Yin Yoga by Paul Grilley
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Book Reviews of Yin Yoga
Book Review: Wonderful knowledge
Summary: 5 Stars
Yin yoga is a wonderful book full of knowledge on another essential way of using or relaxing our body. It's very concise, precise, and has a lot of information presented in a nice way.Book Review: Review of Yin Yoga
Summary: 5 Stars
Excellent book. I am studying to be a yoga teacher and will use this as a valuable resource.Book Review: Worth checking out!
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a good book. I will probably refer to it for years to come! It contains a wealth of information, and is helping me to rethink my practice. After so long following athletic yoga DVDs, flinging myself between postures, it is indescribably pleasant to sink into poses for 5 minutes at a time, with no pressure to hurry. If that sounds good to you, then you'll want to read this book.
This book has many sections, including an introduction, some information on chi meridians and chakras, theory and basic anatomy of yin yoga, yin yoga posture instruction with photos, and more! The layout and colors are clean and attractive, and the photos of the poses are clear and helpful. Paul Grilley is very good at explaining where you should feel each pose, and what to expect if you do different variations. Most yoga instruction I've encountered hasn't mentioned that kind of stuff. Make sure you read the theory part before you go to the poses. Some of the most important information is in there--really!
But I have to be honest: This book has a lot of shortcomings, mostly in the format of the book itself. The table of contents doesn't list each pose individually, so if you want a certain pose, you have to flip through the whole pose section to find it. The book gives three or so sequences that you can use as-is or modify, each with a different focus (e.g.: a practice for stretching hip and leg muscles)--that's awesome! But, the poses skip all over the book, so you have to continually flip through to find each one--not awesome! Also, it would be invaluable if this book had a binding that allowed it to lay flat. I think I might add tabs to the book so I can flip to the poses more easily, but I don't know how to make it stay open.
I wouldn't recommend this book to most beginners. There aren't a lot of alignment cues for the individual poses (although, to be fair, that is a bonus in some ways, because different people's bodies need different alignment), so if you don't have any foundation in alignment for yoga, and/or you don't have familiarity with telling apart "good pain" from "bad pain," you could hurt yourself. Grilley does talk about listening to your body and not overdoing it, which is good, but how do you know whether you're overdoing it or not, if this is all new to you? I could be wrong--check it out for yourself!
Aside from those relatively minor issues, I really like this book. It is useful and informative enough to justify rigging it up for use on the mat :) It's already taught me some tricks to get deeper into poses. If this book comes out with a spiral binding and tabs, I'll give it 5 stars and buy copies for my (non-beginner) friends!
Book Review: Combines Chinese mysticism with Indian philosophy...
Summary: 4 Stars
Admittedly, my study of yoga has been mostly superficial: I've read a few books, but never studied with a professional teacher. However, I do enjoy the few asanas (poses/postures) that I do practice regularly, and was glad to receive an opportunity to expand on them.Grilley combines Chinese mysticism with Indian philosophy to create yin yoga, incorporating the Modern Meridian Theory of Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama and Dr. James Oschman. This theory postulates that the meridians run through the connective tissue of the body, representing the yin energy, whereas the muscle tissue represents the yang. Included are several colour diagrams of the body and connective tissue to illustrate this point. The main difference between what Grilley calls 'yang yoga' and 'yin yoga' is that the postures in the latter are held longer, with the muscles relaxed, rather than the straining of 'yang yoga'.
A large variety of poses are illustrated with photographs and detailed explanations on the benefit and suggestions for the novice and more advanced student, giving a range in the degree of difficulty. Three sample routines are included with various emphasis on spine, hips and legs and then a combination. The sample routines are arranged in such a way that the transition between them feels smooth and natural.
Several sitting postures are detailed as well, with brief descriptions of the chakras, and a variety of pranayama and meditation techniques, including Sushumna Purification, chakra and kundalini meditation, Bija or "seed" mantras, etc.
Regarding chakras, Grilley brings up an excellent point often overlooked:
'When trying to describe where a chakra "is" one is in a dilemma. Common language suggests that they are physically located in the spine but the reader should bear in mind that this is both true and false. A "broken heart" is a real experience that indeed seems cantered in the heart but that is not where the feelings "are". The chakras have a physical correspondence but they are more than physical. Bear this in mind when reading about "where" a chakra "is". Don't be limited by only physical conceptions.' (pg. 93)
I found the practical section to be effective and the theory is as sound as any. This is definitely a book I value, and suggest it to anyone looking for a different perspective on yoga.
Book Review: Perfect accompaniment for yoga class
Summary: 4 Stars
My yoga teacher suggested Yin Yoga, and I'm glad she did. It gives us a written reference for many of the things we talk about and do in class. The author explains the chakras and yin and yang energies. He also gives photos and descriptions of many useful postures, along with some sample routines to try. It might be dangerous to try these postures without a teacher to make sure you're doing them right, but the book is a perfect supplement for my class.