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Rating: 
Summary: Ayurveda & Yoga For Everbody
Review: As a person who follows Ayurvedic health principles and has a regular yoga practice, I was already familiar with most of the concepts presented in this book. My fitness and athletic performance have greatly benefitted from these principles. However, this is the first book I have read that really applies the pricniples to fitness and athletic competition. The book has several techniques that I already knew, but did not consider applying to athletics as described in the book. I have been doing the breathing method described for years, but never considered actually doing it during competition. It works.When I first found this book I did not look closely at it and assumed it was another slick marketing gimmick riding the mind-body trend. Then I attended one of the author's lectures at a yoga conference and recognized that Mr. Douillard has a throrough knowledge of Ayurveda. Although Ayurveda and Yoga are becoming more well known for their general health benefits, Mr. Douillard is one of the few to properly apply these principle to fitness and athletic competition. The best part about this book is that anyone can read it and immediately benefit from it regardless of age or physical condition. No previous knowledge of Ayurveda and Yoga required. The author takes very sophisticated knowledge and methods from the sciences of Ayurveda & Yoga and presents them in a form Americans can readily understand. The concepts are normally part of more structured teachings and usually include extensive Sanskrit terminology. For example, the mind-body constitutions Vata, Pitta, Kapha are renamed Winter, Summer, Spring in the book. Also, the breathing technique Ujjayi Pranayama is referred to as Darth Vader breathing. While these innovative synonyms might make a room full of experienced practitioners cringe, they are perfect to convey powerful knowledge to an audience that would be confused by or indifferent to more precise terminology. My only criticism of the book is that some of the descriptions of the techniques are not as well presented as they could be. While they are adequate, they are better presented in other yoga books. Regardless of how the techniques are presented, any reader would greatly benefit from taking a few yoga classes. Virtually all of the techniques described in the book are introduced in the first few classes at the beginners level.
Rating: 
Summary: intergrate and enjoy
Review: I am an elite coach based in Melbourne ,Australia. I have used the principles behind this book with great success with many people. I cannot recommend it highly enough, buy it read it follow it and you will change the way you train and finally enjoy exercise the way it was supposed to be. Good luck and enjoy.
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Summary: Are You Frustrated With Excercise?
Review: I believe the majority of Americans do not consistently excercise, because it is such a frustrating experience. Well, John Douilard has the solution. If we can enjoy excercise, we will want to do it, and we will do it more often. Seems too simplistic, it isn't. Douillard explores the ways in which we harm our bodies by pushing them to the limit. This is why we incur sports injuries and burn out. Douillard provides concise explanations to the problems of excercise pain. His hypothesis is, if we stay in tune with our body, it will tell us how far it is ready to go. I am 24 years old, and I have just begun excercising, again. I have tried the gym, and I haven't been motivated to stick with it in the past. Now that I am armed with the principles of invisible atheletics, I plan to stick to a consistent excercise program. The only problem I have with this book is the nutritional advice. I am an avid reader of nutritional books, and I don't find Douillards nutrition advice scientific. For more information on eating right, I recommend, Peter D'Adamos books: Eat Right For Your Type and Live Right For Your Type. I have found both of these books extremely informative. However, for excercise advice, I cannot speak more highly of John Douillard's Body, Mind, and Sport. I give this book 4 stars, because I think it is well written and anyone can benefit from his fitness advice. However, I suggest you find more sound advice for your nutritional needs.
Rating:
Summary: Ayurveda & Yoga For Everbody
Review: I bought this book 8 years ago, I use what I learned form it and have never looked back. I am a mountain runner, and found new power speed and recovery using this book. It's a winner!! I also combine this book with " The Zone " by barry seares and I have to say its works, no messing no sales pitch.
