Product Description

Astanga Yoga As It Is by Matthew Sweeney is much in demand, since it is the only resource that fully details the primary, intermediate and advanced A & B series of Astanga Yoga. In the text portion of the book the type is small and the information dense. In Matthew's clear, precise and matter of fact style he covers important aspects of pranayama, the role of warming up, details on core postures and traditional and novel ways to approach the practice. There are nearly 2000 photographs in the posture sequences of traditional Astanga Vinyasa Yoga on durable heavy weight stock for years of reference and enjoyment. It is sized to fit at the head of your mat in a coiled binding so the pages open flat for easy visibility and reference. Matthew's description follows: Astanga Yoga As It Is - A comprehensive guide to the first four sequences of Ashtanga Yoga: Primary, Intermediate, Advanced A and Advanced B as taught by Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois. The book details relevant techniques on breathing, asana, bandha and drishti. It offers insight into the practical application of Yoga philosophy with information on the chakra, granthi, nadi and the Yoga sutras of Patanjali. The photographic section includes the asana for each sequence plus all of the variations for the movements and breaths between each posture. This is a one of a kind map to the traditional vinyasa method. Astanga Yoga As It Is provides an exploration of both the physical and mental aspects of the practice. It aims to shed light on some core yoga concepts and relevant self development principles. However, this book is not a "how to do it" manual. It does cover the main points of the tradition including many of the unspoken conditions that dominate the Mysore-method. As It Is aims to promote a questioning attitude to the practice, to examine and integrate its many qualities. As the physical practice evolves there should be a natural and healthy interest in the mental and emotional processes that go with it.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #542073 in Books
• Published on: 2006
• Binding: Spiral-bound
• 84 pages

Customer Reviews

Not what I expected
I was so excited to get this and when I received it I thought that they must have sent me the wrong thing - it is just like a calendar! It has some very good practical information and visually documents all of the series in the ashtanga practice. However, there are some serious drawbacks including the fact that the pictures are the size of postage stamps, there are no descriptions of how to get into and out of the postures and no information on alignment. Unless you are very familiar with all of the poses in the primary, intermediate, and advanced a and b this book is seriously lacking in this area. The written information is directed toward the beginner/intermediate practitioner and the visual information is for someone well advanced. His practice is lovely but the "book" is not worth the price.

A really useful learning tool
If you're practicing Astanga regularly and learning a lot of new poses, this book is a great resource. I've just started 3rd series, and when being given the poses, most of my attention is on doing rather than remembering. This book allows me to review and study the vinyasas at home.

Matthew's got an amazing practice. I was lucky enough to see some of it during my first of two (thus far) trips to Mysore, India. He knows what he's talking about.

Great aid to practice, highly recommended
A friend recommended this book to me because it has photos of all the postures in all the series of Ashatanga Yoga, laid out in an easy to use format. It also has 35 pages of sound advice and information about the practice. It is a great yoga book and a great ashtanga book.