The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice Paperback – Illustrated, March 1, 1999

Enlightened, educated, and so happy I was encouraged to read this by my yoga instructor.

This needs to be required reading for all teachers. Too many schools just run these teacher training money machines with little depth or scope, and consequently a ton of people out there call themselves teachers when their own practice is still in its infancy.Whether you just wish to find deeper meaning and understanding within your own practice or wish to teach, you need this book.Yoga practice is not meant to be the same daily repetition of sequence, nor is it meant to be the same for every student. It should wrap itself around the practitioner and few teachers approach it this way. Yoga is meant to be prescriptive. Bishnu Ghosh understood this as well. All true teachers do.This is beautifully written and a treasure trove of applicable wisdom. If I had to recommend one book on yoga it would be this, followed closely by Light on Yoga.

In reading this book, I was first taken by the interview at its beginning. I began bookmarking quotes for transfer to my personal noebook (taken to each class), and soon found myself with nearly every other page bookmarked! The quotes available in this book are outstanding. And not just in the interview section.There are many interesting points Desikachar makes in his approach to asana sequencing: the importance of breath, the importance of tailoring the pose (and the sequence) to the individual, the importance of resting before engaging in a counter pose.One of my favorite quotes from this book (attributed to the Mahabharata) is“Speak the truth which is pleasant. Do not speak unpleasant truths. Do not lie, even if the lies are pleasing to the ear. That is the eternal law, the dharma.” To my mind this is much more practicable to practice than “Always tell the truth”.Another is“We can never experience our real nature if we do not expose ourselves to change”.I take this as at once being both a caution in life style, and also in becoming too comfortable in one’s yogic pursuits, including asanas and meditation.Then we get to “The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali” with Translation and Commentary by T.K.V. Desikachar.“If you tell a person who cannot find their own house that there is a pot of gold inside, they would be happier had they not had this information. What use is the gold if it cannot be found? It only causes pain. First they must find the house and enter it. Then there are many possibilities.”I take this to mean that everyone must start at the beginning…everyone must find their own house [way, path].His views on dualism: (3.35 “The mind, which is subject to change, and the Perceiver, which is not are in proximity but are of distinct and different characters.” as opposed to Reductionism are also presented in this book. This Dualistic approach is softened later“Thus the mind serves a dual purpose. It serves the Perceiver by presenting the external to it. It also respects or presents the Perceiver to itself for its own enlightenment.”leaving open the possibility of a more Reductionist interpretation.This section of the book is the one I shall most refer to in future.

This is a good book to own, especially if you already own a few yoga books. This book is very informative and many yogic terms and philosophies are explained clearly. In the very first chapter Patanjali's Yoga Sutras are mentioned. Chapter three discusses breathing. Chapters four and five are about asana practice (counterposes, resting between asanas, how do you practice asana, how fast, how to adjust your breathing as you practice, etc). There are sequences in this book, but you will not see a description how to practice a particular asana on its own, there is no list of the common asanas, because the book introduces you to yoga in general and from the point of view of the Yoga Sutras. (The Sutras are included in the book, as well as "thirty-two poems by Krishnamacharya that capture the essence of his teachings", as mentioned on publisher's website, (innertraditions.com). You will see many black and white photographs of Krishnamacharya and the author, performing asanas or pranayama. All of the asana seguences are drawn images. There are separate chapters on Pranayama and Bandhas. In general, this is a great book for someone who enjoys reading more about yogic phisiology and philosophy, who loves Sanskrit (the book mentions many yogic terms in Sanskrit) and Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. This is a thorough book on yoga and it gives a reader an understanding of what yoga is really about.

I liked the fact that yogic facts are presented in a scientific manner. Opportunities and reasons to modify practice based on one’s desire are demonstrated. Satisfactory reading.

As described, very good condition with some internal markings. Appreciated being able to track shipping. Shipped quickly.

The book overall presentation is good I tried reading it and realized Yoga was not for me.

This is the go-to book for students in instructor class. Well written, kept my interest, excellent photos.