Publication
New York : Crossroad Publishing Co., 2005, 2015 reprint. B.K.S. Iyengar ; introduction by Yehudi Menuhin. OCLC Number: 68941560. xxii, 296 pages : illustrations, 21 cm.
Call number
Yoga / Iyeng
ISBN
9780824506865
Original publication date
1985
Collections
Physical description
xxii, 296 p.; 21 cm
Description
In this classic yoga best-seller a world-renowned yoga master shares the techniques of breathing together with a comprehensive background of yoga philosophy. B. K. S. Iyengar is a legend who has practiced yoga in a unique way, and today "Iyengar Yoga" is taught around the world by certified instructors.
Language
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User reviews
LibraryThing member Tobias.Bruell
The book is an introduction into the breathing exercises of yoga. I divide the book into a core part (containing the sitting postures and breathing patterns; roughly corresponding to parts 2 and 3) and into the rest. The rest consists of anatomy, basic Hinduistic concepts, and an appendix about
I mainly found the core part helpful. It contains many interesting exercises. However, it is also very repetitive and could be compressed into a third of the length by stronger focusing on concepts than on the enumeration of exercises that only differ in a single aspect; often the most relevant information is already contained in the tables at the end of each section.
I found many statements throughout the book far fetched, obscure, or even esoteric. For example, "If the eyelids are flabby, a feeling of heaviness spreads; if the pupils start to flicker, absent-mindedness sets in." (chapter XI, point 45, translated from the German edition). The book contains a lot statements like this and I do not understand how this statement is helpful or how it is logically deduced.
Also, the book is quite often dogmatic and overly-restrictive. For example, chapter XXII, point 8, tells you to avoid using your left hand to pinch your nose during pranayama, since ... well ... this is the tradition. It is also precisely prescribed which fingers and which part of the fingertips to use for nose-pinching. I can accept that subtle differences in nose-pinching are important, but, again, it would be nice if the focus was more on concepts than on a fixed set of incomprehensible rules.
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meditation and relaxation.I mainly found the core part helpful. It contains many interesting exercises. However, it is also very repetitive and could be compressed into a third of the length by stronger focusing on concepts than on the enumeration of exercises that only differ in a single aspect; often the most relevant information is already contained in the tables at the end of each section.
I found many statements throughout the book far fetched, obscure, or even esoteric. For example, "If the eyelids are flabby, a feeling of heaviness spreads; if the pupils start to flicker, absent-mindedness sets in." (chapter XI, point 45, translated from the German edition). The book contains a lot statements like this and I do not understand how this statement is helpful or how it is logically deduced.
Also, the book is quite often dogmatic and overly-restrictive. For example, chapter XXII, point 8, tells you to avoid using your left hand to pinch your nose during pranayama, since ... well ... this is the tradition. It is also precisely prescribed which fingers and which part of the fingertips to use for nose-pinching. I can accept that subtle differences in nose-pinching are important, but, again, it would be nice if the focus was more on concepts than on a fixed set of incomprehensible rules.
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