Yoga in Focus: Postures, Sequences, Meditations

Rating:
Summary: Good guide to yoga practice
Review: I had looked at a lot of books for my home yoga practice, and this one seemed the most practical with a good variety of poses, both simple to more advanced. A lot of the books seem to have the same simple poses or very few poses described. There is a little bit at the beginning about the philosophy of yoga, but most of the book is about the asanas. There is also some introduction at the beginning about equipment and proper breathing. I liked that each asana has a full two pages devoted to it, one page describing the asana in detail, with benefits and variations. On the facing page is a full size photo of the asana. The photographs are clear, and pictures are shown for different parts in a sequence, like for sun salutation. Towards the back of the book, there are courses of different poses, some just for regular practice and some for remedial work, like to relieve backache or reduce menstrual pain. There is also a course for pregnancy. I liked that there were many courses to choose from (sixteen daily courses and at least ten remedial ones); that helps decide which asanas go together and makes for a varied practice.

Although this book gives great descriptions of the asanas, it is probably more for someone who has had some exposure to yoga previously. Some of the poses are a little more advanced for the brand new practioner (shoulder stand, for example), and not much is given about the history and philosophy of yoga besides asanas, if that is what you are interested in. I was not so much interested in background philosophy and history as I had read about that in other yoga books. I wanted a book that I would still use as I progressed from a beginning to an intermediate practice.

I love the small size of the book. There is a lot of information in a book of such compact size. I like that I can easily pack the book when I travel so I can practice yoga when I am away from home. My only complaint is about the binding of this book. It is difficult to get it to lie flat, making it hard to use while you practice. Also although the courses provide a small picture and the name of the various asanas, if you cannot remember all the details of a pose, you have to flip back and forth between the descriptions and the course outline. The way I remedied the situation is I had the book spiral-bound for a small fee at the local copy shop making it easy to lay flat and flip back and forth during practice. Buying a used copy of the book in good condition from amazon marketplace made the entire cost still less than what I would have paid for a new book at the local bookstore.