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The Complete Book of Vinyasa Yoga
Sri T. Krishnamacharya (1888–1989) was the most influential figure in the last 100 years in the field of yoga. Many of today's best-known yoga teachers—including his brother-in-law B. K. S. Iyengar, his son T. K. V. Desikachar, and Pattabhi Jois, founder of Ashtanga yoga—studied with him and modeled their own yoga styles after his practice and teaching. Yet, despite his renowned status, Krishnamacharya's wisdom has never before been made completely available, just as he taught it. Now, in The Complete Book of Vinyasa Yoga, Srivatsa Ramaswami—Krishnamacharya's longest-standing student outside his own family—presents his master's teachings of yogasanas in unprecedented detail. Drawing upon his 33 years of direct study, beginning in 1955 and continuing nearly until his teacher's death, Ramaswami presents more than nine hundred poses and variations in logically structured sequences, precisely describing Krishnamacharya's complete Vinyasakrama system. Along with every movement of each yoga posture, he covers the proper breathing techniques for each pose—something no other book also derived from Krishnamacharya's teaching does. Nearly 1,000 full-color photographs are featured in this authoritative landmark presentation of the study practiced by the "grandfather of modern yoga."
287 pages, Paperback
First published July 6, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
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June 30, 2014Although learning about yoga with a book is not ideal because it is hard to read about and then try and do asanas (yoga poses), it has opened up a new form of yoga to me. And thanks to this book I found some great online resources that show all the sequences and give a great sense of the rhythm and pace of this style of yoga.
Unlike other yoga I have experienced either through classes or online videos in Vinyasa Krama yoga, the style described in this book, the intentional breath directs the speed of every movement and the pace is very gradual and slow. Inhales and exhales are synchronized very harmoniously with every movement and there are frequent six breath pauses for various postures. This synchronization is a lovely experience and the postures become so advanced there is plenty to build on.
The book itself had very clear instructions and illustrative pictures. It seemed like it was written in the best way it possibly could but to learn movement through a book was very challenging. However, it was easier to understand some of the subtleties of certain asanas because of the amount of detail.
I would highly recommend the following YouTube link to videos by the author to get a clear sense of the speed:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=...
I would recommend videos 15-17 of the above playlist for beginners like me.
Also I found some other yogi has posted videos and sequential images of ALL the sequences in this book. http://vinyasakramayoga.blogspot.com/
The links I found will be a great supplementary resources when I return the book to the library!
Unlike other yoga I have experienced either through classes or online videos in Vinyasa Krama yoga, the style described in this book, the intentional breath directs the speed of every movement and the pace is very gradual and slow. Inhales and exhales are synchronized very harmoniously with every movement and there are frequent six breath pauses for various postures. This synchronization is a lovely experience and the postures become so advanced there is plenty to build on.
The book itself had very clear instructions and illustrative pictures. It seemed like it was written in the best way it possibly could but to learn movement through a book was very challenging. However, it was easier to understand some of the subtleties of certain asanas because of the amount of detail.
I would highly recommend the following YouTube link to videos by the author to get a clear sense of the speed:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=...
I would recommend videos 15-17 of the above playlist for beginners like me.
Also I found some other yogi has posted videos and sequential images of ALL the sequences in this book. http://vinyasakramayoga.blogspot.com/
The links I found will be a great supplementary resources when I return the book to the library!
October 23, 2015
This is a fantastic book, and a precious one. If I could only own one book on Yoga, it would probably be this. As the title proclaims, it is quite complete. The "Vinyasa" that this book deals with has to do first of all with proper SEQUENCING - sequencing within a movement as in how to move in and out of a movement, sequencing within a session as in how to arrange the various components of a session and also how to organize a session so that it is appropriate for particular circumstances of practice, and finally how to sequence one's progress so that the body is gradually prepared to take on more advanced asanas or more challenging variations within an asana. This brings us to the second, related, aspect of Vinyasa, which is VARIATIONS within a pose. Variations are hardly ever taught or practiced in the contemporary, popular styles of Yoga today, but as the author said, his guru Sri T. Krishnamacharya, the "grandfather" of modern Hatha Yoga, never taught yoga without teaching the variations within a pose. Having studied for 30 years with Sri. Krishnamacharya (unlike other students including BKS Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois who studied for only a few years), the author has a good understanding of the philosophy that underlaid yoga as taught by Krishnamacharya. In this book, he attempts to share it with us.