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Summary: Great for the non-elite athlete too
Review: I first read this book back in the early nineties after hearing an interview of Mr. Douillard on NPR. The introduction to his book explains that he is looking to make participation in sport more accessible to all people, not just the elite athletes. The breathing techniques he discusses sound nuts at first, and are a little trick to master (especially if you have a cold!) but once you get used to them, they really really work. I was never athletic growing up, but since reading this book, I have used the techniques and completed 17 marathons, including 4 ultramarathons. I never finish first - but I really enjoy participating. Before being exposed to these techniques, I never would have thought I could run a mile - much less 50! If you are looking to start an exercise program, get into shape, or have a specific fitness goal, this is a really worthwhile book.
Rating:
Summary: Great for the non-elite athlete too
Review: I first read this book back in the early nineties after hearing an interview of Mr. Douillard on NPR. The introduction to his book explains that he is looking to make participation in sport more accessible to all people, not just the elite athletes. The breathing techniques he discusses sound nuts at first, and are a little trick to master (especially if you have a cold!) but once you get used to them, they really really work. I was never athletic growing up, but since reading this book, I have used the techniques and completed 17 marathons, including 4 ultramarathons. I never finish first - but I really enjoy participating. Before being exposed to these techniques, I never would have thought I could run a mile - much less 50! If you are looking to start an exercise program, get into shape, or have a specific fitness goal, this is a really worthwhile book.
Rating:
Summary: It has really opened my mind.
Review: I picked up this book at a relatives house and could not put it down. After reading it, I have to own it. If you are a serious athlete who has ever over-trained, this book is for you(or, if you simply want to avoid overtraining in the future...) John combines Auyervedic principles with Yoga, creating a way to perform better while straining yourself even less. So far I have only incorporated his principles in one workout, but with complete success. I'll know better as the next few weeks progress how easy it is to follow the principles in the book. I read a different book on Auyervedic principles(Quantam Health?), which was good but not too extremely easy to follow. John has laid out how to live the Auyervedic way, and specifically how to apply it to athletic training, in a simple and easy to follow manner.
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Summary: Really cool book about mind/body integration in fitness
Review: I picked up this book at a relatives house and could not put it down. After reading it, I have to own it. If you are a serious athlete who has ever over-trained, this book is for you(or, if you simply want to avoid overtraining in the future...) John combines Auyervedic principles with Yoga, creating a way to perform better while straining yourself even less. So far I have only incorporated his principles in one workout, but with complete success. I'll know better as the next few weeks progress how easy it is to follow the principles in the book. I read a different book on Auyervedic principles(Quantam Health?), which was good but not too extremely easy to follow. John has laid out how to live the Auyervedic way, and specifically how to apply it to athletic training, in a simple and easy to follow manner.
Rating:
Summary: It has really opened my mind.
Review: This book is fantastic. I got it because I wanted to get more from my work outs. I didn't want to learn new exercises, just optimize what I was doing. It offered so much more! It looks at your whole life, body rhythms, etc. I personally didn't care for Ayurveda and have never really been into Yoga (didn't even know it was a part of the book), but I see now there is a lot to learn there, and it isn't so hokey. It has really opened my mind to a new way of thinking about the human body. The most major thing I learned was about our daily body rhythms like when it is good to exercise, wake up, sleep, think, etc. I also love the Sun Salute information (who knew you could stretch your entire body and massage your internal organs at the same time?!), and breathing (what he calls the Darth Vadar Breathing, which was totally new to me). What he says makes sense. It works. If you want to perform better in your life, and you are open-minded, this book is for you. Read it from front to back-it is packed with information! It has impacted all areas of my life. Worth every penny!
Rating:
Summary: A Good Effort
Review: This book will certainly change the way you train for the better.Props to Mr. Douillard for seeing through the heavy fog and attacking old problems in new ways.The main technique used is actually an age old Yoga Pranayama (breathing exercise and control),called Ujayi, that is not adequately explored in this book.This technique, features heavily in Ashtanga Yoga, in order to deal with the same kind of aerobic loads.So it's not a new discovery but it can still revolutionize your training.And those who wish to inquire further can try David Swenson's Ashtanga books and videos and BKS Iyengar's book, Light On Pranayama.
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