****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
This book quickly became one of my ALL-TIME favorite yoga books. And that is saying a lot, since I have been practicing, reading, and studying since 1998, and I am a pretty geeky yoga teacher. Also, as a longtime meditator, I have been aware that there are very few books out there that bring together the physical yoga practice with Buddhist meditation practices in such a clear and meaningful way. Anne Cushman is a wonderful writer - funny, sweet, descriptive, inspiring, and she presents the intricate details of these practices with care in a way that avoids either dumbing them down or overwhelming the reader. After all, it is no easy task to integrate two of the world's great wisdom traditions (yoga and Buddhism), acknowledging their interconnected roots, their philosophical overlaps and departures, their evolutions into mainstream culture, and the ways they can inform each other in the day-to-day space of our practice. There are many exercises within for bringing awareness onto your mat, but the book does not prescribe certain yoga styles or sequences for the most part. She does suggest both active practices (standing poses, sun salutations, etc) and Yin poses. If you like the work that Sarah Powers does, you will also like this a lot. There is also excellent guidance for how you can translate your work on the mat into your sitting meditation practice, even if you are new to meditation. In fact, this book will help you get started, as it skillfully uses yoga to prepare the body/mind/energy system for formal meditation. I highly recommend following her 12-week program as outlined in the book - you will find daily inspiration here, and maybe even transform how you approach your yoga.
