How to Use Yoga

by Mira Mehta

Book Overview

This guide aims to show you how to achieve a fit and supple body through the practice of postures (asanas). Easy-to-follow and especially chosen for beginners, these work on all the body systems. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0831717572
• ISBN13: 9780831717575
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: Smithmark Publishers
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 2.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 9.3" x 12.0"

Customer Reviews

Excellent for folks new to yoga practice!

I have really enjoyed learning yoga with this excellent step by step guide. Although its lighter on theory and explanation of the sutras and philosophy behind yoga than some of the other texts on yoga, its one of the best I've seen on how to do the asanas correctly. When you are thoroughly confused by yoga instructors who are busy teaching 60+ folks in the same classroom, this book will be a far superior mentor and friend than expensive yoga teachers! Highly recommended. Other than the Hatha and Ashtanga yoga books written by BKS Iyengar, I dont see anything better out there.

AMAZING!

This book is amazingly descriptive. Anyone can do yoga with this book. I have bought 6 copies thus far. The added bonus with this book is that it gives you week by week, day by day positions you should do. A great book!

At last: a yoga book that teaches sequencing!

I often had questions that arose during my home yoga practice, particularly about how to sequence the poses. I am so happy to have found Mira Mehta's "How to Use Yoga." This book is packed with information in a balanced blend of text instruction and pictorial guidance for each pose. Best of all, the author includes a ten-week practice course in an easy-to-follow format, along with sequences for common problems and special times, such as back pain, headaches, and menstruation. Get this book: It's like having a yoga teacher at home!

Good for beginners and teachers

The book is very similar in presentation to the book Mira Mehta published previously, Yoga the Iyengar Way, in that it has colorful, large photos. However, it is more geared toward a beginner and written more clearly. Only 41 asanas (poses) are presented, all of them basic poses. However, several variations of each asana are given, with clear instructions on the benefits of each variation.There are two wonderful features of the book poses for common pains. The 10-week yoga course is structured with a two page spread for each week. On the left-hand page is a list of asanas to practice on each day of the week. At the bottom of that page and the next are little photographs of people doing the poses recommended for that week. So, a beginner could follow the course just by opening to the appropriate page -- no flipping around through the book trying to figure out what the heck "Downward Facing Dog pose" is. The courses are also useful for teachers trying to develop sequences for beginning classes.The section on using yoga to relieve headaches, backaches, menstrual pain, and other common aches includes not only descriptions of the variations of the poses, but large photographs of the asana variations as well. This is the best presentation of this material I've seen. I also liked that she uses an older model in some of her photographs to show how poses can be modified for less flexible people.I am finding the book valuable for developing my beginner course in Iyengar yoga and plan to recommend it to my students.

This is great!

This book will take you through a relaxing, powerful and healthy 10-week Yoga program. In the first half of the book, all of the asanas (postures) are described in step-by-step detail, and illustrated with large color photos. In the second half of the book is the 10-week program, one week at a time. There are smaller photos illustrating each step of the daily workout in this section. To make it easy to switch from the program pages back to the asana description pages, this crafty author and Yoga teacher has included sturdy, cardboard flaps on the front and back covers so you can mark the pages you are using most frequently during your daily exercise. The book is large, and doesn't slam shut if you lay it in the floor in front of you. It is one of the best books I have seen!