Product Description

The first yoga text to outline a step-by-step sequence for developing a complete practice according to viniyoga--yoga adapted to the needs of the individual. *A contemporary classic by a world-renowned teacher. *This new edition adds thirty-two poems by Krishnamacharya that capture the essence of his teachings.

Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, who lived to be over 100 years old, was one of the greatest yogis of the modern era. Elements of Krishnamacharya's teaching have become well known around the world through the work of B. K. S. Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, and Indra Devi, who all studied with Krishnamacharya. Krishnamacharya's son T. K. V. Desikachar lived and studied with his father all his life and now teaches the full spectrum of Krishnamacharya's yoga. Desikachar has based his method on Krishnamacharya's fundamental concept of viniyoga, which maintains that practices must be continually adapted to the individual's changing needs to achieve the maximum therapeutic value.

In The Heart of Yoga Desikachar offers a distillation of his father's system as well as his own practical approach, which he describes as "a program for the spine at every level--physical, mental, and spiritual." This is the first yoga text to outline a step-by-step sequence for developing a complete practice according to the age-old principles of yoga. Desikachar discusses all the elements of yoga--poses and counterposes, conscious breathing, meditation, and philosophy--and shows how the yoga student may develop a practice tailored to his or her current state of health, age, occupation, and lifestyle.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13326 in Books
• Published on: 1999-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .39" h x .39" w x .39" l, 1.54 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 244 pages

Yoga Journal
I can think of no better book to recommend to a friend beginning to be excited by yoga but bewildered by the plethora of different schools and their sometimes-conflicting teachings. In addition, I would be hard-pressed to think of a book I would recommend more highly to any yoga student seeking to deepen a yoga practice. . . . The great gift of The Heart of Yoga lies not simply in the depth of Desikachar's learning, but in the compassion, gentleness, practicality, and down-to-earth spirit that permeate the book.

Bodhi Tree Book Review, Winter 1999 / Spring 2000
. . . a milestone in the transmission of yoga from the ancient masters to the modern world.

Bodhi Tree Book Review, Winter 2000 / Spring 2001
A milestone in the transmission of yoga from the ancient masters to the modern world.

Customer Reviews

Breathing life into yoga practice
This book by a respected practioner is valuable for several reasons. One, it emphasises the role the breath plays in bringing the asana to 'life', drawing on traditional sources and texts. Second, it offers a simply laid out translation of Patanjalis yoga sutras - accessible to a beginner. Third it offers an explanation of kundalini missing in other texts.
The only curiosity or question mark is, why is the translation of 'ha' and 'tha' at variance with the majority of translations and texts? Was this just an oversight or error?
An accessible book, combining philosophy and practice without 'dumbing-down'

If you read only one Yoga book in your life, this is the one to read.
"The Heart of Yoga" s a modern classic, a simple, unpretentious insight to the Yoga approach of T. Krishnamacharya as told by his son and student. It encompasses the truth behind the Yoga experience like no other and is renowned throughout the Yoga community worldwide as a masterpiece.

Buy it, read it, but more importantly follow its wisdom.

A Modern Classic - essential reading for all levels
TKV Desikachar, a living Yogi, discusses the theory and practice of Yoga as laid down by his father Krishnamacharya, and based upon his own personal practice. It is a Viniyoga manual - yoga adapted to the needs of the individual, and as such will appeal to students and teachers from all branches of yoga. The book is divided into three parts. Part I "The Practice of Yoga" talks about asana and pranayama, and gives some useful sequences. Part II "The understanding of Yoga", deals with right thought and overcoming obstacles. And Part III, "The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali" which offers a translation and commentary of this ancient text. This book also includes some interesting interview / question and answer sections. Which are most useful at gaining a deeper insight into the purpose and proper practice of yoga. Om Shanti