Light on Yoga: Yoga Dipika by B. K. S. Iyengar
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Book Reviews of Light on Yoga: Yoga Dipika
Book Review: EXCELLENT BOOK - THE TOP IN ITS CLASS
Summary: 5 Stars
Both the complete novice and the seasoned yogi will benefit from this book. Mr. Iyengar not only provides simple step by step written instructions, but also enough photographs to completely undertake the study of Yoga on an auto-tutorial basis. As long as diligent, intelligent, careful reading and imitation are observed, the serious student will benefit from the this book tremendously. However, one should pay heed to Mr. Iyengar's advice of ultimately studying with a competent instructor. In your search for books on Yoga, this reviewer urges you NOT to be persuaded by marketable and fashionable products. The dedicated student will learn all the basic lessons of Yoga by carefully reading Light on Yoga, and through the negotiation of all 200+ poses without the aid of special props and without concern for the seemingly gargantuan task. Two important requisites for a beneficial study of Yoga are explicitly stated several times throughout the book: determination and perseverance in all aspects of life lead to success.
In its structure and content, Yehudi Menuhin's foreword exemplifies the duality of simplicity and profundity that Yoga can offer. The beauty of this book resides in its minimalistic conciseness. In this respect it is a hidden treasure as well as a faithful embodiment of the ultimate goals of yogic practice: mental, physical and spiritual development. It is also an ancient radicalism aimed at the heart of our modern quick-fixes and 30 minute workouts.
In case some of the other readers missed Mr. Iyengar's instructions with respect to the duration of each of the poses, please note the following. Light on Yoga recommends that one should always begin by GENTLY, CORRECTLY and RESPONSIBLY negotiating each pose before holding it for at least 20 seconds (a bit longer if you are physically capable). Always keep in mind that Yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual discipline. Therefore, one should take note of his or her own capacity when doing any of the asanas.
It is imperative that all poses be held for as long as possible once the CORRECT posture is GENTLY and RESPONSIBLY negotiated. After some practice one should hold each posture slightly beyond what seems to be humanly possible at the moment. Once one becomes an expert the duration can be extended according to one's personal physical capacity. The key is to first follow the advice and cautions outlined throughout the book. What follows is the classic battle of mind over matter. Learn to master the body by focusing your mind on the discomfort and use your mental powers of Self control to learn to relax the affected areas. Ultimately, the body will be strong and no longer a major concern. The mind is then free for further development. This requires patience as well as discipline, and it is what Mr. Iyengar is trying to get across. Yoga is a life-long discipline with the hidden power of providing durable results only to those who persevere. Do yourself a favor and do not look for the easy way out by searching for pretty pictures and a standardized array of time frames.
The reader, of course, is free to choose from the myriad books available, but I urge you to keep one thing in mind. Such books are NOT the treasure that you will find in Light on Yoga. Quite frankly, there is no other Yoga book on the market that even comes close to genuinely caring for the personal benefit of its reader.
Read this book, study it and take notes before reading it again and repeating the cycle indefinitely for the rest of your life. You owe it to yourself. I wish you success in your exploration of this life-changing gift from a living legend. Have faith in the ancient history that precedes your Self. With time and patience one can create a proper sequence of asanas to fit comfortably within a busy schedule and according to one's needs and capabilities. Trust me on this one.
Mr. Iyengar recently reached his 80th year of youth, health and vitality. But do not be awed by this. Neither should you worship him. Instead, admire his humility. Learn from him. Simply let him guide you. He is human...and so are you.
Namaste.
Book Review: Light on the Yogi's Path.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of those books that you simply have to review. B.K.S. Iyengar's works are unparalled in the field of modern yoga literature. With hundreds of illustrations and in-depth descriptions of all the important asanas (postures), it really is the "bible" of yoga today. If you prefer to practice at home, this is the book for you. It is the next best thing (and a cheaper alternative!) to a good yoga class. Part I gives in brief the theory of Raja Yoga and how it is complemented by, not separate from, Hatha Yoga. The theoretical part alone makes "Light On Yoga" worth the money. But it is really a book for serious practitioners of yoga. If you like this part of the book and want to know more, you might want to check out some good commentaries on "The Yoga Sutras Of Patanjali" and "The Bhagavad Gita" (Iyengar has his own).
In Part II (the heart of the book) are all the major asanas, generously depicted by over 600 photographs. The Sanskrit names of the asanas are used, along with a short explanation of each one in English. Then, you get step-by-step instructions on how to execute the pose, with ample warnings and tips. Each pose has a number or difficulty-level assigned to it (1-60), and there are basic and advanced stages of many postures. Take that seriously and do not go too far too soon. Lastly, the author tells you what health benefits you will reap from a pose.
Part III introduces you to the complex area of pranayama. But for this, I would recommend "Light On Pranayama," which is a companion to the present volume.
Appendix I has a 300 week course divided into three stages: easy, intermediate and difficult. Appendix II lists various ailments and the asanas that can cure them. There is also a glossary, a table of asanas and an index.
Another reviewer asked if the health precautions make sense. They do. Do not dismiss Iyengar's warnings. Do not practice certain asanas (particularly, inverted ones) during the menstrual period. Do not perform the head stand without assistance if you are a beginner, especially if you have sensitive eyes.
Be sure to follow the courses as given in the back of the book, since practicing asanas beyond your capacity can be harmful. Start with the easy poses first and add gradually the intermediate and advanced asanas as your body adjusts. Some asanas must be approached with great caution. Be very careful if you decide to try those at home without a teacher or friend to assist you.
My only real complaint? I wish that these gurus would give simple English names for the asanas, as an alternative to the confusing Sanskrit/Indian names. It would make memorizing the order of asanas in a given routine easier.
