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Santosha.com's Shopper's Guide to Books on Yoga
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Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit: A Return to Wholeness
by Donna Farhi
The first book to unify all yoga styles and bring the understanding of yoga's mind-body connection clearly into the mainstream. In this comprehensive guide, Donna Farhi, the internationally renowned yoga instructor and author of The Breathing Book, brings her holistic approach to this centuries-old Eastern practice. Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit is the first book to present the vital essence of hatha yoga from a perspective that will enable Westerners to experience authentic yoga practice directly. Providing detailed instructions, practice tips, and inspiration for students at all levels, Donna Farhi works with universal movement principles that may be applied to all styles of yoga, including ashtanga, Iyengar, Kripalu, and viniyoga. At the heart of this book are seventy-five fully illustrated asanas, or postures, with descriptions of their executions and benefits. On every page Farhi's teaching gifts are evident, and through clear, easy-to-follow explanations you'll discover: - the core movement principles that underlie all yoga practice
- the philosophical precepts that are the foundation of a balanced life
- the postures arranged into related groups--including standing postures, sitting postures, arm balances, and breathing practices--for quick and easy reference
- home practice sessions outlined for the beginning and advanced student
From Library Journal:
At first glance, this book's photos and illustrations, which are just as important as the text in an exercise book, seem dated and bland. But a reading of the text and a closer examination of the illustrations reveal that what makes this yoga text different and worthwhile is the author's commitment to tying yoga's spiritual aspects to its physical components. Farhi (The Breathing Book) discusses the "Ten Living Principles," or the yamas ("wise characteristics") and the niyamas ("codes for living soulfully"), and also considers the importance of the asanas ("postures") in grounding spirituality in the body. However, Farhi does far more than provide descriptions and illustrations of postures. At the beginning of each new section, she has readers move through one or two core poses. She then asks them to focus on the way they feel physically while performing the pose. Using these core poses, she moves on to postures of greater complexity while allowing for different levels of ability. One possible problem for beginners is her use of posture names to describe poses that involve movement from one posture to the next (e.g., the sun salutation or the downward dog). Recommended for public libraries as well as academic libraries where yoga is a part of the curriculum, this may also be a worthwhile purchase for hospital or health sciences libraries.
-Debra Mitts, Glenview P.L., IL
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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