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The most helpful favorable review
The most helpful critical review
249 of 253 people found the following review helpful:
Thorough and meticulous
This book is required for the yoga teacher training I am enrolled in. I've read it from cover to cover and I was blown away by the amount of information Coulter presents. He doesn't make references to specific schools but presents things very generally. He also doesn't use too much Sanskrit, so most yoga students shouldn't be too intimidated by the material. The...
Published on November 2, 2002 by dnk
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9 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
better have some knowledge or some time
My title says it all. The book is good, but it is not suitable for a novice. I was looking for books to recommend to new individuals to yoga, so I bought this book. It is good to me, but I have been teaching for 7 years. If you are new lookign for base knowledge, look elsewhere. If you have been practicing yoga for awhile, give it a try!
Published on September 6, 2006 by R. Julian
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249 of 253 people found the following review helpful:
Thorough and meticulous, November 2, 2002
This review is from: Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners (Hardcover)
This book is required for the yoga teacher training I am enrolled in. I've read it from cover to cover and I was blown away by the amount of information Coulter presents. He doesn't make references to specific schools but presents things very generally. He also doesn't use too much Sanskrit, so most yoga students shouldn't be too intimidated by the material.The information he presents on Breathing, the importance of the Abdominopelvic muscles (or the "core muscles", as they're popularly known today) and his chapter on Forward Bends where he discusses nutation were my favorite portions. Coulter isn't doctrinaire in most cases, as is appropriate for someone discussing the anatomical aspect of yoga. He presents variations for the popular poses (forward bends, cobra, triangle, etc.) and discusses what the ramifications of the modifications are. While some are called "advanced" and some are called "beginner", it doesn't come off as a value judgment. Because Coulter was so thorough throughout the entire book and backed up almost every statement with a logical explanation, it was noticeable when he did not. For instance, he, like almost every other author of a yoga text, recommends that women not practice inversions if they are menstruating. Why? I really hoped that someone with his background would be able to supply an explanation other than because that's the way it's been done. Also, while he spends quite a bit of time talking about the importance of the right tetrahedron for meditation postures and the various postures that can be used, I felt he glossed over the reasons why meditation has to be done sitting versus lying down. Minor quibbles, but only more obvious because the rest of the book is so meticulous. If you are planning on teaching yoga, if you already have a yoga practice or if you're not quite convinced that yoga can do anything for your body, pick up this book.
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158 of 163 people found the following review helpful:
enrich your understanding and practice of yoga, January 23, 2002
This review is from: Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners (Hardcover)
Coulter's comprehensive book provides a new bridge between the empirical traditions of yoga science, and Western physiology and anatomy. He uses his deep knowledge of both sides of the divide to provide detailed accounts of what is happening during yoga asanas and pranayama breathing. While I had expected this to be useful in providing answers for questions that I, my colleagues and students have had, trying to fit yoga into a Western scientific context, I have been delighted to find that there is a feedback loop, with the Western analysis making it easier to maintain the detailed instructions I had previously learned from teachers and other books.
This is an impressively detailed and exhaustive book, including coverage of movement and posture, breathing, many categories of asana, and relaxation and meditation. In each case, the physiological information is linked to practice, and often different levels of the posture are discussed. The writing style is clear and informal. There are anatomical diagrams, charts of breathing patterns, and photographs of the poses, but this is a long way from the current trend towards thumbnail pictures of every stage of a pose.
In such a thorough and dense volume (over 600 pages in all) the major challenge is easy access to specific information when you need it. There are two indexes, by anatomical term and by specific practices, but I would have welcomed more context within the indexes (for example, to direct me to the most appropriate of 12 mentions of the synovial joint). I think my carping on this topic will diminish my familiarity with the content grows, as I use the book more over the months and years -- which I certainly intend to do. Highly recommended.
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86 of 90 people found the following review helpful:
Indispensable for yoga teachers and serious students, April 10, 2002
This review is from: Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners (Hardcover)
As hatha yoga approaches the "Granola Standard" of public acceptance -- it's not just for aging hippies and health nuts anymore --there's a growing need for foundational work in the anatomic and physiological effects of the discipline. It may still be a while before our leading medical schools issue texts examining yoga in detail, so former anatomy professor and dedicated yogi H. David Coulter, Ph.D. has done them a favor (and they, along with every HMO, hospital, and preventive-care clinic in the country should order copies now). In this exhaustive guide to the ups, downs, twists and turns of most fundamental asanas (and a few advanced ones), Coulter tells you a lot more than your recently certified yoga teacher may know about exactly what's going on with your body during the yogic experience. (Yoga teachers, you should order now too!) And the author has the seasoning to issue knowledgeable warnings about the fact that, poorly practiced, yoga can certainly be bad for you: "Cultivate a frolicsome enthusiasm in the morning to counter stiffness, and cautiousness in the evening to avoid hurting yourself. And at any time, if you start feeling uncommonly strong, flexible, and frisky, be careful. That's when it?s easy to go too far."In these days when most books are more cheaply made than ever, it's nice to see a volume like this that's built to last; the glossy text paper gives the book the physical heft and authority to match the value of the content. The pricetag is what you're used to seeing on the latest computer books, but when you consider that this tome will be timely for years instead of months, it's a real bargain. -- P.MILLER for the FEARLESS REVIEWS
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39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
A unique and useful book, March 5, 2003
This review is from: Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners (Hardcover)
This is a most unusual book. The author, a professor of anatomy and long-time yoga practitioner, explores, in great detail (when necessary), the human anatomy as it relates to the practice of hatha yoga. For someone such as myself who previously knew *Nothing* about human anatomy, this was a fascinating journey. If nothing else the book will teach you about anatomy, a topic you may previously have had no interest, but in the process it will deepen your knowledge of yoga. Its really well done how the author brings such a seemingly dry, technical subject to life. The author nicely groups the discussion around particular topics as they relate to yoga. For example, there are chapters on the nervous system, on breathing, and on what is happening with your hips and sacrum. Perhaps there are similar books on the market, but I suspect not. I'm reminded of Bill Graham's comment about the Grateful Dead: "They're the best in the world at what they do; they're the only ones in the world who do what they do." I suspect similar comments would apply here. Physically, the book is well produced. Considering the glossy paper used, the price of the book is quite reasonable. The are fantastic anatomic drawings that greatly add to one's understanding. Read this book, and enrich your practice of yoga.
