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Rating: 
Summary: 35 years later....
Review: ...I still think this is the best book to teach anyone yoga from scratch. I have done many types of yoga, in excange for the space, or the job, or the study, but they all had serious problems. The worst of them were downright dangerous. Learning in a class, even from an experienced teacher, a tape, or one-on-one, will have you listening to something other than your own body, and is, more often than not, injurious. Gather the information first, practice slowly and meticulously, and you will improve faster than any other way. The best thing about this book is that it stresses the how and why, rather than the usual, "Do this!" As with everything, it's not as much WHAT you do...it's HOW you do it. Plow your way through the rest of it for the occasional tip, rule, or instruction, and you will be amazed at the benefits.
I first read this book because it was the only book in English that I hadn't read, in that part of Japan, during the Vietnam war. As a 20-something agnostic-by-mind, atheist-by-heart, all I was interested in was getting in shape physically, and, perhaps, controlling my own emotions. Imagine my surprise when, 3 months later, I found I had become an entirely different person! Not only was I physically more capable than I had ever been in my life, but I had the courage and the confidence to change my life into what I wanted it to be. My vision had been 20/200, it was now perfect, as an example.
You won't find the instructions for that in the positions illustrated in the back, or the pictures. You must read the text....with a notebook or a highlighter and dog-earred pages, but it's there, in language even a child can understand. The stories may entertain you, they may irritate you, but everything is there that you need. No one knows what your body needs but you, so do it alone, without distractions, when it is best for you. (I had 2 pre-schoolers then, so I did it late at night.)
Guaranteed, everything you need, for the rest of your life, is in there.
Rating:
Summary: 35 years later....
Review: ...I still think this is the best book to teach anyone yoga from scratch. I have done many types of yoga, in excange for the space, or the job, or the study, but they all had serious problems. The worst of them were downright dangerous. Learning in a class, even from an experienced teacher, a tape, or one-on-one, will have you listening to something other than your own body, and is, more often than not, injurious. Gather the information first, practice slowly and meticulously, and you will improve faster than any other way. The best thing about this book is that it stresses the how and why, rather than the usual, "Do this!" As with everything, it's not as much WHAT you do...it's HOW you do it. Plow your way through the rest of it for the occasional tip, rule, or instruction, and you will be amazed at the benefits.
I first read this book because it was the only book in English that I hadn't read, in that part of Japan, during the Vietnam war. As a 20-something agnostic-by-mind, atheist-by-heart, all I was interested in was getting in shape physically, and, perhaps, controlling my own emotions. Imagine my surprise when, 3 months later, I found I had become an entirely different person! Not only was I physically more capable than I had ever been in my life, but I had the courage and the confidence to change my life into what I wanted it to be. My vision had been 20/200, it was now perfect, as an example.
You won't find the instructions for that in the positions illustrated in the back, or the pictures. You must read the text....with a notebook or a highlighter and dog-earred pages, but it's there, in language even a child can understand. The stories may entertain you, they may irritate you, but everything is there that you need. No one knows what your body needs but you, so do it alone, without distractions, when it is best for you. (I had 2 pre-schoolers then, so I did it late at night.)
Guaranteed, everything you need, for the rest of your life, is in there.
Rating:
Summary: great book, easy reading, and a life time resource
Review: I also read this book in 1969 and still use it today. It is a wonderful story that should be read by every teen-ager. They would never need drugs. I read this book, started taking yoga classes, and have been healthier, happier and drug free.
Rating: 
Summary: Just as Good the Second Time Around
Review: I discovered this book in a second hand store about 15 years ago. I had no thoughts of practicing yoga at the time, but the book looked interesting. I bought it for a few cents, and became motivated. I used Stearn's book to teach myself hatha yoga. Despite obvious benefits, I fell away from yoga after a year or two. Recently, I decided it was time to take up the practice again... but my ragged old paperback book had long gone missing.Perusing the local bookstores revealed plenty of books about yoga, but none that struck my fancy the way Stearn's book did. I could not find a copy in Vancouver, but luckily, Amazon had a new edition in stock. I now have a brand new copy and I'm putting it to the same good use I did 15 years ago. There's something about this book and Stearn's style of writing that I like. If you're thinking of taking up yoga, this one's worth a look.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely showing its age...and bias!
