The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga

Rating:
Summary: not the best yoga book
Review: even if vishnu-devananda is the 'best' yogi in many ways. Though they are beautiful, many of the photos make some of the asanas look more difficult than they are; some of them ARE that difficult, and you can't tell what's feasible for your level and what's not. The sets and ordering at the appendix are good. Some of the Vishnu-deavananda and Sivananda theories on yoga are very uncompromising, and individuals really must wonder and think when they read these. What IS the physical and/or mental, spiritual benefit of sexual abstinence for example? Many people just ignore this. What about vegetarianism? Are the yogic theories the same as the new western ones? Do they lead to one another, is there a logical link? Religion and biology are so mixed up together, and westerners just become pseudo-hindus sometimes, and end up looking stupid and becoming useless people. The Sivananda program demands questioning, and does not always provide answers. What does chanting a few oms do? Do you need to know what you're saying when you chant a mantra to benefit from it? One of the things I like about Bikram Choudhoury's approach is that he nixes all this [poor] spiritualism not because he doesn't find it true and/or useful, but because he doesn't think one should just go through the motions without understanding what they're doing, and so he focuses on and explains the physical benefits of the asanas with some expectation that their performance will lead a yogi into different habits and a different life. I don't know which way is better. Anyway, the book is good. It's not my favorite

Rating:
Summary: not the best yoga book
Review: even if vishnu-devananda is the 'best' yogi in many ways. Though they are beautiful, many of the photos make some of the asanas look more difficult than they are; some of them ARE that difficult, and you can't tell what's feasible for your level and what's not. The sets and ordering at the appendix are good. Some of the Vishnu-deavananda and Sivananda theories on yoga are very uncompromising, and individuals really must wonder and think when they read these. What IS the physical and/or mental, spiritual benefit of sexual abstinence for example? Many people just ignore this. What about vegetarianism? Are the yogic theories the same as the new western ones? Do they lead to one another, is there a logical link? Religion and biology are so mixed up together, and westerners just become pseudo-hindus sometimes, and end up looking stupid and becoming useless people. The Sivananda program demands questioning, and does not always provide answers. What does chanting a few oms do? Do you need to know what you're saying when you chant a mantra to benefit from it? One of the things I like about Bikram Choudhoury's approach is that he nixes all this [poor] spiritualism not because he doesn't find it true and/or useful, but because he doesn't think one should just go through the motions without understanding what they're doing, and so he focuses on and explains the physical benefits of the asanas with some expectation that their performance will lead a yogi into different habits and a different life. I don't know which way is better. Anyway, the book is good. It's not my favorite

Rating:
Summary: A complete introduction to yoga
Review: I was lucky to be a student of Sivaram, a direct student of Vishudevananda. Through Sivaram, I experienced the sweetness of disposition of a true yogi and I was exposed to the enormous esteem in which he was held. The postures and philosopy in this book were taught to Vishnudevananda by his teacher, Sivananda. Sivananda was a medical doctor before he became a "yogi" and great teacher of many who came from India to the West to teach this ancient art. These teachers were "pioneers" of yoga in the West, developing classes as well as lecturing and demonstrating before groups of people during the 1960's. Rather than critiquing their "form" in the postures, one would praise them for opening up the West to the teachings and practice of yoga so that we all may continue to learn and grow in this ancient art and science. Reading this book will help any yoga aspirant to more fully understand the yogic philosophy and introduce the student to some of the 84,000 yoga postures. The postures in the book encompass the major areas of hatha yoga practice: forward bends, backward bends, balancing, inversions, and twists, and so are a complete introduction to the practice of yoga.

Rating:
Summary: A complete introduction to yoga
Review: I was lucky to be a student of Sivaram, a direct student of Vishudevananda. Through Sivaram, I experienced the sweetness of disposition of a true yogi and I was exposed to the enormous esteem in which he was held. The postures and philosopy in this book were taught to Vishnudevananda by his teacher, Sivananda. Sivananda was a medical doctor before he became a "yogi" and great teacher of many who came from India to the West to teach this ancient art. These teachers were "pioneers" of yoga in the West, developing classes as well as lecturing and demonstrating before groups of people during the 1960's. Rather than critiquing their "form" in the postures, one would praise them for opening up the West to the teachings and practice of yoga so that we all may continue to learn and grow in this ancient art and science. Reading this book will help any yoga aspirant to more fully understand the yogic philosophy and introduce the student to some of the 84,000 yoga postures. The postures in the book encompass the major areas of hatha yoga practice: forward bends, backward bends, balancing, inversions, and twists, and so are a complete introduction to the practice of yoga.

Rating:
Summary: Not for beginners.
Review: I wouldn't recommend this book for beginners. It has some good poses, but some of them you just can't figure out without an instructor.

Rating:
Summary: Strong Points
Review: In my opinion, each good yoga text has something of its own to aid the student. Though Iyengar's books are tops for asanas and clear exposition, Vishnudevananda's book is particularly useful and complete on the subject of yogic hygiene and nauli kriya, the abdominal exercises, offering good photographs which clarify what text can only somewhat describe.