Iyengar is a true master of his art, and this book is the best guide on the subject available today. Whether you want to become a full-time practitioner, or are just looking for basic exercises to improve your health with, this book will give you what you need. I wish I had found "Light On Yoga" sooner. Granted, there are countless other books on the topic that describe the same asanas and all. But this one is the most exhaustive and the most reliable.
Also good is "Yoga: the Path to Holistic Health." That other book by Iyengar is not as comprehensive as this one, but it is a full-color, coffee-table book with 360-degree views of the main poses. A big plus is that it makes use of props--benches, chairs, pillows, etc.
Book Review: More room for development in this classic approach to Yoga
Summary: 5 Stars
The thoroughness of guru Iyengar's approach to yogasana is beyond doubt. It is complete, with precautions and adaptation for beginners and challenges to the most advanced practitioners. My opinion is that his approach is the best because it stresses on correct alignment and relaxation (quite unlike power-yoga and heat-yoga that "married" to western culture and "forgotten" the spiritualism of this old Eastern practice). Fair to say, when a body is heated up (or warmed up) it would be easier for one to stretch one's muscles and tendons. This is the western/exercise approach of warming up before the REAL exercise. In Eastern approach, on the other hand, the warm-up is through relaxation/(standing) meditation plus generation of heat through circulation of prana.
Here we come to one interesting point. Mr. Iyengar devoted a full (but small) chapter to pranayama. He even wrote a book separately on the subject. And, in his more recent book Light on Life, he clearly said that prana in Yoga is the same as chi in Chinese. AND, in his Light on Pranayama, he clearly taught us that some important aspect/component of pranayama should be learned in yogasana (for example, on page 97 of Light on Pranayama, he wrote "It (mula bandha) should be learnt while doing various asanas, especially tadasana, sirsasana, sarvangasana, urdhva dhanurasana, ustrasana and paschi mottanasana"). YET, this teaching method of his in Light on Pranayama has not been mentioned in his Light on Yoga.
I think there are two reasons: first, as Mr. Iyengar said in his Light on Life, he had been teaching yogasana for a few years BEFORE he started learning pranayama in 1944. That means what he learned from his guru was that yogasana was taught without pranayama, hence he didn't have that first-hand learning (and consequently teaching) experience of incorporating pranayama into a teaching of yogasana. The second reason, I believe more important, is that there are simply too many asanas to be learned from Mr. Iyengar's system! There simply ain't so many people nowadays who can devote so much time and energy to learn most of Mr. Iyengar's yogasanas!
From Mr. Iyengar's book Light on Life, perhaps of his age, he seems to want to bring in more spirituality into his system of yoga practice. The first step is likely to incorporate his pranayama into his yogasana system, with a radical rationalization/re-organization of his asanas. Perhaps the training method of taoist/chi teaching might be useful reference (quit-pro-quo, many training systems have incorporated some forms of yogasana). Perhaps we shouldn't labour our guru to this new task, perhaps his family or his senior students should be taking over this task, or perhaps it has already be done - that would be good news for all learners of yoga who like to keep the classic eastern tradition (instead of jumping around in a heated room).
Book Review: A Bargain at Five Times the Price
Summary: 5 Stars
I own a slew of large format, glossy, full-color yoga books. If I had to choose between the lot of them and this smaller format, non-glossy, black and white book, I would toss them all and keep this book without hesitation.
The Introduction is 36 pages long and explains the basic philosophy behind B.K.S. Iyengar's yoga practice. I was very glad to see that this wasn't the usual pop, new age, "feel the white light enter your navel" kind of philosophy common to many yoga books. And of course, you can always skip the introduction entirely if you don't care about the philosophy and just want to get to the poses.
Each pose is illustrated in pictures (black and white) and explained in great detail. I have had no difficultly at all in following the instructions for the poses--an amazing feat which speaks for the clarity of the writing.
After the section of yoga poses, there is a section of instruction for pranayama. This is a section for very advanced yoga practitioners and deals with controlled breathing. Being a yoga novice, I haven't tried anything out of this section. Pictures and explanations appear to be the same in presentation as the yoga section.
The first Appendix lays out "Asana Courses," or more simply put: What Poses to Do When. This section lists each week of yoga practice from the first week to the 275th week, and lays out what poses would be appropriate for each.
The second Appendix recommends poses for specific health ailments.
This is by far the best yoga book I have ever encountered. It would be a bargain at 5 times the price. The instruction is so good, you won't miss the glossy color pages one bit. I consider this to be one of the best book purchases I've ever made.
Book Review: An essential book for Yoga
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is a virtual must for all those interested in Yoga practice.
The book has everything that one needs to start or continue Yoga. The first part deals with the basic principles behind Yoga, the ethical and moral laws that one must follow and also has several very practical and important tips for practice.
The next section covers the Asanas themselves. Each of the Asanas is accompanied by one or several pictures and is graded for difficulty. Iyengar is also careful to detail how far the Yoga practitioner can go right at the beginning and how he or she can progress.
The third part is on Pranayama, the breathing exercises. This also provides very detailed directions on the most important Pranayamas.
Lastly, there is a section devoted to exercise routines, introducing easy to follow routines of different Asanas for the beginner, intermediate and advanced practitioners.
All this is explained in simple and lucid language, yet there is always the sense of the profound behind the simplicity. One cannot help appreciating immediately that this a book from a master, someone who has actually realized all that he teaches, and a bond of trust and confidence is built up in his words. This is an essential book for all, whether you are thinking about starting your practice or of ways to enhance it.
.....P.J.Mazumdar, author of The Circle of Fire: The Metaphysics of Yoga