realize people actually think that. We've actually been trained not to think. It's like in yoga class, people think it's about stilling the mind. It's not about stilling the mind. It's about following the mind. It's really about deeply following something. What we're doing is we're disciplining the mind so that it can continue to follow the present moment, watching things arise as they arise. Watching thoughts arise as they arise and actually being cognizant of life as it's arising. To really be in it--otherwise you're not living a life. You're living an illusion of life. You're actually disassociated from what's really going on....'
Hmmmm.

A worthy book to own to use to practice, appreciate and to understand yoga. My practice is something that will be with me forever. I realize now that it is so much a part of my life that I incorporate it into every workout routine I do, at some point! Even if I'm doing a video, I will either do yoga at the beginning or end 99% of the time! If you haven't tried yoga yet, please do! You won't regret it. You go at your own pace, and benefit and get more flexible with each effort. It is great for your body and your mind.
Soar!

I was really looking forward to this book, as I've found Yee's videos (and Patricia Walden's as well) of great use for my practice. But this book was a real letdown. Apart from the photos (the best part), which would be perfect for anyone beginning a yoga practice, there's not much to recommend. The "interview" portions between Yee and Zolotow are totally unnecessary, if not outright annoying; it's more like a schmooze session between "student" and "master". C'mon, already. Isn't that what appearances on "Oprah" are for? And the poetry would be better left in a separate volume - they don't really give anything to the book. All put together, it comes off as a little too "Real Simple" if you know what I mean. For some reason, after reading about all of the interview portions I could stomach, I came away with Yee having this distinct "nobody understands yoga but me" attitude. It could be the way it was written, but it comes off as more than a little prissy. A little humility would be nice, you know? Thanks just the same, but I'd rather re-read the truly essential "Light on Yoga" by B.K.S. Iyengar - THAT'S the book you should buy. Check out Yee's videos for guidance, but buy this only if you want a good looking coffee table book.

I love Rodney Yee and I love his videos. But I was a tad disappointed in this book because, while it showed all the most important Yoga poses, it took off on subjects that to me at least were uninteresting and the format of the book sucks. It's done in a conversation between the two authors. I personally don't like that style of writing. I know Playboy did that and perhaps still does (are they around?) but I never liked it.

Having said that, however, it's a good book and if you need to learn the poses, you'll like it. In addition, a lot of constructive things are said about yoga. How it helps. It's limitations, etc.

But I guess I was hoping for more from this wonderful, prolific leader of yoga. Maybe next time.

I didn't like Rodney Yee from all the videos and TV shows I had seen him on. I bought this book with some trepidation, and now am glad that I did. The discussions between chapters are very enlightening and the descriptions of the poses are very helpful in learning new ones. The only thing that I didn't like about the book was that I often felt like there wasn't enough direction on how to put poses together into a personalized practice. Maybe it is just because I am a beginner, but it seemed lacking to me in that respect.