The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice

I adore absolutely this book. For me, it's the ACME of yoga books. This book lives by my bedside and comes out weekly for my private yoga lessons and solitary study. It's so easy to read and understand, in under 250 pages, that any yoga student can benefit from it. It humbly and concisely emanates the essence of yoga for every body, everywhere; that if you can breathe, you can do yoga, and that, through adapting yoga practices for each person's needs as they change from day to month to year, yoga can be a full life therapy for anyone. Wow. That blows my mind. Big Pharma can't say that! Desikachar states clearly and methodically what yoga is, what it teaches, how to do it, and its benefits to body, mind and spirit, as taught to him by his own father Krishnamacharya (who also taught BKS Iyengar, the human rubberband!). It does it without ego or ceremony; without the alarming bodily contortions or religious diatribe that put so many people off; enough of the Sanskrit terminology to be accurate, but no more than necessary, illuminating and explaining beautifully the benevolent and deeply wise teachings of the sage Patanjali believed to be thousands of years old (Sutra included), in such a way that yoga can be seen for what it is: a timeless science for the fullness of human health, prevention of illness, peace of mind and happiness in the soul. The book demonstrates that asana/postures are only part of what Westerners think of as yoga, and puts them in their rightful place - as just one limb, but an important one - within the Eight Limbs of Yoga. There are photos of Krishnamacharya doing postures, but they aren't mindbogglingly gymnastic, and there are illustrative posture sequences that most yoga students will recognise and can do at home. Please buy this if you're curious about yoga. It's so simple, erudite and brilliant. I think you'll like it. ❤️

This book should be a must have for anyone with a serious interest in studying yoga. It takes you beyond the physical of asana showing you what yoga is all about and how yoga can enable you to understand your place in the universe. A standard yoga bible on everyone’s shelf.

Excellent book. Insightful and informative content for yoga practitioners to deepen their practice.

I’m reading this book for my teacher training - it has practical teachings to not only help your yoga practice but to manage thoughts and reactions to every day life. A great read for yogis and not-yet yogis

Bought for my ‘yoga teacher’ wife she uses it constantly!

This item arrived in a timely manner and was well packaged on arrival. I am using it as an addition to a course I am pursuing and it is proving to be a valuable help. Well recommended and well used.

I've not finished reading it yet but I'm finding it really informative and it's helping me to understand the how's and why's of an asana. I'm new to yoga and wanted to know the background and useful tips I might not pick up in class and this is the perfect book for that. I would recommend this book to beginners and old hands alike.

This is a great book on every level. It provides a deep insight into how to practice yoga and to incorporate yoga into your life. I really enjoyed reading this text, and felt like starting it again when I finished it. You also get a translation and commentary of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras as an appendix.

very nice book, mainly focused on the theory of yoga but also gives some useful practices and guidance to design your own practice.

The book covering the fundamentals of yoga, written by lifelong teachers.

Gutes Buch über die leider weniger poluläre Linie von Desikachar, die einige wichtige Dinge ander behandelt als Iyengar oder Jois.

This is a very sophisticated and detailed description of the interplay between breathing, doing the asanas, and maintaining a meditative state. All three combined are the essence of yoga. Much information and techniques. A great book

つまんねえ。まあ、個人的感想だが。