This has got to be the most coherent, logical, concise and complete presentation of Yoga asana practice ever written. The very organization of this book itself is instructive. There are only 12 chapters, and they divide yoga movement and sequences into 12 categories, namely asanas that are standing, asymmetrical seated, seated posterior stretch, one legged, supine, bow, triangle, inverted, meditative, and lotus - all with their vinyasa sequences - plus visesha vinyasa kramas which include Sun Salutations and sequences stemming from Downward Facing Dog, and finally winding down sequences. The organization itself contains a philosophy and methodology of practice that is graduated, methodological, and SAFE. It can be adapted for any kind of person of any age or condition, and it can also help prepare the person to advance from simple to more advanced levels in a safe and methodological way.
Now, you won't find this kind of detail or teaching in any other book on Yoga. Take "Light on Yoga" by BKS Iyengar for example. That book is packed with photos of Iyengar in complicated final poses (i.e. without any vinyasas or variations). At the back of the book, he gave suggestions for week-by-week practice. Practices suggested for very first week included full head-stand. Now this is dangerous to say the least. I know, because I tried his suggestions when I was in my 20s. I suffered from an upper back injury from doing head-stand unprepared which has plagued me until now. I now know why this happened - because I did not do it on a firm surface and with proper back support, because I did not prepare the body with proper asanas that should precede head-stand, and because I have mild scoliosis of the spine. People who have scoliosis or any kind of spinal problem should not do inverted poses or should do them with the greatest caution and then only minimally.
Having sung the praises of this book, I must point to some areas that do detract from the completeness of this book. One thing which users of this book should be aware of is that they should adapt the suggestions to their own conditions. For example, the author gives the sequences with jumps and lunges which cannot be performed by most people, and which should not indeed be performed generally by people unless they are very fit or very young. Another important thing that is not covered is what poses should be avoided or adapted (and how) for body conditions including scoliosis, lordosis, leg length difference, knee pain, pelvic tilt, and so on, as well as for different ages and genders. This is very much a part of yoga as taught by Krishnamacharya, as can be seen in the work of other longtime students such as Krishnamacharya's son and the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Chennai, and in the work of A.G. Mohan who studied with Krishnamacharya in the last 2 decades of his life. Those who want to understand the therapeutic and vini-yoga (systematic approach to teaching and adapting yoga for the individual) aspects of yoga as taught by Krishnamacharya can refer to the works of A.G Mohan for greater insight.
To sum up, this book is an invaluable reference for yoga teachers and students who really want to practice good yoga and safe yoga, with the important caveat that sequences should be adapted accordingly to the user's bodily conditions. Ideally, this book should be studied alongside those of A.G. Mohan which covers the the adaptation of yoga for the individual in greater detail. Used rightly, this book is a wonderful resource. The knowledge imparted gives me confidence as a teacher and a student of yoga; I know that this is a book that will accompany my yoga practice for life.
This has got to be the most coherent, logical, concise and complete presentation of Yoga asana practice ever written. The very organization of this book itself is instructive. There are only 12 chapters, and they divide yoga movement and sequences into 12 categories, namely asanas that are standing, asymmetrical seated, seated posterior stretch, one legged, supine, bow, triangle, inverted, meditative, and lotus - all with their vinyasa sequences - plus visesha vinyasa kramas which include Sun Salutations and sequences stemming from Downward Facing Dog, and finally winding down sequences. The organization itself contains a philosophy and methodology of practice that is graduated, methodological, and SAFE. It can be adapted for any kind of person of any age or condition, and it can also help prepare the person to advance from simple to more advanced levels in a safe and methodological way.
Now, you won't find this kind of detail or teaching in any other book on Yoga. Take "Light on Yoga" by BKS Iyengar for example. That book is packed with photos of Iyengar in complicated final poses (i.e. without any vinyasas or variations). At the back of the book, he gave suggestions for week-by-week practice. Practices suggested for very first week included full head-stand. Now this is dangerous to say the least. I know, because I tried his suggestions when I was in my 20s. I suffered from an upper back injury from doing head-stand unprepared which has plagued me until now. I now know why this happened - because I did not do it on a firm surface and with proper back support, because I did not prepare the body with proper asanas that should precede head-stand, and because I have mild scoliosis of the spine. People who have scoliosis or any kind of spinal problem should not do inverted poses or should do them with the greatest caution and then only minimally.
