Light on Yoga has become the bible for hundreds of thousands of people who practice Yoga daily with the Iyengar method, for exercise, meditation, or simpley relaxation. With more than 600 photographs depicting all the postures and breathing exercises, it remains the fullest, most practical, and most profusely illustrated guide by the world's foremost Yoga teacher. Light on Yoga is a comprehensive and definitive sourcebook for the initiated, as well as the best introduction for the novice who seeks the healthful benefits of Yoga for mind, body, and soul.

'(Yoga) is a techniqe ideally suited to prevent physical and mental illness and to protect the body generally...By its very nature it is inextricably associated with universal laws: for respect for life, truth, and patience are all indispensable factors in the drawing of a quiet breath, in calmness of mind and firmness of will. This book will serve to spread this basic art and will ensure that it is practiced at its highest level'-Yehudi Menuhin

B.K.S. Iyengar, for whom hundreds of Iyengar Institutes all over the world are named, heads his own institute in India.

Contents

Foreword by Yehudi Menuhin
Preface
Part I Introduction
What is yoga?
Par tII Yogasanas, bandha and kriya
Yogasanas
Bandha and kriya
Part III Pranayama
Hints and cautions
Techniqe and effectsof pranayama
Pranayamas
Appendix I Asana courses
Appendix II Curative asanas for various diseases
Table to correlate the asanas etc. with the plates which illustrate them
Glossary
Index

Best for:
Anyone interested in pursuing a serious yoga practice.

In a nutshell:
Igengar provides a summary of the history of yoga, beyond what many folks consider when attending yoga classes or watching videos.

Worth quoting:
“The study of Yoga is not like work for a diploma or a university degree by someone desiring favourable results in a stipulated time.”

Why I chose it:
Part of my goal for 2021 is to live more of the life that I want, and building a consistent yoga practice is high on that list.

Review:
This is an interesting book. I’ve always known yoga is not just breathing and stretching, but based more in a broader way of living. As a white woman raised in the US, most of my exposure to yoga has been through a Lululemon view. A way to stretch and build strength and relieve stress, without really looking at where yoga comes from. I’ve been in classes where there’s some lip service paid to it, but nothing more.

Obviously, one isn’t going to understand an entire cultural concept like yoga from reading one book. But this is a good starting place. It discusses the connection between what is going on with the body and what is going on in the mind. I’ll need to read it over a few times to understand it better, but again, a good place to start.

After the introduction, Iyengar offers instructions and photos of over 200 poses, which are quite easy to follow. He then has put together three ‘courses,’ spreading across 300 weeks (yes, you read that right). Today I started with course one, which lasts about 32 weeks. It’s been seven or eight years since I regularly practiced yoga, and I can feel it, but I can also see how this is going to work, and I’m excited about it.

Videos are definitely an easy way to start learning yoga, and I don’t think a book can fully replace that for more visual learners, but I do think this book is a great place to start.

Keep it / Pass to a Friend / Donate it / Toss it:
Keep it ( )

I wouldn't exactly call this a great read. The introduction is useful for anyone new to yoga but it could probably fill out an entire book on its own so you're really skipping over a lot of ideas in that essay. The bulk of the book is an index of poses and commentary on their usefulness. The index is ESSENTIAL. Particularly the suggested schedule of asanas. This book is defining a trajectory for my practice and basically changing my life. So, yeah, 5 stars for that. ( )

I wouldn't exactly call this a great read. The introduction is useful for anyone new to yoga but it could probably fill out an entire book on its own so you're really skipping over a lot of ideas in that essay. The bulk of the book is an index of poses and commentary on their usefulness. The index is ESSENTIAL. Particularly the suggested schedule of asanas. This book is defining a trajectory for my practice and basically changing my life. So, yeah, 5 stars for that. ( )

its got a huge collection of incredibly specific asanas, but thats literally all it has. no systematic overview or explanations, incredibly sparse and rote programs for progress, inconsistent and often insufficient explanations of poses ( )