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Summary: Tremendous Detail, but readable
Review: I think that this is one of the best books on the market if you want to understand what is happening to the body while doing yoga postures. A previous reviewer mentioned that it would be good to have the Sandskit terms for many of the poses, which would be nice, but I can understand the rationale for having all poses in their english equivalent. If you are a teacher, serious practioner/student this is a must buy, because it provides great detail about anatomical perspective of yoga.
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Summary: A definitive, 623-page instructional manual
Review: In Anatomy Of Hatha Yoga: A Manual For Students, Teachers, And Practitioners, author David Coulter draws upon his many years of experience and expertise in teaching microscopic, neuroscience, and elementary gros anatomy courses, as well as the practice of Hatha Yoga, to create a definitive, 623-page instructional manual covering the impact that this particular yoga tradition and practice has upon human physiology. Individual chapters are dedicated to "Movement and Posture"; "Breathing"; "Abdominopelvic Exercises"; "Standing Postures"; "Backbending Postures"; "Forward Bending Postures"; Twisting Postures"; "The Headstand"; "The Shoulderstand"; and "Relaxation and Meditation". Enhanced for the student and/or practitioner of Hatha Yoga with an informed and informative introduction and "Basic Premises" orientation, a glossary, additional sources for further study, "Acknowledgments", indexes of "Anatomical Terms" and "Practices", and a brief author biography, Anatomy Of Hatha Yoga is a seminal contribution which is strongly recommended reading for professionals and non-special general readers with an interest in the discipline of yoga in general, and Hatha Yoga in particular.
Rating: 
Summary: Few, if any, problems
Review: The one problem with this amazing tool -- and here I disagree with an earlier reviewer -- is the lack of Sanskrit names for poses. The myriad English names for poses, names that have developed in various studios, seem to be regional and unheard of outside of their limited expanse. It would have been easier to cross-reference postures to texts such as Light on Yoga, if "Anatomy of Hatha Yoga" had consistently supplied the original Sanskrit, instead of vague, although evocative, English bastardizations.
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Summary: Increase your knowledge & improve your yoga
Review: This book is essential if you want to deepen your yoga practice, for how can you really fully understand and better your practice if you don't have a clear understanding of the mechanics of your own body? My suggestion to get the most of the book is to first read chapter one "Movement and Posture" to get a general foundation of the concepts and terminology that will be used throughout the book. Subsequent chapters provide detailed anatomical information pertinent to types of postures. Chapters, therefore, are in the vein of "Abdominopelvic Exercises", "Standing Postures", "The Shoulderstand", etc. So choose a style of asana that you'd like to focus on, read through the pertinent chapter, and then spend a couple of weeks putting the knowledge to work experientially, deepening your understanding of those areas of your body and the series of associated asanas. Don't expect to learn the vast amount of information in one reading. Expect to frequently refer back to the book as you put the information into practice. In my opinion, you'll get far more value out of the book if you use it as an experiential guidebook, rather than treating it like a textbook.
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Summary: Good book!
Review: This book is not only useful for those who are into yoga, but also for serious runners who are curious about their bodies and the ways it can be stretched and trained. Competitive runners, which I am, often have tight regions in various parts of the bodies. After going through numerous injuries, I'm finding that I get more and curious about my ligaments, joints, muscles, breathing and so forth. This book is a welcome addition to my library of books.
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Summary: Requires some committment
Review: This book is not what you might call 'light reading'. It is a very good but very detailed exploration of the anatomy of hatha yoga. Some prior knowledge of anatomy would be advantageous, but even without it the text is still highly informative. As the title suggests it is the kind of book 'serious' practitioners and teachers would get the most benefit from.
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Summary: Thorough and meticulous
Review: This book is required for the yoga teacher training I am enrolled in. I've read it from cover to cover and I was blown away by the amount of information Coulter presents. He doesn't make references to specific schools but presents things very generally. He also doesn't use too much Sanskrit, so most yoga students shouldn't be too intimidated by the material.The information he presents on Breathing, the importance of the Abdominopelvic muscles (or the "core muscles", as they're popularly known today) and his chapter on Forward Bends where he discusses nutation were my favorite portions. Coulter isn't doctrinaire in most cases, as is appropriate for someone discussing the anatomical aspect of yoga. He presents variations for the popular poses (forward bends, cobra, triangle, etc.) and discusses what the ramifications of the modifications are. While some are called "advanced" and some are called "beginner", it doesn't come off as a value judgment. Because Coulter was so thorough throughout the entire book and backed up almost every statement with a logical explanation, it was noticeable when he did not. For instance, he, like almost every other author of a yoga text, recommends that women not practice inversions if they are menstruating. Why? I really hoped that someone with his background would be able to supply an explanation other than because that's the way it's been done. Also, while he spends quite a bit of time talking about the importance of the right tetrahedron for meditation postures and the various postures that can be used, I felt he glossed over the reasons why meditation has to be done sitting versus lying down. Minor quibbles, but only more obvious because the rest of the book is so meticulous. If you are planning on teaching yoga, if you already have a yoga practice or if you're not quite convinced that yoga can do anything for your body, pick up this book.
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Summary: Keeps Delivering
Review: This book is very technical, yet very human. It requires patience. But if you love doing yoga like I do the book can be a partner to help you grow with your practice. I usually refer to it each week. It's well worth having it at your finger tips.
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Summary: Serious about Yoga ? : you must have this book
Review: This book well written and perfectly edited gives you a real inside on how our body function in relation to yoga practice. along with Iyengar , Erich Schiffmann, and Van Lysebeth books this book is a must.
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Summary: Technical analysis of Yoga and the Anatomy
Review: This could serve as a text book in the future if Yoga is taught at an University. Very, very technical; not at all light reading but if you have some inclination to know how Yoga asanas affect the physical body, this is a great book. By any stretch of motivation, you can't read all of it in one go; it is best a reference when you want more information teaching a specific asana. The reading is well oraganized into different categories of the postures; an in depth reading on the anatomy of breathing is the best part. For e.g., it is great to related to students what is the effect of Yogic breathing compared to the 'normal' breathing - Mr. Coutler explains how much more oxygen is retained, how much more CO2 is expelled and how much more alveoli ventilation is achieved. All in all, it is a must for the Yoga teacher though I wish it were simpler.
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