Review: I first read this book about 16 years ago, and I thought at the time it was pretty good. I picked it up again last week, and was absolutely appalled! For every platitude that Stearn belches forth, he makes a mockery of it by demonstrating just the opposite in his own life. If Yoga is supposed to be about letting go of ego and competitive urges, it failed utterly in the author's case. He spends paragraph after paragraph "quoting" his multitude of highly-placed celebrity friends on just how youthful and good he looks. Maybe this is simply a testimonial for yoga, but it reads more like a testimonial for Jess Stearn. And what's up with his barely concealed lust for the yoga instructor?? Stearn launches into her young husband, Louis, portraying him as a barely-bipedal Neanderthal while Marcia, the wife, becomes "my pretty guru"...ahhhh, isn't that just the sweetest? His self-satisfied grin is almost visible on the pages when describing Louis' jealousy. I'm giving the book 3 stars because the drawings of the various postures are pretty helpful, and...well...I guess for sentimental reasons. This book did, after all, set me off on my own yoga quest many years ago. But if you're looking for inspiration today...SKIP THIS BOOK! It will only give you a totally skewed vision of what yoga is all about.
Rating:
Summary: A Little Quaint For This Day and Age, But Worth Perusing
Review: I like the bent the author takes in this book-- that of a skeptic who allows himself to be molded into a yoga student. Granted, his original reasons for coming to the practice were not pure at all-- he wanted material for a book, and he found it. But he learned many lessons along the way, and I think it's interesting to view this extended testimonial as just one of the countless paths people have taken. It's extremely dated, both in language and content, but I found that kind of entertaining. The book is over 30 years old, after all, and times have changed rapidly. It is interesting to note that yoga is still considered "trendy" after all these years-- I think only those who actually practice yoga have the ability to understand its transforming effect without labeling it as a trend. I actually saw an "In & Out List" in a fashion magazine that said yoga is "out" this year. Talk about not getting it!
Rating:
Summary: Get inspired.
Review: Jess Stearn writes in a very understandable form for people who know little about yoga. I bought this book twenty some years ago and I was inspired but was not in bad enough condition to follow through. Now it is more important than ever to get in shape and stay there. This book has many drawings of the exercises that I have not found in other books on yoga. Plus it has written descriptions with the drawings. All very helpful for beginners who don't want to start a class all stiff and rigid. I will take a class next to learn how to do these exercises even better. Yoga is the way to go.
Rating:
Summary: Get inspired.
Review: The black and white photos of Marcia Moore doing the major Yoga Asanas are what inspired me to study and practice Yoga as a sixteen yr. old. This was in 1965, though the Photos have not suffered in the paperback edition. I have been teaching Yoga since 1972 (I have a degree in Physical Education) and have sat at the feet of many masters over the years, and I still think this is one of the best books out there for beginners or otherwise for learning postures and breathing. Jess Stearn did a kind thing to share his experiences at Marcia Moore's Ashram, and to chronicle how Yoga practice helped him overcome the effect of years at his desk as a Daily News Reporter. And Frank Stork's photos will make you want to stand on your head, etc. . . Namaste Marcia Moore! (We honour the light within you).
Rating:
Summary: I have been teaching for 27 yrs. This book got me started
Review: The black and white photos of Marcia Moore doing the major Yoga Asanas is what inspired me to study and practice Yoga as a sixteen yr. old. This was in 1965, though the Photos have not suffered in the paperback edition. I have been teaching Yoga since 1972 (I have a degree in Physical Education) and have sat at the feet of many masters over the years, and I still think this is one of the best books out there for beginners or otherwise for learning postures and breathing. Jess Stearn did a kind thing to share his experiences at Marcia Moore's Ashram, and to chronicle how Yoga practice helped him overcome the effect of years at his desk as a Daily News Reporter. And Frank Stork's photos will make you want to stand on your head, etc. . . Namaste Marcia Moore! (We honour the light within you).
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