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Complete Book of Yoga
An encyclopedia of yoga practices, practical yoga, and the philosophy and background of yoga. Included are three thorough sections on health and energy levels, postures, and a survey of yoga's history.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1977
38 people are currently reading
260 people want to read
About the author
James Hewitt
87 books7 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 7, 2019
As old-school as it is, this is THE best book on yoga I've ever read. Hewitt is a yoga purist who writes according to the source - both in terms of yoga as a psycho-spiritual discipline and not purely physiological, and by staying true to its Sanskrit origins. This is a no-fluff, non-commercial presentation of an ancient practice. If you read only one book on yoga, let it be this one.
August 2, 2018
This book introduced me to yoga at the age of 12. A lot of it was beyond my understanding then, but it provided a complete survey to reference back to as I grew in the next few years. This is not a book of great depth, but a great comprehensive starting point.
May 14, 2016
I received this book as a birthday present in 1980. This book was written in 1977, but the content is still very much current. With all yoga books on the market I always get tempted to buy "last" ones, but I do not like I keep coming back to this Classic - is a comprehensive tutorial that covers so much. The 400+ illustrations are simple and accurate, and will certainly help to depict asanas.
As it says, 3 volumes in 1. Firstly BREATHING.There'sdetailed information on what yoga is, relaxation, yogic hygiene, diet, sexual health and of course the detailed theory and practice of breath control (pranayama) .This first volume alone takes up 160 pages. Next volume is POSTURES which explains and describes with clear line drawings over 400 postures. You can put different types of postures into your own routine (a basic and more advanced routine is outlined). The third volume is MEDITATION.It starts with the Hindu and mystical background of yoga. Chapters on Patanjali's Raja Yoga, concentration exercises including sitting for meditation, and a chapter each on mantra yoga, trancendental meditation (TM) of Mahesh Yogi, yantra yoga, Kundalini (serpent power) yoga, yoga of action (karma), yoga of devotion (bhakti), yoga of action (jnana), psychic powers (siddhis), yoga of sex (tantrism). And much more. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, all aspects of yoga for beginner AND advanced practicioner. Anyone who wants to integrate yoga into your life will certainly benefit from this book- go ahead and get it!
As it says, 3 volumes in 1. Firstly BREATHING.There'sdetailed information on what yoga is, relaxation, yogic hygiene, diet, sexual health and of course the detailed theory and practice of breath control (pranayama) .This first volume alone takes up 160 pages. Next volume is POSTURES which explains and describes with clear line drawings over 400 postures. You can put different types of postures into your own routine (a basic and more advanced routine is outlined). The third volume is MEDITATION.It starts with the Hindu and mystical background of yoga. Chapters on Patanjali's Raja Yoga, concentration exercises including sitting for meditation, and a chapter each on mantra yoga, trancendental meditation (TM) of Mahesh Yogi, yantra yoga, Kundalini (serpent power) yoga, yoga of action (karma), yoga of devotion (bhakti), yoga of action (jnana), psychic powers (siddhis), yoga of sex (tantrism). And much more. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, all aspects of yoga for beginner AND advanced practicioner. Anyone who wants to integrate yoga into your life will certainly benefit from this book- go ahead and get it!
March 10, 2015
Absolute must- have. Read it three times through and often shuffle open to positions for practice. It does a wonderful job with the intertwining of breathing, posture and meditation as well as the importance of working on them in isolation.
January 5, 2014
Excellent book ....actually 3in1. This one will stay on my "currently reading" shelf indefinitely.
February 21, 2018
Very detailed and comprehensive guide. Pulling out your intestines and washing them in water is not the brightest idea, but overall it’s practical and adds value.
June 3, 2023
If you read this book, keep the publication date in mind: 1977. That is when Star Wars came out. Yoga has evolved a great deal in the West since that time. On the other hand, the author treats the subject with respect.
