experiencing our bodies as architecture

This brilliantly written and illustrated book introduces yoga students, both beginners and masters, to the design principles that make the structure of the human body such a work of art. I have taken a workshop from one of her students, and find her approach to yoga much gentler than other forms of the discipline, more attuned to the body's own structural engineering. The book is a delight to browse in as a coffee table book, or to study as a serious guide. It is also a triumphant resistance against ageism!

Rating:


Excellent Inspirational Yoga Book

This is not so much a technique, how-to book. It is more about the spirit of yoga. It's beautiful pictures and wonderful meditations on the meaning or intentions of the poses illustrates and deepens an understanding of yoga and meditation. There are three parts to the book. The first part takes up the majority of the book (125 pages). It's called "the Story of Stories" and is about the philosophy of yoga. The second part called "The Asanas" is about 34 pages. It is where the poses are illustrated through drawings and photographs and described in short paragraphs. I would not recommend it as the sole source for beginners, however, it would make a great supplement to a yoga class or videotape/dvd. The third section is called, "Breathing" and is 8 pages long. It has excellent pictures that illustrate the concepts described in this section. A list of references and an index greet you at the end. The reference lists 32 books. Ranging from "Disc Regeneration" by O.J. Ressel to Deepak Chopra's "Quantum Healing," to "Symbolism in Greek Mythology" by Paul Diel, to " The Revival of Qui." by Kunio Miura, to F.J. Bueche's "Understanding the World of Physics," and Elisabeth Ripely's "Leonardo da Vinci. A Biography."

Rating:


Stretching Time

This is the single book of a singular teacher. It has the impact of a condensed truth, worthy of being met again and again. The truth is that yoga is not a sport, there is no score, there is only an inquiry and a resounding experience of the self.

I met this book in the guestroom of a friend, where I browsed the remarkable pictures and felt immediately the freedom and relaxation of this teacher. Vanda Scaravelli rose to the occasion of writing her one book by packing it with myriad moments of access to her life vision, especcially the possibilities of old age. Any page is worthy of repeated attention, and can serve as a breath of inspiration during a busy day.

The text can be read in one sitting. The book does not take your time, it gives you a way of being in time that floats above the ordinary.

Rating: