This is the most user-friendly yoga book available! It contins the entire Primary and Intermediate series of Ashtanga Yoga with three options for every asana. It is spiral bound to easily remain open while practicing. It contains over 650 photos with clear instructions and commentary. It is a great book for all levels of practitioners to enjoy and teachers will find it to be an invaluable tool for teaching their students.

ISBN13: 9781891252082

Condition: New

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The other pages prove to be possibly the only book you really need on the physical exercise of yoga. While David Life and Sharon Gannen's excellent Jivamukti Yoga emphasizes the origins and much of the spiritual aspects for today's practitioner in clear, modern language (The Yoga Sutras are, after all, pretty dense stuff), Swenson's focus is the asanas, and the primary and intermediate series of the ashtanga yoga system.

The asanas are presented in clear, concise detail, along with photos.

The book does not intimidate by bogging the reader down in overly long details in either words or pictures. When explaining the translation of an asana's sanskrit name, instead of getting "This very interesting posture has an equally interesting history to its' names origin. In 436 BC, the first king of scotland travelled to india, etc. etc.", Swenson simply writes "Pada=Foot" (But if it is gorgeous, unbelievably crisp photos of asana practice you're looking for, the book to get is Linda Sparrowe's Yoga).

One does not need to practice ashtanga for this book to prove useful and inspirational: virtually every asana is displayed, so even if you prefer a vinyasa practice, you can always pick up some new - or remind yourself of many - poses within. (The wisely included index also proves mega-useful in this regard)

The book is also practical: not only does it display abrdged versions of the the series for the time-tied, but also because it has a unique spiral hardcover binding and displays one asana per page, making it easy to keep the book beside your mat for reference without it flipping shut every two seconds as you practice.

(Anyone who's ever had that experience knows it feels something akin to what Doug Swenson on the aforementioned page 242 is doing, with potentially far more fatal results)(Try transcending THAT!).

72 of 74 found the following review helpful:

Excellent reference manual, but you can't learn from a bookMay 11, 2000
By Alan Little
This is an excellent reference manual for continuing practice - as far as I am aware it is the only book with comprehensive documentation of the first two astanga yoga series, with explanations and modifications for both. A book isn't a substitute for lessons but it can be useful.

I agree with several of the other reviews here that Beryl Bender Birch's "Power Yoga" might still be a better buy for beginners as it has more detailed basic explanations. But readers should be aware - and aren't told anywhere in the book - that "Power Yoga" doesn't present the full astanga series. There are a few omissions for first series, and a lot from second series, whereas David Swenson's book is comprehensive.

If you get the chance to go to one of David's workshops, do. If you've bought and studied this book you may not pick up much new technical information, but you'll get to experience somebody who is a really funny guy and a great storyteller as well as an exemplary yoga practitioner.

35 of 35 found the following review helpful:

David Swenson's BookDec 22, 1999

While David could use a good copy editor (there are a lot of typos and grammatical errors) this is the most user-friendly yoga book I've seen. The layout and copy content make it a very useful practice companion. I think it is best suited for someone with previous yoga experience. I would still recommend Beryl Bender Birch's Power Yoga to a beginner. She discusses various pose modifications at length; a beginner might find that more useful than the quick easy layout and helpful reminders found in David's book. Since David's book is great for a continuing practice, the two books really go well together.

33 of 33 found the following review helpful:

excellentJun 12, 2001

I have looked at a lot of books on yoga, and also own both of Beryl Bender Birch's books, but David Swenson's book and tapes are the absolute best for someone who wants to get started with Ashtanga. Highly recommend the "Short Forms" video for those not already familiar with Ashtanga; it is extremely user-friendly and unpretentious. This is supposed to be about the book, though, which is excellent; it includes photos of most modifications that are discussed, is easy to follow, and is the only book that includes ALL of the postures in primary and secondary series. The only criticism I have is that the Birch books are better about letting the reader know which postures should be avoided without help of a teacher. Hopefully, as Ashtanga grows in popularity, there will be more qualified teachers throughout the country. Now, though, many of us do not have the option of regular instruction, and this book is the next best thing.

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