Yoga is an ancient holistic practice that originated in India. It evolved over thousands of years and is a sacred practice to many. It focuses on postures and breath control to master the mind and body. There is more to Yoga than that, but that much is good enough to start.
I knew very little about Yoga going into this book. I have preconceived notions about Yoga from movies and other forms of pop culture, but that might give me inaccurate information. Do you know the character Dhalsim from Street Fighter 2? Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was another source of Indian culture for me. I know about the stances and that there is more than one type of Yoga. That was the extent of my Yoga knowledge going into this book.
The Complete Yoga Book is a compendium on Yoga practice. Author James Hewitt is probably British. Why do I say that? Well, the text and how he spells certain words provide some clues. He might be dead by now, considering when the book came out. If Hewitt is alive, he's 95 years old as of 2023. I can't find a biography in the text, but I could be missing it. I believe Hewitt knows Sanskrit, but there are few clues in the text. He focuses on the effects of Yoga on Western Culture. Yoga developed a great deal from 1896 in the West when a Yogi was a freak in a sideshow.
Why did Hewitt write about Yoga in 1977? He wanted to popularize the practice and bring in more information about it. There were other books on Yoga in the 1970s, but I have not read them. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, after all. Hewitt's book is scholarly and in-depth. It doesn't limit itself to Yoga postures; it talks about all aspects of Yoga. Hewitt makes an effort to dispel any misconceptions about Yoga. I think he did a great job. Hewitt provides plenty of citations and a glossary of Sanskrit terms.
The book was extraordinary. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
Yoga is an ancient holistic practice that originated in India. It evolved over thousands of years and is a sacred practice to many. It focuses on postures and breath control to master the mind and body. There is more to Yoga than that, but that much is good enough to start.
I knew very little about Yoga going into this book. I have preconceived notions about Yoga from movies and other forms of pop culture, but that might give me inaccurate information. Do you know the character Dhalsim from Street Fighter 2? Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was another source of Indian culture for me. I know about the stances and that there is more than one type of Yoga. That was the extent of my Yoga knowledge going into this book.
The Complete Yoga Book is a compendium on Yoga practice. Author James Hewitt is probably British. Why do I say that? Well, the text and how he spells certain words provide some clues. He might be dead by now, considering when the book came out. If Hewitt is alive, he's 95 years old as of 2023. I can't find a biography in the text, but I could be missing it. I believe Hewitt knows Sanskrit, but there are few clues in the text. He focuses on the effects of Yoga on Western Culture. Yoga developed a great deal from 1896 in the West when a Yogi was a freak in a sideshow.
Why did Hewitt write about Yoga in 1977? He wanted to popularize the practice and bring in more information about it. There were other books on Yoga in the 1970s, but I have not read them. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, after all. Hewitt's book is scholarly and in-depth. It doesn't limit itself to Yoga postures; it talks about all aspects of Yoga. Hewitt makes an effort to dispel any misconceptions about Yoga. I think he did a great job. Hewitt provides plenty of citations and a glossary of Sanskrit terms.
The book was extraordinary. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
December 31, 2024
A purchase from a second hand bookshop in Dumfries some years previous.
A vast book: covering the topics of breathing, posture (Hatha) and meditation. Arguably, the Yoga's of breathing and meditation could likely be condensed into one chapter - given the almost inseparable relationship those two have with one another.
This is one of those books that has become a canonical text in the Wests import of Yoga and I'm a little wiser for having read it - only to the extent that I remember a little of what I read. This was first published in 1977, but my copy was published in 1989. Very little of it is 'out of date' (how could it be in describing a system of exercise, thought and relaxation that by all reckoning has lasted c. 4000 years). The closing chapters describe bio feedback methods for improving ones Yoga, but I know of no one that uses these c.2024.
Nevertheless, this is a good read if you want to understand where Yoga came from, how it should (could) be practiced and it's utility in making a better life for yourself and others. I would look to Barbara Curries '10 minute yoga workouts' to introduce a more practical, everyday and sustainable Yoga practice into your life however.
