Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I am so grateful for this book. Donald is based in Berkeley, CA, at his studio, the Yoga Room and only occasionally makes it to the East Coast, where I live. This book is the next best thing to taking class with this extraordinary teacher. Donald was among the first of the current generation of teachers in the Iyengar Tradition to go to India and study with the Master. His sweet and uplifting nature permeates his style of teaching. His teachings are uncompromisingly sophisticated, but come from a place of enthusiasm and playfulness. He gives instruction designed to help you understand where your body fits in the great range of human variety and to help you work in such a way as to make the poses benefit your body and your situation. The same is true for his book.
Arranged in two sections, the first gives detailed instruction on Head Stand and Shoulder Stand, the two cornerstones of the Iyengar tradition, with their profound healing and meditative effects. In both poses he looks at the basic arrangement of the body and talks about how individuals may vary and what should be done in order to allow for those variations. He gives numerous prop modifications for the reader to adjust the poses to their bodies so that they may work in them safely and efficiently. For those who are not ready for the pose, he also provides alternative that, over time, will prepare the reader for the main pose itself.
In the second section he presents six different practice sequences addressing specific parts of the trunk and upper body. (He is hoping to follow this book up with a second volume dealing with the lower body.) The level of detail in these practices is remarkable. A basic sequence is presented for each which, depending on your familiarity with the poses, could take between an hour and 90 minutes to complete. He also provides many different related poses to flesh out each practice. The result is a vast number of variations possible with each chapter, depending on which kinds of poses the reader might wish to focus on. There is enough material here to keep even the most advanced practitioner busy for many, many months.
The most impressive aspect of this book is the level of detail. The market is riddled with introductory and beginner books. Even in the case of "Light on Yoga," by B. K. S. Iyengar, though it may feature extremely advanced poses, the actual instruction of how to work with the poses is minimal in comparison with Donald's book. I've only been using the book for a few weeks and I find that my understanding has deepened and my ability to perform the poses has improved immensely. This is an excellent and essential addition to anyone's yoga library.
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Written by an author who has practiced Iyengar-style yoga since 1971, and who studied it with B. K. S. Iyengar himself, Yoga: Awakening the Inner Body is a thorough, up-to-date resource for students and teachers. Using questions such as "Do you have sloping shoulders or square-set shoulders?" and "Are the muscles at the back of your upper arms weak?" the book allows readers to tailor the instruction to fit their needs. Eight chapters cover everything from balancing the sternum to aligning the shoulder blades to exploring the relationship among the collarbone, kidneys, and groin. The book also features an introduction in which the author defines the inner body and the various stages of awakening and gives suggestions for using the book.
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