It's what Robert's Rules of Order is to parliamentary bodiesJune 5, 2008 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Iyengar himself has disavowed this book long ago...even so, it's the single greatest reference book out there.
The first thing that will blow you away is the treatise on hatha yoga. The ease with which he describes the philosophy of yoga foreshadows his complete book on the subject. It's quite a foreshadowing!
The bulk of the book is an exhaustive detailed pictorial and written description of most practical poses (and several impractical ones).
However, I fell in love with his close to 300-week practice schedule in the back of the book. I must say that it's implausible that someone can follow it exactly and include all the poses all the time (even he says to skip the ones you can't master), it's a very keen insight into what HIS practice might have been like back when this book was published, before he started a huge yoga school.
Now he has curriculum that changes every year (to keep teacher coming back to $$$chool - smart man!). The current Iyengar school details exact angles in which to keep your body in specific poses. I love 'Light on Yoga' because it lacks that exactness, and allows you to feel the energy of poses, rather than getting stuck in anatomy of the poses.
A must read, and must re-read, and a must re-re-re-re-re-.........
If you are interested in yoga this is a mustMay 7, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Great book for anybody, but especially needed for beginers. For every asana there is at least one picture to illustrate the proper technique. Helps with breathing and flow, describing how your muscles are working and proper focus.
Yoga at its bestMarch 29, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Must read for all yoga students. It has been recommended by my various yoga teachers. It is very descriptive and is filled with photos of more poses than I have seen in any other book.
Light on yoga is a light in itself - Brings an indentity for yourselfMarch 27, 2008 BKS Iyengar has brought new light to yoga. The way he explains each asana and dedication to practice proves that there is no such lifeless work on this earth that man cannot breathe life into it.
Pera Harish S
Gems are there if you are willing to digMarch 9, 2008 13 out of 14 found this review helpful
I have a love-hate relationship with this book. On the positive side it is very comprehensive: it contains everything from beginning asanas to poses you might never achieve. It contains instruction on breathing, sequencing, bandhas and the effects of asanas. Lots of densely packed information.
On the negative side: it is difficult, like an ornery old uncle that you love and who is brilliant but who also drives you nuts. It is poorly laid out. Often the pictures the text refers to are on different pages. The pictures are not the slick studio shots that many have come to expect based on current yoga magazines and advertising in general (don't bite my head off for saying this, I am just trying to describe the book).
The amount of information in this book can be overwhelming. I am an information junkie and for the first five years of my yoga practice it was too much for me: I felt overwhelmed and discouraged every time I opened it. This book does not hold your hand or spoon feed you: detailed information is there but you have to work to get it out. Iyengar uses only the Sanskrit names for the poses. I realize some camps believe "that is the right and proper way" but others find it overwhelming at first, and I'm not here to debate that, but it is something you should know about the book. In explaining one pose he often refers back to others (which of course are on different pages) so if you don't remember all the Sanskrit names you will be doing a lot of flipping pages.
Now that I have been doing yoga for 8 years I appreciate this book a lot more: It has detailed directions for lots of asanas and covers material that I have not seen anywhere else. But every time I use the book I still have the urge to rip it up and past the pictures next to the text that refers to them. Once I get over that urge though I usually can dig out valuable information, but it does take work.
Although it is a great book and a copy will end up on many serious yogis shelves I would not recommend this book for beginners. Starting with this book would be like feeding your baby champagne and truffles for his first meal: while both are terrific they are too much for newbies. But once you have fallen in love with yoga and have developed a hankering for more than just the basics, this book will be just the thing. There is information in here that will take a lifetime to master.
