The complete book of vinyasa yoga : an authoritative presentation, based on 30 years of direct study under the legendary yoga teacher Krishnamacharya

Having studied for more than three decades with renowned yoga master T. Krishnamacharya, and taught for more than two decades, Ramaswami attempts to offer a more complete picture of the practices developed ages ago to heal the body, train the mind and cultivate inner peace. He calls much of Western yoga practice "blatantly aggressive" and altered to appeal to Western tastes, omitting such essential aspects as yoga philosophy, breathing techniques, correct sequencing, chanting and meditation. In his descriptions of more than 900 poses and variations, he guides students on ways to integrate these aspects. While Ramaswami says his book can be used by students of every level (the sequences are rated according to difficulty), some may feel intimidated by the photographs, which show highly advanced yogis in many positions that are rarely taught in the average group class. The author's approach is somewhat didactic, emphasizing the "correct" way to do the poses, without acknowledging differences in body type and structure. The book's format makes it more of a practice manual, and most likely readers without much background will need to read Ramaswami's Yoga for the Three Stages of Life to put the instruction into a larger context. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sri T. Krishnamacharya (1888–1989) was the most influential figure in the last 100 years in the field of yoga. Many of today’s best-known yoga teachers—including his brother-in-law B. K. S. Iyengar, his son T. K. V. Desikachar, and Pattabhi Jois, founder of Ashtanga yoga—studied with him and modeled their own yoga styles after his practice and teaching. Yet, despite his renowned status, Krishnamacharya’s wisdom has never before been made completely available, just as he taught it. Now, in The Complete Book of Vinyasa Yoga, Srivatsa Ramaswami—Krishnamacharya’s longest-standing student outside his own family—presents his master’s teachings of yogasanas in unprecedented detail. Drawing upon his 33 years of direct study, beginning in 1955 and continuing nearly until his teacher’s death, Ramaswami presents more than nine hundred poses and variations in logically structured sequences, precisely describing Krishnamacharya’s complete Vinyasakrama system. Along with every movement of each yoga posture, he covers the proper breathing techniques for each pose—something no other book also derived from Krishnamacharya’s teaching does. Nearly 1,000 full-color photographs and a 90-minute audio CD are also featured in this authoritative landmark presentation of the study practiced by the "grandfather of modern yoga."

Publishers Weekly

Having studied for more than three decades with renowned yoga master T. Krishnamacharya, and taught for more than two decades, Ramaswami attempts to offer a more complete picture of the practices developed ages ago to heal the body, train the mind and cultivate inner peace. He calls much of Western yoga practice "blatantly aggressive" and altered to appeal to Western tastes, omitting such essential aspects as yoga philosophy, breathing techniques, correct sequencing, chanting and meditation. In his descriptions of more than 900 poses and variations, he guides students on ways to integrate these aspects. While Ramaswami says his book can be used by students of every level (the sequences are rated according to difficulty), some may feel intimidated by the photographs, which show highly advanced yogis in many positions that are rarely taught in the average group class. The author's approach is somewhat didactic, emphasizing the "correct" way to do the poses, without acknowledging differences in body type and structure. The book's format makes it more of a practice manual, and most likely readers without much background will need to read Ramaswami's Yoga for the Three Stages of Life to put the instruction into a larger context. Agent, Bob Silverstein. (July) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Contents: Acknowledgments xi Preface xiii Introduction xvii 1 ON YouR FEET YoGASANAS 1 2 ASYMMETRIC SEATED VINYASA SEQUENCE 35 3 SEATED POSTERIOR STRETCH SEQUENCE 71 4 ON ONE LEG YOGASANAS 87 5 THE SUPINE SEQUENCE 101 6 THE Bow PosE SEQUENCE 137 7 THE TRIANGLE POSE SEQUENCE 147 8 THE INVERTED POSTURE SEQUENCE 161 9 MEDITATIVE PosE SEQUENCE 176 10 THE LoTus PosE SEQUENCE 189 11 VISESHA VINYASA KRAMAS 213 12 THE WINDING DowN PROCEDURE 246 Glossary 257 Index of Poses and Sequences 261 Featuring more than one thousand photographs designed to teach Vinyasa Yoga technique, this spectacular book presents the eastern meditation/exercise technique practiced by the "grandfather of modern yoga" and includes an audio CD containing chants and mantras. Original.