Yoga: The Path To Holistic Health (Hardcover)

by B.K.S. Iyengar (Author), Daphne Razazan (Author)
Key Phrases: main asana, practice this asana, practice during menstruation, Asanas Page, Tadasana Samasthithi, Adhomukha Swastikasana (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Yoga is now as mainstream as Madonna, as indispensable to fitness culture as the StairMaster. In Yoga: The Path to Holistic Health, 82-year-old Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar (Light on Yoga; The Tree of Yoga), one of the world's leading yoga teachers, makes it even more accessible, offering detailed instructions for postures of all levels of difficulty, illustrated by color photos and accompanied by helpful explanations of their health benefits. The basic Adhomukha Svanasana (Sanskrit for "downward-facing dog posture") stimulates the nervous system, while the more daunting Salamba Sirsasana (headstand) promotes clarity of thought and improves your memory. Other postures, according to Iyengar, boost the respiratory and immune systems, tone muscles and, most important, relieve stress. Not only a how-to, Iyengar's book also includes a concise explanation of yoga's spiritual dimension. (Mar.)
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
One of Iyengar's (The Illustrated Light on Yoga) goals is to connect the practice of yoga's asanas ("postures") with its spiritual side. The opening section of the book deals with the spiritual side of yoga and its importance in bringing the body into balance with itself and the environment. However, the simplistic discussion lacks the depth of Donna Farhi's Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit (LJ 4/15/00). The strength of Iyengar's book is its photographs and texts, which illustrate and explain how to perform yoga postures correctly and safely. The author shows the postures being performed with props that help beginners slowly develop the necessary flexibility and strength. The book also contains a section on yoga therapy, illustrating different series of postures aimed at alleviating and preventing certain physical ailments and stress. The last section is a 20-week course that slowly fosters and develops muscle tone, flexibility, and inner peace. Since the postures are listed using transliterations of their Hindi names, the most difficult aspect of this course is stopping to look up each posture. This text, which is aimed mainly at beginners, can be adapted to fit the needs of most intermediate and advanced yoga practitioners. Recommended for public libraries and health sciences libraries that support alternative medicine courses. Debra Mitts Smith, Jamaica Plain, MA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 408 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT (January 31, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789471655
• ISBN-13: 978-0789471659
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #305,757 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

131 of 133 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great book that covers alot; I only whish it was more..., March 9, 2001

By	"sadhaka" (Haydenville, MA United States) - See all my reviews

I have long been expecting a book from Mr. Iyengar that addresses the changes in his yoga since the publication the now classic Light on Yoga. This book clearly speaks to three major factors that Iyengar yoga is now famous for, but which are not covered in depth in Light on Yoga: the use of props and so called "restorative" poses, the therapeutic use of yoga asanas, and precise attention to anatomical detail in the poses.

To accomplish this, the book is divided into three sections: the Introductions, Yoga for You, and Yoga for Stress. The introductions are somewhat superficial with oddly anomalous photos, perhaps useful only to those who know nothing about yoga. The introduction to Light on Yoga, while dense, is much more rewarding.

Yoga for You gives detailed anatomical instruction in around 27 of the most basic and important asanas. This section has more pictures and more instructional information per asana than any other book I've seen. I was initially put of by seemingly trite little offset "advise from the Guru" sections but they eventually won me over, simply because Mr. Iyengar's advice is really, really good.

However, this section omits so many asanas that are also important, that it becomes difficult to give it a full endorsement as anything but a supplement to other Iyengar books. In attition, it is geared towards beginners, so intermediate and advancesed students might wish to look elswhere for further instruction. Yoga: the Iyengar Way by Silva and Mira Mehta, for instance, has slightly less detail, but covers more like 100 asanas with more some intermediate instruction(even this work, however, cuts corners).

Yoga for Stress is the most thorough work on the use of props in existence. It also gives a large section of routines for various ailments (with little pictures for each asana - a great touch which is steadily becoming for common) and a 20 weeks course for beginners (without such pictures - a pity).

This is, in general, great material, but I have found three problems with it:

1. Beginner's modifications for asanas in part 1, as well as several asanas (like Prasarita Padottanasana) which aren't covered in part 1, are put in part 2 which makes it frequently confusing when following the routines. A beginner looking for a simple introduction to props and Iyengar yoga might do better with How to Use Yoga by Mira Mehta. 2. It's much less useful if your not willing to invest heavily in specialized props (my own furniture and blankets weren't really appropriate, although some people may not have this problem). In fact, if you are not totally committed to the heavy use of props, I would find it difficult to recommend this book at all. 3. There is no discussion of why the given routines are good for certain ailments (the benefits of individual asanas are, as is usual, given with the poses themselves) and the modifying of routines is discussed only briefly. Gary Kraftsow's Yoga for Wellness, by contrast, gives a lot more of this type of information (although it has its own drawbacks).

