Product Description

As water purifies the skin, so the breath is capable of cleansing the whole being. As you reconnect with the breath through effortless observation and increased awareness, a door to the unexpected is opened. There are infinite discoveries and benefits to be experienced: a feeling of lightness, renewed energy, a greater calmness and clarity of mind. The breath begins to cleanse and purify at a deep level. This book offers insights and images, distilled from Sandra Sabatini's yoga classes, to help you learn how to listen to the breath and how to approach some simple positions. Whether you are a complete beginner or already practice some form of bodywork, these suggestions can guide you naturally to a deeper appreciation of the essence of yoga. This approach to yoga has been developed by the author from its roots in the classical Indian tradition of Iyengar.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #690494 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Yoga has never been more popular. Celebrities such as Madonna and Sting are huge fans. Geri Halliwell firmly maintains her new toned figure is due to regular yoga sessions. Confusingly, this ancient form of body work can be practised in many different ways. If power, dynamic or Ashtanga yoga sound complicated and too much like hard work then this new book could be just what you need. Breath, The Essence of Yoga is a straightforward introduction to the importance of breathing in yoga. Author Sandra Sabatini has spent the past 25 years developing this gentle yet intense approach to yoga which has it roots in the classical Indian tradition of Ivengar. The book is split up into seven chapters which take the reader through the process of learning how to breathe properly and then how to incorporate this with simple yoga positions. Each chapter is illustrated with practical, easy-to-follow black and white line drawings. The book's main aim is to show that that if you learn how to reconnect with the breath you can experience enormous benefits such as renewed energy and a greater calmness. Sabatini explains 'the breath is the key that can open thousands of doors'. Whether you are a complete beginner or already practice yoga, this simple book will provide you with a deeper appreciation of the benefits of calm, conscious breathing.--Meg Slyfield

From the Publisher
'the pause at the end of the exhalation
and the pause at the end of the inhalation
is a special place where nothing happens
or nothing seems to happen

yet the old air is traveling away
and the new breath is ready to move in

in that space in between there is silence
more than anything else silence . . . and space'

About the Author
Sandra Sabatini trained for 25 years with one of the world's leading yoga teachers Vanda Scaravelli, who herself was trained by B.K.S. Iyenagar. Sandra lives in Italy and teaches full time in Europe, USA, Scandinavia and the Middle East.

Customer Reviews

At last, someone who appreciates breath as the imperative.
As a yoga teacher, teaching new students to listen to the breath requires a surfeit of superlatives and alternatives. Sabatini is expert at reviewing the breath in all its guises, showing how it can still and move the body during yoga practice and beyond. Her sensitivity of the subject demonstrates her deep knowledge of the exoteric and esoteric effects the breath can have on the body, and how once contacted can result in everyday life changes (not just during practice). Without overburdening the reader with detail, her style of prose is appropriate for individual digestion and appreciation, or to share within a like-minded group. As soon as I start to read something from the book, my attention goes to my breath - something which has never happened before. A real bedside (and lifetime) companion.

At last - the perfect yoga book!
This book is an absolute gem. I have been practising yoga for many years, and have been delighted to find a book that can actually enhance my practice. It works on so may levels... You can read it as poetry, you can choose one or two pages to meditate on, it works as an inspiration to practice, and also as a clear and helpful instruction manual. The pictures are beautiful - the way it's been presented is appropriate, but it is the underlying spirit and simple yet profound insights that make this my desert island book!

the gift of the breath
"Breath: the essence of yoga" gets as close to the bone and heart of breathing and its infinite hidden treasures as any writing can get. It is the kind of book that heightens our awareness of simply listening to the breath. It also sharpens the presence of the mind with razor precision to the subtleties of inhaling and exhaling, the importance of the breath in relation to the spine,and allowing the body¡¯s natural intelligence to awaken. Sabatini was a student of Vanda Scaravelli, and the book's images and insights bear testimony to Scaravelli¡¯s life and legacy. The text is distilled from transcripts of Sabatini¡¯s classes recorded in 1998, deftly woven and arranged to read like an anthology of poetry. I viewed the entire text as a sacred sutra on the breath--I recited them as if they were ancient mantras. Each of Sabatini¡¯s poetic sketches is beautifully crafted, and the insights they release would take other writers pages to summon. A truly rare gift that deserves the widest possible readership in all languages.