Yoga Body, Buddha Mind (Paperback)

by Cyndi Lee (Author) "It came without warning right at the beginning of the day trip down the river..." (more)
Key Phrases: Urdhva Hastasana, Long Spine, Yoga Sutra (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Lee's title is a bit suspect. Is her book about a slimmed-down, more flexible Buddha or just another book fusing distinct Eastern cultures to suit Western readers? Happily, it's neither. The director of the trendy OM Yoga Center in Manhattan and a former dancer, Lee found yoga physically exhilarating but its purported spiritual benefits elusive. Instead, she found the spiritual nourishment she was seeking in Buddhist teachings and meditations, then realized that the physical work of yoga helped her embody them. So her book follows her personal journey and explains how she began to incorporate Buddhist meditation techniques into the practice of yoga asanas. Lee writes clearly, with down-to-earth explanations of Buddhist and yoga philosophy. She includes many interesting meditation exercises and yoga sequences, vinyasas, or poses that flow from one to another, and that reflect her love of movement. The sequences progress in difficulty from those suitable for beginners to those that will challenge advanced yoga students. Jane Tuma
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"Cyndi Lee is a brilliant yoga teacher because she blends the knowledge and experience of life itself into her exquisite teaching of yoga. She leaves her students content and open to the abundance of the moment."

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Riverhead Trade; 1st Riverhead Trade Pbk. Ed edition (August 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594480249
• ISBN-13: 978-1594480249
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #70,538 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Yoga , March 10, 2005

By	Kristin Concannon (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I stumbled upon a review of Lee's Yoga Body, Buddha Mind in the Elephant and immediately got a copy. I have really enjoyed her presentation of meditation and yoga. Cyndi offers excellent instruction to bring the attention to the breath as an exercise for both the body and mind. Her style is simple and interesting. I've reccomended this book to my fellow students in yoga classes and all have raved.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A quick look at a huge topic, October 29, 2008

By	T. Burrows (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a (semi-serious) practitioner of both yoga and Buddhism, I have for some time wondered about the connections between the two. I feel that there is some connection, but it is hard to know what it is. Neither my Buddhism classes or my yoga classes make any reference to the other, and they almost seem to be competing philosophies at times. Unfortunately the book, although not bad, was a bit of a disappointment.

This was an enjoyable, somewhat rambling discussion that seemed more like a relaxed lecture than a serious monograph. As someone who is a highly regarded yoga teacher and who runs a successful yoga center (one of the most popular in New York from what I can tell, along with Yoga Works and Jivamukti), she clearly knows about yoga. But her knowledge as expressed in this book, although not superficial, does not seem very extensive. In the realm of Buddhism, she is not an experienced teacher or scholar. She makes a few references to things that some yoga teachers have said, but her knowledge does not seem particularly broad. The book is basically structured like a casual talk, interspersed with photos and descriptions of ashtanga asanas. Now so far as that goes, it is not bad, but it is the kind of thing I would rather watch or listen to than read about.

The key question for me is whether the book began to answer my questions and add to my knowledge of the intersection(s) of yoga and Buddhism. In that regard, I must tip my cap to Cyndi Lee and thank her. She does begin to touch on some things, but not nearly to the extent that the title suggests. She may have done some damage to her cause with this overly ambitious title, which implies that she will explain the hows and whys of the linkage of yoga exercise and Buddhist thinking. In fact, she goes on primarily about yoga, and makes the occasional reference to Buddhism. However, some of her comments are illuminating, and helped me to understand why I often experience something similar when I meditate and when I do yoga.

Yoga connects us to the earth, to the universe, to our own physical experience thru breathing and movement. Things are always in flux and life moves to the same rhythms that our breath does. Unlike other forms of exercise, yoga is built around the breath, and this begins to connect us to our minds and to nature as well. When the mind and body are in synch, then we are more in tune with all life, and we are in a position to grow spiritually, as well as become healthier. Yoga grew out of the Hindu (altho Lee says it is separate from Hinduism) Sankhya philosophy, which came along around 200 CE and proposed a dual level of existence: purusha (which basically means spirit) and prakriti (matter). I am a little unclear where the mind fits into it, but yoga means union, and it is an effort to join the two - body and mind, matter and spirit. I am also a little uncertain as to where the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali comes into the picture, since that was another huge point of origin for yoga. Oh well, I guess I will have to learn some more about it. Lee's book is a good starting point for further explorations, and she has a nice yoga center, too. I respect her willingness to take on such a big subject and attempt to popularize it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the essence of OM yoga, December 1, 2008

By	Rebecca F. Grossman "yoga gangster = yogangster!" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Cyndi Lee does an exemplary job of illustrating the core ideals of OM yoga in this lovely book. She expertly weaves the worlds of yoga and buddhism/meditation in a straightforward, conversational style grounded in her personal experiences. The asana sequences at the back of the book have EXCELLENT photographs to accompany each posture, and Cyndi has included her handy stick-figure chart of beginner/int/adv. sequences that would be perfect for directing a home practice. A great way to learn about OM yoga, meditation, and integrating practice into everyday life.