Having sung the praises of this book, I must point to some areas that do detract from the completeness of this book. One thing which users of this book should be aware of is that they should adapt the suggestions to their own conditions. For example, the author gives the sequences with jumps and lunges which cannot be performed by most people, and which should not indeed be performed generally by people unless they are very fit or very young. Another important thing that is not covered is what poses should be avoided or adapted (and how) for body conditions including scoliosis, lordosis, leg length difference, knee pain, pelvic tilt, and so on, as well as for different ages and genders. This is very much a part of yoga as taught by Krishnamacharya, as can be seen in the work of other longtime students such as Krishnamacharya's son and the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Chennai, and in the work of A.G. Mohan who studied with Krishnamacharya in the last 2 decades of his life. Those who want to understand the therapeutic and vini-yoga (systematic approach to teaching and adapting yoga for the individual) aspects of yoga as taught by Krishnamacharya can refer to the works of A.G Mohan for greater insight.
To sum up, this book is an invaluable reference for yoga teachers and students who really want to practice good yoga and safe yoga, with the important caveat that sequences should be adapted accordingly to the user's bodily conditions. Ideally, this book should be studied alongside those of A.G. Mohan which covers the the adaptation of yoga for the individual in greater detail. Used rightly, this book is a wonderful resource. The knowledge imparted gives me confidence as a teacher and a student of yoga; I know that this is a book that will accompany my yoga practice for life.
May 19, 2022
I picked this up at the library when I noticed all the poses illustrated within, hoping it might give me proper instruction on the poses since I've been taking classes online since Covid began, this wasn't exactly what I was hoping it would be.
The people in the photos are doing many poses I've never seen, let alone am capable of doing any time soon. It's inspiring, to learn that with years of practice, I may one day accomplish those same positions, but I was hoping for more philosophical reasoning behind some of those movements, the why's and what they're good for, etc.
It's also detailed on the sequence in which they should be performed, which at this point in my practice, are still too advanced in some regards. I was looking for different information, so it's not to say this book isn't good, it just wasn't what I wanted at this moment.
The people in the photos are doing many poses I've never seen, let alone am capable of doing any time soon. It's inspiring, to learn that with years of practice, I may one day accomplish those same positions, but I was hoping for more philosophical reasoning behind some of those movements, the why's and what they're good for, etc.
It's also detailed on the sequence in which they should be performed, which at this point in my practice, are still too advanced in some regards. I was looking for different information, so it's not to say this book isn't good, it just wasn't what I wanted at this moment.
December 23, 2022
Must’ve!
Écrit par un des disciples de Sri T Krishnamacharya, celui qui a inspiré le yoga moderne, ses autres disciples connus étant Iyengar et Pattabhi Jois (ashtanga).
Bref un incontournable pour élargir ses connaissances.
Organisé par séquences, il suffit d’en enchaîner deux ou trois pour sa pratique quotidienne.
Écrit par un des disciples de Sri T Krishnamacharya, celui qui a inspiré le yoga moderne, ses autres disciples connus étant Iyengar et Pattabhi Jois (ashtanga).
Bref un incontournable pour élargir ses connaissances.
Organisé par séquences, il suffit d’en enchaîner deux ou trois pour sa pratique quotidienne.
June 13, 2017
Great resource for understanding proper poses and asanas.
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March 25, 2011As excited I was about getting this book, since I've been traveling, I haven't been able to take any actual books with me. All my current reads are in eBook format, and unfortunately, I cannot find this one:-(
If you have a suggestion on where I can get this book, please feel free to forward it onto me.
BUT, I LOVED READING IT, as much as I was able to read it.
If you have a suggestion on where I can get this book, please feel free to forward it onto me.
BUT, I LOVED READING IT, as much as I was able to read it.
Read
September 19, 2007very descriptive and many pics. Although I didn't like that the pic's weren't titled.. so i'd have to look in the body of the text for a reference to the image number to find out what the freakign pose is.. ug. i gave up and took it back to the library.
September 6, 2015
To me, this book was just ok. There are a lot of poses in here, so if you are looking for that, it would be useful. If you were looking for more on philosophy or anything else, you would want to look elsewhere.
March 5, 2009
A very challenging book. Incredible sequences, incredibly talented students in the photos.
April 26, 2010
I am enjoying this book a great deal. I am learning a lot. I love some of the sequences..
September 22, 2009
Clear instructions and helpful pictures.
Definitely made a positive impact on my sessions.
Definitely made a positive impact on my sessions.
October 31, 2012
it was ok. good for some fresh sequencing, but kind of lackluster otherwise.
September 14, 2012
Concise and complete.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews