Essential Yoga An Illustrated Guide to Over 100 Yoga Poses and Meditations
From the author of the best-selling Yoga Deck comes Essential Yoga — the only hatha yoga book to offer this many poses (over 100), this many illustrations (over 180), and this many suggested sequences (over 50). Practical and interactive, it focuses on the poses themselves, providing clear, concise instructions and detailed illustrations for each, all in a lay-flat format that’s easy to refer to during yoga practice. It also includes six classic moving meditations (such as Sun Salutation and Camel Vinyasa), 10 beginner-to-advanced sessions, and 48 mini-sequences designed to build strength for specific activities or alleviate health problems. Essential Yoga combines physical poses (asanas), breathing exercises (pranayamas), and meditations (dhyanas) into a simple and complete reference guide for yoga practitioners of all levels. Along the way, author Olivia Miller provides guidance on proper technique and alignment; modifications for beginners or those with knee, neck, or back pain; suggestions for preventing injury; and ways to keep a regular practice interesting and active. For beginners as much as experts looking for one complete book that has it all, Essential Yoga is it.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars great yoga book
i really like this book. i have many yoga books, videos and decks and this is amongst the best. as an instructor i find the descriptions and visuals very helpful. i like the sequences that are written out. it’s just a good book to have. this is a book i’d feel totally comfortable referring to my students for their home practice.
5 Stars Great !
Excelent book, as a begginer in yoga I find it quite complete and very illustrative on the different excercises.
5 Stars A Yoga Medicine Chest
Essential Yoga is like a medicine cabinet for yoga practitioners. Inside are simple, precise, and thorough single-page guides to about 100 essential poses, warm-ups, meditations, and breath exercises…plus, what is far more important, two chapters full of creative and unique routines and sequences. Each pose is simply and crisply illustrated, and detailed instructions are given. (It’s particularly nice that the book is sewn to lie flat, a feature which makes it quite easy to use while actually practicing! This nicely supports the premise of the book, which is to be a text that is for the practice of actual yoga–and not just “about” it.) Each pose includes English and Hindi names, suggested modifications and variations, and a sentence or two about its physical and mental benefits. What really makes this sublimely practical book a “medicine chest”, however, are the sequences. From short vinyasas (everything from Camel to Sun and Moon Salutations) to complete workouts of several lengths and intensity levels, the back chapters of this book contain everything you need to begin a home practice for all moods and occasions. Best of all are the short series geared to various physical goals and/or ailments (from “Biking”, “Golf” and “Skiing” workouts to programs for “Toxin Flush”, “Cold Prevention” and “Depression”)–they’re effective and eminently doable.
5 Stars Essential Yoga: An Illustrated Guide to Over 100 Yoga Poses and Meditations
This is by far one the best illustrated Yoga books I own. Very descriptive and many poses
5 Stars How yoga helped me destress…
I loved this book. I started yoga to destress from work, but I found that when the yoga instructor called out positions by name, I was lost. I found myself staring at what the instructor was doing and losing the benefit of yoga. This book not only helped me learn the positions, it also has some really great routines you can do at home.