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36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
a must-have for every yoga instructor, December 29, 2001
This review is from: Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners (Hardcover)
Finally, a yoga book that explains hatha yoga from a physiological perspective based on medical science, yet balanced with respect for the tradition of yoga. I think this book has achieved this balance almost perfectly. Mr. Coulter obviously has a love and respect for yogic tradition, and has allowed this passion to inspire him to look at yoga from the view of medical science to invite those who are motivated by common sense and science to see the benefits of yoga that many of the rest of us have already discovered. Mr. Coulter's academic status as a professor of anatomy blended with his overall knowledge, education, and experience as a yoga practitioner make him the perfect author of this book. This should be a required textbook for all yoga instructors, and a useful tool for all serious practitioners.
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27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
An incredible reference for yoga teachers and students alike, March 18, 2003
This review is from: Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners (Hardcover)
As a yoga student of less than two years, i have found this book to be invaluable. While very dense, easier to read as a reference than a novel, it contains rich details about the entire body's anatomy as it relates to yoga. You learn what muscles are used in countless poses, and how to deepen your practice to invigorate deeper tissues through more knowledgeable yoga. It also dwells on breathing and meditation.
It's a bit expensive, so you should be a committed yogi or yogini of any level before you spend the money. Keep it handy, read a bit here and there as you grow your own practice, and you will find yourself becoming more aware of your amazing body.
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
Technical analysis of Yoga and the Anatomy, March 12, 2003
This review is from: Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners (Hardcover)
This could serve as a text book in the future if Yoga is taught at an University. Very, very technical; not at all light reading but if you have some inclination to know how Yoga asanas affect the physical body, this is a great book. By any stretch of motivation, you can't read all of it in one go; it is best a reference when you want more information teaching a specific asana.The reading is well oraganized into different categories of the postures; an in depth reading on the anatomy of breathing is the best part. For e.g., it is great to related to students what is the effect of Yogic breathing compared to the 'normal' breathing - Mr. Coutler explains how much more oxygen is retained, how much more CO2 is expelled and how much more alveoli ventilation is achieved. All in all, it is a must for the Yoga teacher though I wish it were simpler.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
Comprehensive reference work, January 19, 2007
This review is from: Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners (Hardcover)
This book is probably not for everyone. It's account of anatomy is quite detailed where it needs to be, and readers who have a hard time processing this sort of detail will have a hard time with the book. That potential problem is made worse by the relative lack of good illustrations.
The book is grouped by families of poses (i.e. standing, bends, twists) and presents the most relvant sections of anatomy for each family prior to desribing how the anatomy functions in specific poses.
It's this blend of anatomical description and practical application that makes the book so valuable. The level of detail may mean that you have to reread chapters a few times to get the picture, but once you have you will have a very clear idea of exactly what is being stretched, what muscles support the motion, and what limits the motions. This is all very helpful when you are trying to break poses and especially vinyasa down into the various separate motions that make them up. That in turn really helps you figure out what needs to be worked on and how to work on it.
For me the section on breathing and core tension shed more light on why and how yoga works than anything I've ever read in either western or eastern traditions. The book is worth owning for that chapter alone.
My one suggestion is to acquire another book on anatomy to have a more comprehensive set of drawings available to supplement the limited set presented in the book.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
A definitive, 623-page instructional manual, March 9, 2005
This review is from: Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners (Hardcover)
In Anatomy Of Hatha Yoga: A Manual For Students, Teachers, And Practitioners, author David Coulter draws upon his many years of experience and expertise in teaching microscopic, neuroscience, and elementary gros anatomy courses, as well as the practice of Hatha Yoga, to create a definitive, 623-page instructional manual covering the impact that this particular yoga tradition and practice has upon human physiology. Individual chapters are dedicated to "Movement and Posture"; "Breathing"; "Abdominopelvic Exercises"; "Standing Postures"; "Backbending Postures"; "Forward Bending Postures"; Twisting Postures"; "The Headstand"; "The Shoulderstand"; and "Relaxation and Meditation". Enhanced for the student and/or practitioner of Hatha Yoga with an informed and informative introduction and "Basic Premises" orientation, a glossary, additional sources for further study, "Acknowledgments", indexes of "Anatomical Terms" and "Practices", and a brief author biography, Anatomy Of Hatha Yoga is a seminal contribution which is strongly recommended reading for professionals and non-special general readers with an interest in the discipline of yoga in general, and Hatha Yoga in particular.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
Helped me a lot, May 11, 2005
This review is from: Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners (Hardcover)
Being an actual practitioner of many disciplines has helped me in many different areas of my own self, including my mind, my body and my soul... Well, this book in question is a very good source for the one looking for hatha yoga, and I especially like the way in which it is presented: very clear and with good explanations.
Though I do not think this is a manual or book for beginners, I do totally recommend it for people with at least a short base in this system, and definitely a book I will keep. There is a lot of information within, and also, the anatomy described is definitely something one should know, at least, as general knowledge.
Remember: with a little bit of energy, anyone can learn!
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