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    Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
    Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
    Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
    Ebook548 pages7 hours

    Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

    By B. K. S. Iyengar

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Note that due to the limitations of some ereading devices not all diacritical marks can be shown.

    BKS Iyengar’s translation and commentary on these ancient yoga sutras has been described as the “bible” of yoga.
    This edition contains an introduction by BKS Iyengar, as well as a foreword by Godfrey Devereux, author of Dynamic Yoga.

    Patanjali wrote this collection of yoga wisdom over 2,000 years ago. They are amongst the world’s most revered and ancient teachings and are the earliest, most holy yoga reference.

    The Sutras are short and to the point – each being only a line or two long. BKS Iyengar has translated each one, and provided his own insightful commentary and explanation for modern readers.

    The Sutras show the reader how we can transform ourselves through the practice of yoga, gradually developing the mind, body and emotions, so we can become spiritually evolved.

    The Sutras are also a wonderful introduction to the spiritual philosophy that is the foundation of yoga practise.

    The book is thoroughly cross-referenced, and indexed, resulting in an accessible and helpful book that is of immense value both to students of Indian philosophy and practitioners of yoga.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins UK
    Release dateJun 28, 2012
    ISBN9780007381623
    Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
    Author

    B. K. S. Iyengar

    B.K.S. Iyengar is the world’s most respected yoga teacher. Widely credited as the person who brought yoga to the West, his teaching practice has been hugely influential over decades. He lives and teaches in Pune, India.

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    Reviews for Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

    4.5/5

    171 ratings13 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This is a how-to book that only works if you do it all. It's okay, but not wonderful.
    • 4/5
      A classic.
    • 5/5
      A wonderful book which opens the door to the world of Patanjali yoga.
    • 3/5
      its got a huge collection of incredibly specific asanas, but thats literally all it has. no systematic overview or explanations, incredibly sparse and rote programs for progress, inconsistent and often insufficient explanations of poses
    • 5/5
      This is a great reference book on yoga and its asanas by the well-known BKS Iyengar. My sister and I reference to it frequently as my yoga practice is growing and we live 500 miles apart. Besides a generally good description and photos of each asana, it frequently shows the stages of difficulty. Some asanas are accompanied by stories about great Hindu sages or even the the gods of Hinduism.
    • 4/5
      #98, 2006It took me a while to get through this book. It’s very dense, and I could only read a certain amount in a single sitting before I’d start feeling overloaded. He’s got lots of very interesting information about the philsophy of yoga, and of course, his descriptions/photographs of asanas are considered the “Bible” of yoga. I enjoyed this book, but didn’t love it. It will stay on my shelf always, though, because I know I’ll be referring to it again and again over the years.
    • 4/5
      Best for:Anyone interested in pursuing a serious yoga practice.In a nutshell:Igengar provides a summary of the history of yoga, beyond what many folks consider when attending yoga classes or watching videos.Worth quoting:“The study of Yoga is not like work for a diploma or a university degree by someone desiring favourable results in a stipulated time.”Why I chose it:Part of my goal for 2021 is to live more of the life that I want, and building a consistent yoga practice is high on that list.Review:This is an interesting book. I’ve always known yoga is not just breathing and stretching, but based more in a broader way of living. As a white woman raised in the west, most of my exposure to yoga has been through Lululemon view. A way to stretch and build strength and relieve stress, without really looking at where yoga comes from. I’ve been in classes where there’s some lip service paid to it, but nothing more.Obviously, one isn’t going to understand an entire cultural concept like yoga from reading one book. But this is a good starting place. It discusses the connection between what is going on with the body and what is going on in the mind. I’ll need to read it over a few times to understand it better, but again, a good place to start. After the introduction, Iyengar offers instructions and photos of over 200 poses, which are quite easy to follow. He then has put together three ‘courses,’ spreading across 300 weeks (yes, you read that right). Today I started with course one, which lasts about 32 weeks. It’s been seven or eight years since I regularly practiced yoga, and I can feel it, but I can also see how this is going to work, and I’m excited about it.Videos are definitely an easy way to start learning yoga, and I don’t think a book can fully replace that for more visual learners, but I do think this book is a great place to start.Keep it / Pass to a Friend / Donate it / Toss it:Keep it
    • 4/5
      I own this book and keep going back to it to reread bits.
    • 3/5
      its got a huge collection of incredibly specific asanas, but thats literally all it has. no systematic overview or explanations, incredibly sparse and rote programs for progress, inconsistent and often insufficient explanations of poses
    • 4/5
      This book is mainly a large collection of descriptions of yoga exercises (asanas) with lots of illustrating pictures. It also contains a short introduction about general yoga philosophy and a short appendix with a few breathing exercises (pranayama), a collection of training courses, and a list which tells you which asana to perform when suffering from certain illnesses.The descriptions of the yoga exercises are quite understandable and the pictures show that the author is really good at what he does. I use the book as a kind of reference, when looking for a new exercise.The introduction may be bit esoteric, but the main part (which is very technical) is not influenced too much by this. More precisely, for each asana the book describes the effects that it has on the human body; and these effects seem to contain too much detail, are too assuming, or simply unfounded/esoteric.
    • 4/5
      This is something I read in bits and pieces. It is an almost constant refernce I use for my yoga practice.
    • 5/5
      Fantastic and thorough review of most postures. A must for yoga practitioners and teachers!
    • 5/5
      Other yoga books are easier to use (e.g. the Dorling Kindersley "Sivananda Yoga" texts), but I find myself refering back to this text regularly over the decades - now because I want to explore some connections between Qigong and yoga.Deservedly a classic. Excellent if you want to follow the Iyenga yoga path. Also excellent if you want to explore other paths from a different angle.

    Book preview

    Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - B. K. S. Iyengar

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