Rating:
Summary: Very old yoga
Review: This book in my opinion is great. It's not as illustrated as i had hoped (it's in b+w). But it has pictures for everything it talks about and so that's good. Another benifit of this book is that it has a lot to say and includes some very old techniques for cleansing the body/mind/spirit. Plus the model can do some pritty funky things with his body ;)

Rating:
Summary: Comic relief
Review: This book is best used as a contrast with Iyengar's. To see Vishnu's hands and feet uncoordinatedly splayed in all directions is simultaneously comical and sad. Like many people from India, he is very supple. Unfortunately, he also seems to have very little awareness inside his body. And body positions without mental involvement are the antithesis of yoga. Besides Iyengar's, check out Vanda Scaravelli's book. She once said to me, "Yoga is the religion of the spine." Vishnu's spine is supple; but again, without awareness. When I used to teach yoga, I would bring this book to class as an example of how NOT to do the asanas.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best popular books on yoga
Review: This book was my first yoga book; as such it is close to my heart. I read it (in another edition) in 1974 and used it as a guide to my practice for many years thereafter. It is not, of course, "complete." No "complete book of" ever is. That is a publisher's fiction. It is however, very thorough in presenting the yoga of Patanjali and the classical Hatha Yoga Pradipika to the English speaking reader. Much of the book is devoted to asana, highlighted by 146 photos of demonstration by an unidentified young man, who is as good as, if not better than (if that is possible), the accomplished and illustrious B. K. S. Iyengar in showing the sort of suppleness and precision that can achieved. The photos really are extraordinary. There is an excellent and lengthy chapter on pranayama and several on the philosophy and spiritual aspects of yoga. Consequently this goes beyond hatha yoga and becomes a treatise on raja yoga, the so-called "king's yoga" or "ashtanga yoga," or "eight-limbed" yoga--the yoga codified and outlined by Patanjali about eighteen hundred years ago. Raja yoga, which is a continuation of hatha yoga, is to be distinguished from the three other yogas of the ancients, karma yoga, bhakti yoga, and jnana yoga, respectively the yogas of selfless action, devotion, and knowledge. (There is also tantric yoga, the so-called "left-handed path," the beginnings of which are lost in antiquity. Following the example of the Bhagavad Gita, tantric yoga is not mentioned in this book.) Raja yoga is sometimes called "the science of mental control," as it is here on page 220.

There are many experts on asana; and there are many academics whose knowledge of yoga and yoga culture is extensive. But there are few public teachers of yoga who have mastered all aspects of yoga and can be said to be truly accomplished. Vishnu-devananda is one of them, that is clear from this book. B. K. S. Iyengar is another. I have read nearly a hundred books on yoga in English, and I would not be able to identify more than a handful of other authors as "siddhas," or "accomplished ones." Usually, a yogi who realizes samadhi ceases to be a public person. It is only the few--perhaps taking their inspiration from the Buddha, who returned from bliss to instruct humankind--that actually take the trouble to write books. I believe that Vishnu-devananda may be one of them. Certainly the knowledge and wisdom emanating from these pages suggests as much. Incidentally, "Vishnu" is one of the deities of Hinduism ("the Preserver"); a "deva" is a personal divine (such as Krishna, a manifestation of Vishnu); and "ananda" is bliss itself.

Yoga, fully realized, is a mystical and religious practice--be sure and understand that it is a practice: mere knowledge will not be efficacious. Its ultimate purpose is the realization of the Absolute, or to be joined with the Ineffable, or to live continually in the state of samadhi (three ways of saying what is essentially the same thing). Nonetheless, physical health and well-being can be gotten along the way (indeed they are prerequisites to samadhi), and sufficient in themselves as reasons for taking up the practice.

One of the auxiliary strengths of this book is in its presentation of the Vedic and Hindu viewpoint through the study and practice of yoga. Swami Vishnu-devananda reveals himself here as an accomplished jnana yogi as well as a master of raja yoga. While I do not agree with everything written here, and could easily point to some exaggerations (hyperbole, of course, is part of the tradition of yogic literature, fulfilling an "intentional" purpose) as well as to some ideas that are perhaps more central to Hinduism than to yoga itself, I nonetheless believe that what Vishnu-devananda writes is wise and measured and worth careful study. I don't think one can really understand yoga or appreciate its place in our world without not only a long practice but also a concomitant study of its origins and historical development in the Hindu, Buddhist, Tantric, Jainist and other traditions. This book is an excellent beginning.

Rating:
Summary: A complete photo intro to Yoga
Review: Vishnudevananda, the author of this classic guide into to yoga, founded the highly regarded organization for yoga studies and practices called the Sivananda Yoga Center. After receiving the life karma goal from his yoga teacher to move from India and share his knowledge of yoga to those of us in the West, he has written severa book that have become standard texts for both yoga students and teachers. Predating the current craze in only power yoga, the book has easy-to-follow instructions, inspirational teaching, and detailed photos and is a good introduction into yoga practice, as it covers every aspect of the yoga lifestyle, including relaxation, exercise, dietary guidelines, breathing, and meditation. I think that whether you're using it in conjunction with a class or on your own, this photo-illustrated introduction into yoga can help you in your daily practice.