why I keep going back to this book

After more than 30 years of yoga practice and classes from expert teachers, I continue to look for the lessons that will take me beyond where I am today. I have read this book so many times and always find new lessons in it. The first time, I probably read it through in a couple of hours. Now, I keep it on top of a stack of frequently consulted works. Most mornings, here in Brooklyn (NY) in a winter that seems an object lesson in global warming, I turn to The Tree of Yoga in the first hour after wakening. This practice reminds me to consider the important lessons I might forget: my stage in life, the stages that came before, how short life is, what is happening today, the tendency of memory to distract the mind, the power of attention, the value of self-study, etc. And tomorrow, a new lesson, a new understanding, with the next passage read carefully in the pale light of a winter morning. This is a book that keeps on giving.

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Great Iyengar book

This is a great book for the new and the familiar to yoga. This compilation of lectures is a more philosophical look at his yoga, unlike the more technical books Light on Yoga and Light on Pranayama. Although these last two are indispensible, in this book, Iyengar's love of yoga shines through his words. He develops the analogy of the eight limbs of yoga as a tree skillfully and beautifully. Really excellent!

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A must read on yoga principles

While being an avid yoga practicioner, the first time I got to know anything about B.K.S. Iyengar was when I picked up this book. Since then, I have done much more reading by him. Tree of Yoga was wonderful in explaining some basic principles of yoga, and the concepts behind it. The book didn't go into explaining or documenting the various asanas (for that read Light on Yoga), but instead spoke of the history of yoga, the concepts, types, what it was about, etc.

I read this book within a night, and have reread it many times since then. It's simple and inspiring, and will forever be a part of my collection.

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