Despite these problems, the instructional material for what is covered in the book is to notch. I would recommend this work highly to anyone who uses or is interested in using props, Iyengar teachers, Iyengar beginners who are committed to this style of yoga and want to be thorough in their understanding of it's more singular aspects, and anyone who insists on getting detailed anatomical instruction straight from Mr. Iyengar even in the knowledge that it will leave you wishing for more.

72 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-Illustrated Asanas (Poses) for Relieving Ailments, May 6, 2001

By	Professor Donald Mitchell "Jesus Makes Me a P... (Boston) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

Many people come to yoga from the perspective of health improvement. I am one of them. The path to yoga is often difficult in this case. You don't feel well, and those who instruct you are usually not yoga teachers. You get just a little dab to help you relax before meditating or as a supplement to an improved diet. Without knowing more, you do not know if you want to take on a lot of yoga. Yoga, The Path to Holistic Health is perfect for such health seekers. You will learn what asanas (poses or postures) can be used for what ailments, and the illustrations will help you use these asanas without an instructor.

I wish I had seen this book before having surgery recently. I did not know that there were asanas for improving my condition, and I might have avoided a procedure that has caused me much discomfort and inconvenience.

This book is a beginner's work, aimed at those who know almost nothing about yoga. As such, it is perfect for those who want to try some yoga to see what the health benefits might be. In my case, my brief exposure to yoga during meditation training led me to be interested in doing more. I found, though, that some asanas seemed to be hurting me. I was doing something wrong, but had no way to correct myself. Now, with this volume, I can see how to self-correct my practice. I also found asanas for what I want to accomplish that are easier on my middle-aged physique.

The illustrations give you the asana from 360 degrees, which is very helpful. He uses a range of models, so you will see both women and men performing the asanas. You are also told how to do them as a beginner. Each asana contains a caution section about who and when you should avoid this position. Mr. Iyengar also provides dynamic advice for how to move your body that gives you the essence of the asana in a way that mere illustrations could not. That advice focuses your attention on the way that the posture is being conducted in ways that I would have otherwise missed.

The book starts with a brief introduction to yoga and its benefits. The philosophy is then briefly outlined. Basic asanas are then described in sections based on whether you do them by standing, sitting, forward bends, twists, inversions, back bends or while reclining.

For people who live in Western countries, there is an extensive chapter on using yoga to relieve stress with lots of asanas. Many of these include props. I had not been introduced to props before, and liked what I saw.

To me, the core of the book was the section on which asanas to do for ailments. Your symptoms are the organizational structure. So if you have had asthma, for example, you go to the respiratory system section and look up the asanas that help. You then go to the front of the book (using the page references) to see how to do these asanas. From this, you can build your own program of self-healing. I recommend meditation as a supplement.

Finally, Mr. Iyengar provides a 20 week yoga course for those who want to begin yoga with a basic program. This looked like too much for me, but I will start it on my next vacation and see how it goes.

After you have used this book as a beginner for a few weeks, you will probably benefit from having an instructor check out your asanas once in a while. You are probably making small errors that are hard for you to self-correct.

The benefits of asanas come from relaxing the body and connecting the mind and body. You can also do this with your thoughts as the starting point. I suggest that you also select thoughts that you can use during the day to relax and create finer integration.

Ease into more positive positions, in order to flow with the natural river of improvement!

57 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Yoga Book Ever!, April 16, 2001

By	Aperient Press (Los Angeles CA USA) - See all my reviews

This book is of immeasurable value to both novices and masters of yoga. B.K.S. Iyengar is a master with great heart and caring for his students, which shows in his text and also the photos of him helping students with their postures.

This book is extremely accessible and is full of good, clear color photos of the postures, many of which are shown in a series of photos representing views from all angles.

In addition, the book is broken into clearly tabbed sections for easy reference. Sections include recommended series of postures for specific ailments and conditions, and conclude with a thoroughly illustrated 20-week yoga course.

Iyengar yoga often uses props to help students get deeper into postures, and there is a very good illustrated section here on how to use these simple props - something that's been missing from any other yoga book I've ever seen.

The book also contains a list of the postures by their Sanskrit names and their English names in translation and some basic anatomical information as well.

By far this is the best and most useful book on yoga I have ever seen, and I've seen more than a few.

This is Mr. Iyengar's first book in many years and well worth the wait.