Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)this book was suggested to me by Amazon and I purchased it on a whim. despite being somewhat knowledgeable about Tibetan Buddhism, I had never heard of Tarthang Tulku or Kum Nye before. I am glad I did, because this book has been a real inspiration to me and has enriched my practice of meditation and body awareness.
the introduction is one of the most interesting and enjoyable parts of the book. Tarthang Tulku presents a perspective on spirituality and the body which should be familiar to anyone involved in yoga or somatic practices (e.g. Feldenkrais, Bioenergetics), but in a way that is fresh and inspirational. I don't know if the book was partially ghost written, but I was surprised at the clarity and poetry of the writing coming from a non-native speaker. Tarthang Tulku explains the goals and philosophy of this system of meditation in a way that really communicates the spirit of the work and inspires one with a sense of the true possibility for growth and wholeness.
the bulk of the book consists of fairly detailed exercises that combine breathing and movement with meditative awareness. the descriptions are fairly clear, but there are only sparse drawings and it is sometimes a little difficult understand exactly what is being described. however, the work is so straightforward that one can easily invent slight variations or entirely new techniques.
in fact, the author insinuates that kum nye as taught by his father was quite freeform, and that he codified it into a series of exercises to make it more accessible to 'westerners'. personally, I find that I prefer to keep things loose and unstructured, and that I learn more by letting my body guide the process rather than trying to rigorously follow a set of exercises. although Tarthang Tulku recommends that kind of approach in some of his other work (e.g. Gesture of Balance), I think the point could have been communicated better here. that and the lack of more detailed illustrations are the only reason why this book gets four stars instead of five.
as a final note, I am surprised that I have never heard of this teacher before. as a student of somatic psychology, I think Tarthang Tulku's work deserves more attention. his approach has striking similarities to both Feldenkrais and Bioenergetics. I hope in the future that this simple and inspirational work will receive more attention within the community of body awareness practitioners, and that an extensive dialog can occur between practitioners of these methods and those of us who have been trained in 'western' techniques and perspectives.
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Containing 115 exercises & massages and based on a traditional healing system, this yoga helps to relieve stress, transform old patterns and promote balance and health.
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