A vast book: covering the topics of breathing, posture (Hatha) and meditation. Arguably, the Yoga's of breathing and meditation could likely be condensed into one chapter - given the almost inseparable relationship those two have with one another.
This is one of those books that has become a canonical text in the Wests import of Yoga and I'm a little wiser for having read it - only to the extent that I remember a little of what I read. This was first published in 1977, but my copy was published in 1989. Very little of it is 'out of date' (how could it be in describing a system of exercise, thought and relaxation that by all reckoning has lasted c. 4000 years). The closing chapters describe bio feedback methods for improving ones Yoga, but I know of no one that uses these c.2024.
Nevertheless, this is a good read if you want to understand where Yoga came from, how it should (could) be practiced and it's utility in making a better life for yourself and others. I would look to Barbara Curries '10 minute yoga workouts' to introduce a more practical, everyday and sustainable Yoga practice into your life however.
November 15, 2024
If you are a yoga geek like me, this is a wonderful, valuable book about the history of yoga and how it evolved into the practice we know today.
October 3, 2012
This is really three books in one: The Yoga of Breathing, The Yoga of Posture, and the Yoga of Meditation. All three together provide a good foundation for not only the traditional Indian approaches to yoga as a "psycho-physiological techniques that people can employ for spiritual unfoldment" or even simply as a set of methods for physical and psychological hygiene. The yogic theories behind controlled breathing practices and physical postures are explained well and there are numerous exercises given. The drawings of the postures are fairly primitive, but they get the idea across. The section on meditation strikes a good balance between historical background, current viewpoints, strictly utilitarian vs. spiritually motivated approaches, and Eastern traditions vs. Western experimental technology. Hewitt does a masterful job all around with this book which is one reason I have kept coming back to it over the past 30 years as my go to reference and refresher course in my own on-again off-again practice of yoga.
Highly recommended. Wonderful basic background reference book on an often arcane and difficult subject.
Highly recommended. Wonderful basic background reference book on an often arcane and difficult subject.
August 5, 2016
This is a fabulous book for the Yoga enthusiast. I read it on my path to Yoga Teacher certification. I was not surprised by most of the information (having practiced Yoga now for 20 years), but I was delighted to have it all in one spot.
I was disappointed with one feature in the book, though. There is a section in which Yoga-for-therapeutic-use is described in which each condition (such as 'asthma') is listed with the corresponding Yoga postures/asanas that could improve the condition. In this context, the postures are labeled with their English-names. You then have to look up the English name in the English-name-to-posture-number directory, and then look up the posture number to find the proposed sequence... Not to mention it's always super difficult to describe kinesthetics in text-format (though this book does a remarkably good job at such descriptions).
Great book!
I was disappointed with one feature in the book, though. There is a section in which Yoga-for-therapeutic-use is described in which each condition (such as 'asthma') is listed with the corresponding Yoga postures/asanas that could improve the condition. In this context, the postures are labeled with their English-names. You then have to look up the English name in the English-name-to-posture-number directory, and then look up the posture number to find the proposed sequence... Not to mention it's always super difficult to describe kinesthetics in text-format (though this book does a remarkably good job at such descriptions).
Great book!
February 6, 2008
Comprehensive and interesting to read. I learned history, technique and spiritual interpretations of yoga. The book was recommended to me by Dah - the person in my life closest to my guru.
July 29, 2008
Awesome. 3 sections, mind, body, and soul
February 23, 2011
A large encyclopedia like book on yoga. Perfect for reference.
March 13, 2013
I love this yoga book. It covered so many important yoga issues. It is perfect for the beginner, and the advanced alike.
August 9, 2016
Really enjoyed it! A very holistic learning approach to all aspects of yoga.
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September 18, 2018i think this book provide the knowledge of healthy life
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews