In 1974, the legendary “teacher of teachers” yogi Dharma Mittra photographed himself in 908 yoga postures. He printed each photo as an 8 x 10 and pasted them together to form a poster, creating the Ultimate Yoga Chart as a gift for his teacher, Swami Kailashananda (Yogi Gupta). Asanas collects 708 of those black-and-white photographs, each accompanied by the English name of the pose and the Sanskrit characters, brief commentary, and specific combinations for vinyasa, ashtanga, and Iyengar practice. Because it builds on basic postures, Asanas will appeal to students of any of the 100 yoga styles. In addition, specific sequences for each of the major styles of yoga; for beginning, intermediate, and advanced yoga students; as well as for particular health problems are also featured.

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The size of the book (small) is a plus as you can carry it along even on your vacation. The quality of the pictures is not going to impress the aesthetically prone, but the point is the variety of asanas come out quite well with few words!

Dharma Mittra put Yoga to work in the form of Karma (Yoga), when he spent time and effort in photographing himself and distributing it to the public (I have read he did this free). Pure, selfless action results in such works that will stand the test of time!

24 of 24 found the following review helpful:

Emulate a yogi masterApr 23, 2003
By Lori Federman
I have watched Dharma Mittra`s incredible poses live and through his poster, and I have wished to scrutinize each under magnification and learn from each pose to the fullest. My wish came true. This book is an incredible reference and inspiration, covering the full scope of hatha yoga (many poses come as a surprise even to the experienced). There are beautiful introductions to the chapters written by Dharma. Otherwise, the focus is simply and brilliantly on the asana (1 per page- one can also interestingly use this as an animated "flip book" to better understand Dharma's movement in the sequences). There are no distractions of accessory text or excessive design on these pages. Although the book has a contemporary look, I feel at times I am viewing an ancient book on yoga...and I realize in many ways I am. We are told the best path to perfecting our hatha yoga practice is to watch a yogi master practice to perfection and then emulate them. Here is our opportunity.

13 of 13 found the following review helpful:

AsanasApr 24, 2003

This is a beautiful book which should have been made
years ago of the most important Yoga teacher in New York City . The photos are clear and inspiring. The format of the
book is simple, beautiful, and pocket friendly. It is direct and to the point. Thank you publishers and Shri Dharma Mittra

20 of 22 found the following review helpful:

608 AsanaMay 05, 2003
By Jody
Dharma's little pocket book (it fits in my purse), much like his poster, is truly an inspiration. It reminds me of Light on Yoga without the explanations and would be a wonderful companion to this book. Much like Iyengar in Light on Yoga there is something about either Dharma's expression or body language that demonstrates a deep devotion. You can tell that Dharma sees the yoga postures as a dedication. Truly a work of art and devotion.

9 of 9 found the following review helpful:

Asanas 608 Yoga PosesJun 19, 2008
By Linda R
This is a book that has one asana on each page. It's a little thick book. If you practice yoga, you will find many poses you have never seen or done. Each pose has the sanskrit name and the english, but does not include anything else such as how to get into the pose. It is interesting by I don't use it in yoga. If you want a challenge, this might be your book.

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