Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I have long been expecting a book from Mr. Iyengar that addresses the changes in his yoga since the publication the now classic Light on Yoga. This book clearly speaks to three major factors that Iyengar yoga is now famous for, but which are not covered in depth in Light on Yoga: the use of props and so called "restorative" poses, the therapeutic use of yoga asanas, and precise attention to anatomical detail in the poses.
To accomplish this, the book is divided into three sections: the Introductions, Yoga for You, and Yoga for Stress. The introductions are somewhat superficial with oddly anomalous photos, perhaps useful only to those who know nothing about yoga. The introduction to Light on Yoga, while dense, is much more rewarding.
Yoga for You gives detailed anatomical instruction in around 27 of the most basic and important asanas. This section has more pictures and more instructional information per asana than any other book I've seen. I was initially put of by seemingly trite little offset "advise from the Guru" sections but they eventually won me over, simply because Mr. Iyengar's advice is really, really good.
However, this section omits so many asanas that are also important, that it becomes difficult to give it a full endorsement as anything but a supplement to other Iyengar books. In attition, it is geared towards beginners, so intermediate and advancesed students might wish to look elswhere for further instruction. Yoga: the Iyengar Way by Silva and Mira Mehta, for instance, has slightly less detail, but covers more like 100 asanas with more some intermediate instruction(even this work, however, cuts corners).
Yoga for Stress is the most thorough work on the use of props in existence. It also gives a large section of routines for various ailments (with little pictures for each asana - a great touch which is steadily becoming for common) and a 20 weeks course for beginners (without such pictures - a pity).
This is, in general, great material, but I have found three problems with it:
1. Beginner's modifications for asanas in part 1, as well as several asanas (like Prasarita Padottanasana) which aren't covered in part 1, are put in part 2 which makes it frequently confusing when following the routines. A beginner looking for a simple introduction to props and Iyengar yoga might do better with How to Use Yoga by Mira Mehta. 2. It's much less useful if your not willing to invest heavily in specialized props (my own furniture and blankets weren't really appropriate, although some people may not have this problem). In fact, if you are not totally committed to the heavy use of props, I would find it difficult to recommend this book at all. 3. There is no discussion of why the given routines are good for certain ailments (the benefits of individual asanas are, as is usual, given with the poses themselves) and the modifying of routines is discussed only briefly. Gary Kraftsow's Yoga for Wellness, by contrast, gives a lot more of this type of information (although it has its own drawbacks).
Despite these problems, the instructional material for what is covered in the book is to notch. I would recommend this work highly to anyone who uses or is interested in using props, Iyengar teachers, Iyengar beginners who are committed to this style of yoga and want to be thorough in their understanding of it's more singular aspects, and anyone who insists on getting detailed anatomical instruction straight from Mr. Iyengar even in the knowledge that it will leave you wishing for more.
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