Book Review - Light On Yoga

Light on Yoga is a master piece on the subject of yoga and it was written by Shri BKS Iyengar and this is one of my most valued companion. Here is some information on Shri BKS Iyengar.

B.K.S. Iyengar was born in India in 1918 and has been teaching yoga since of the age of 17. He has been one of the world's leading teachers of yoga for over 70 years and is internationally recognized as a leading authority of hatha yoga.

His own style of teaching, "Iyengar Yoga", is followed by hundreds of certified teachers across the world. Iyengar was the first person to teach yoga to large groups of students; he lays great emphasis on precision and alignment, a style that is faithfully followed by his students. He is also the only person to teach the highest aspects of yoga - Atma Darshan - through asanas. Through his work, Iyengar has established the relevance of yoga to the treatment and cure of many illnesses, and has received a Doctorate from the United Nations Charter for Peace. At the age of 90, Iyengar still practices and teaches yoga, and also travels the world teaching and lecturing.

The influence of Shri BKS Iyengar can be judged by how much people love him. When he visited America for the last time few years back and entered the reception hall, he got a standing ovation and people kept clapping for 10 minutes. That is real love and respect.

Light on Yoga is known as modern bible on Yoga. It is one of the most comprehensive books on Yoga and the price for which it is being sold is dirt cheap compared to its contents.

Let me confess that I follow this book the most when I practice yoga. Here are few sections you will find in this book. I have several yoga books but if I had to carry only one book and go to a remote place, Light on Yoga will be the book which will go with me.

This book is systematically arranges into well sequenced sections. Following is what how should see in this book.

1. Introduction to yoga which is better than what many yoga book offer in terms of coverage of yoga and its explanation. It covers yoga from spiritual aspect and covers the various stages and limbs of yoga which any one serious about yoga should know.
2. Next Section is on Yoga poses and contains around 600 pictures of the master in action. Each pose is accompanied by little explanation or mythology related to the post as well as well defined instructions and the benefits. It also contains rating of the poses in terms of difficulty. This is the core of the book and it is extremely well presented which makes this book a must have. The authors talks about minor details and each muscle which should be used which really helps in advancing in the pose and know the pose in more details in
3. Next section is on Bandhas and Pranayama. Pranayama is a yogic breathing technique and sufficient details along with precaution and other tips are provided.
4. Last section describes a prescribes a suggested course for learners and it has three levels from beginners to advanced yogis. I am following the routine followed in this section and undergoing the 30 week course.
5. The last section contains information on which poses are beneficial for various ailments and therefore a good reference for curative abilities of Yoga.

If any friend or acquaintance asks me about any yoga book to purchase, this is the book I would recommend and therefore thought of recommending this to my readers also. If you want to purchase this book you can find it here Light on Yoga: The Bible of Modern Yoga... This is a affiliate link to amazon and if you buy this book you can help Headfirstyoga.