Here are reviews for several yoga books that are excellent to understand more about yoga and how yoga makes an impact on health and well-being; however, there can be no substitute for actual practice and even a profound knowledge of  the philosophy of yoga could never replace an actual, daily yoga session. 

If you are simply looking for ideas on yoga sessions for beginners, and if you are not already full of health, strong from the core and managing stress well, then it is hard to find the right session from a book or a DVD.  Yoga for Wellness and  Yoga As Medicine might be a place to begin if you are prepared to explore possibilities and be mindful of how each posture works or doesn't work for you.  For building a strong spine and core, the vini yoga therapy videos are also for consideration.   Finding a local yoga class that works for you and your circumstances is the best option for when you are just starting out.  Make sure that a yoga teacher can adapt poses for your needs - and if it interests you, find out the reason that certain yoga postures are wrong for certain conditions and could make them worse.  What is most important is to listen to your body and its messages.  Pain and stress in, or from, a yoga session is not acceptable and actual 'yoga' isn't happening when that is the case.

The Heart of Yoga

T.K.V. Desikachar

This book comes from an incredible and profound yoga tradition developed by an unrivaled teacher of teachers.  This book will deepen a yoga practice, deepen the understanding of the various aspects of yoga and especially, this book will put posture (asana) practice into the larger context.    The opening chapter is an interview with Desikachar about his father and it is a delightful patchwork of history, biography and philosophy.  Then, part 1 includes the concept of yoga, principles of practice, posture variations and yoga breathing.  Part 2 introduces yoga philosophy and sub headings such as "The Things That Darken the Heart", The Qualities of the Mind" and "Nine Obstacles on the Yoga Pay."  Part 3 provides exemplary translations of the Yoga Sutras which are understood to be the first (exclusively yoga) documentation of the ancient system of yoga teachings.  Krishnamacharya, and now his son Desikachar and grandson Kaustaub, developed yoga in a way that adapts to each person, it is not that each person must adapt to yoga. 

Yoga for Wellness

Gary Kraftsow

Providing developmental and therapeutic aspects of yoga this book gives a superb presentation of yoga postures, some of their adaptations and some of their uses for specific circumstances.  Kraftsow writes that the vini yoga method offers "an articulated science from which a personal practice - the foundation for health - can grow."   If we don't recognize our actual condition, and develop our practice accordingly, we may "reinforce dysfunctional patterns and completely miss the deeper value of asana practice."  If we practice yoga without considering our present self and without understanding the function of a posture (as opposed to the form) we simply trigger a series of reactions where stress can be absorbed in vulnerable areas and problems actually develop.  The information on the systems of our body and the skeleton is excellent for a strong understanding of how yoga can really make improvements to the body.  Kraftsow has an incredible understanding of yoga and how it impacts our bodies.  His later book (Yoga for Transformation) shows Kraftsow's further deep understanding of how yoga helps a person to achieve their true potential.   With chapters addressing different health scenarios, and over 1,000 photographs, this book presents an excellent view of  yoga for health.

Yoga as Medicine

Timothy McCall, M.D.

In chapter 1, McCall writes "As someone who has been an MD  for over twenty years, I can tell you that yoga is quite simply the most powerful system of overall health and well-being I have ever seen."  McCall's book does justice to many recognized senior yoga teachers and therapists.  After 7 introductory chapters that address general issues, the chapters move on to address different illnesses and how yoga can help.  With helpful sections like "Avoiding common yoga injuries" the book is a marvelous introduction to 'yoga as therapy' as opposed to yoga for power, self-exploration and development. 

Yoga Anatomy

Leslie Kaminoff

A very well illustrated guide to the anatomy of yoga, this book invites you to "see inside every yoga pose!"  The most common yoga poses are presented visually and show the internal actions and reactions, especially within muscle groups.  Through the excellent images in this book, the muscles involved in postures might appear to be paramount; however, yoga is so very much more than working with muscles and muscles are not the primary focus of postures.  The spine is.

more book reviews to come...

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