Wednesday, December 22, 2010

The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice

The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal PracticeThe first yoga text to outline a step-by-step sequence for developing a complete practice according to viniyoga--yoga adapted to the needs of the individual.

A contemporary classic by a world-renowned teacher.

This new edition adds thirty-two poems by Krishnamacharya that capture the essence of his teachings.

Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, who lived to be over 100 years old, was one of the greatest yogis of the modern era. Elements of Krishnamacharya's teaching have become well known around the world through the work of B. K. S. Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, and Indra Devi, who all studied with Krishnamacharya. Krishnamacharya's son T. K. V. Desikachar lived and studied with his father all his life and now teaches the full spectrum of Krishnamacharya's yoga. Desikachar has based his method on Krishnamacharya's fundamental concept of viniyoga, which maintains that practices must be continually adapted to the individual's changing needs to achieve the maximum therapeutic value.

In The Heart of Yoga Desikachar offers a distillation of his father's system as well as his own practical approach, which he describes as "a program for the spine at every level--physical, mental, and spiritual." This is the first yoga text to outline a step-by-step sequence for developing a complete practice according to the age-old principles of yoga. Desikachar discusses all the elements of yoga--poses and counterposes, conscious breathing, meditation, and philosophy--and shows how the yoga student may develop a practice tailored to his or her current state of health, age, occupation, and lifestyle.

Price: $19.95


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The Doctrine and Practice of Yoga

The Doctrine and Practice of YogaThis book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Price: $1.99


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Total Yoga [VHS]

Total Yoga [VHS]While this is certainly an excellent video for those schooled in some of the moves and positions of yoga, it may prove somewhat intimidating to the novice. Tracey Rich and Ganga White demonstrate the poses in this 68-minute hatha workout, Tracey showing the simpler steps and Ganga the more complex. Yet even the simple poses require quite a bit of flexibility. If, however, you are on an intermediate to advanced level, Total Yoga will give you a satisfying stretch, increase your relaxation, improve your circulation and flexibility, and build strength. Not much time is spent on explanation, so the tape will hold your interest on repeat viewings. Breath work is emphasized in the beginning of the tape, which segues nicely into a balanced workout using flow series. A perfect video for continuing your yoga experience once one of the more basic ones (such as Stephanie Foster's Yoga: Beginner's Level or A.M./P.M. Yoga for Beginners) becomes too easy. --Jenny Brown

Price: $9.98


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