Light on Life or Dr Yoga

Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom

Author: B K S Iyengar

B.K.S. Iyengar—hailed as "the Michelangelo of yoga" (BBC) and considered by many to be the most important living yoga master—has spent much of his life introducing the modern world to the ancient practice of yoga. Yoga’s popularity is soaring, but its widespread acceptance as an exercise for physical fitness and the recognition of its health benefits have not been matched by an understanding of the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual development that the yogic tradition can also offer. In Light on Life, B.K.S. Iyengar brings readers this new and more complete understanding of the yogic journey. Written with the depth of this sage’s great wisdom, Light on Life is the culmination of a master’s spiritual genius, a treasured companion to his seminal Light on Yoga.

Publishers Weekly

Master yogi Iyengar offers what may turn out to be his last written words on the discipline that he helped popularize with Light on Yoga. Published in 1966, that first book became yoga's "bible" and set the standard for yoga books, providing pictures and instructions. The 86-year-old teacher here expounds the philosophy of yoga-its metaphysics, of which yoga poses, or asanas, represent the physical component. Iyengar yoga is vigorous because it involves the body, mind and spirit, and the master explains those interrelationships clearly. Chapters elaborate on aspects of yoga-the physical, energetic, mental, intellectual and divine, showing the architecture of the comprehensive system of spiritual teachings that lead to samadhi, the state of blissful absorption. Yoga is about health and purity, flexibility and divinity. While this book underlines the intellectual aspect of yoga, it is insufficient for a new yoga student, no substitute for yoga sadhana, practice that requires and integrates body and mind. Not the book with which to begin the yoga journey, it is highly recommended for those advanced on the path and interested in learning from a master of flexibility and wisdom. (Oct.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Still teaching in India at 85, Iyengar came to the United States 50 years ago to share yoga. His first book, Light in Yoga, was published in 1966 and has since become the most popular yoga book ever written, translated into 18 language. Since then, he has educated instructors and students in his style of yoga, which stresses the importance of posture alignment. Today, yoga's popularity is growing as strictly a fitness exercise, ignoring the importance of the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. In his new work, Iyengar emphasizes the integration of mind, body, and soul; the wisdom of Patanjali's Yoga Sutrasis woven throughout. For emotional stability, he also includes asanas, a series of postures sequenced to relax one totally. Iyengar shares here the knowledge he has accumulated in 70 years of yoga study. His last book, the shining jewel of yoga works, is recommended for all libraries that have a yoga collection.-Dede Archer, Naples, FL. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Interesting book: Curandero or Jump Off

Dr. Yoga: A Complete Guide to the Medical Benefits of Yoga

Author: Nirmala Heriza

From the Integral Yoga Cardiac specialist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Preventive and Rehabilitative Cardiac Center and president of theUnited Yoga Council-a complete program for discovering the specific head-to-toe, health-issue-by-health-issue benefits of yoga.

Anyone who has experienced the deep mind-body satisfaction that regular yoga practice instills will tell you: Yoga is good for your health. Yet, as Nirmala Heriza reveals in this guide to the health benefits of yoga, the rewards are far more deeply grounded in medical science than has previously been understood.

Drawing from her work with doctors and cardiac patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, as well as from her extensive experience as a yoga therapist working with people of all ages recovering from a wide array of illnesses, Heriza provides a total program for preventing and treating disease through the practice of yoga. With detailed photos and instructions for all of the major yoga poses, Dr. Yoga is an essential health resource for anyone with specific health issues or just the desire to nurture and maintain a balanced, healthy body.

Dr. Yoga includes:

* two doctor-approved, 30-minute "Yoga for Health" practice sets, one for prevention and one for rehabilitation; * a physician and therapist referral directory; and * from the dietitian for Cedars-Sinai Preventive and Rehabilitative Cardiac Center, a cookbook of healthful recipes to support your yoga regime.

Author Biography: Nirmala Heriza is an Integral Yoga cardiac specialist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Preventive and Rehabilitative Cardiac Center in Los Angeles. President of the United Yoga Council and director of the Los Angeles Integral Yoga Center, she is a senior disciple of the renowned yoga master and founder of Integral Yoga, H.H. Sri Swami Satchidananda. Heriza is also a personal yoga therapist for many celebrities in the film, television, and music industries.

Library Journal

An integral yoga cardiac therapist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Preventative and Rehabilitative Cardiac Center in Los Angeles, Heriza offers a comprehensive program for preventing and treating disease based on yoga postures, relaxation, and diet. Noting that hatha yoga has been scientifically documented to relieve stress and enhance flexibility, she outlines restorative practices for common ailments. Each pose is accompanied by detailed photos and instructions with variations and cautions, along with a description of the clinical benefits that may be obtained. Heriza consistently advises readers to consult a physician, stressing that these practices are offered as an adjunct to, not a substitute for, conventional medical treatment. She also includes studies and testimonies from patients and healthcare professionals to support her thesis. As with anything over the counter, it is prudent to use this information in the context of healthy suggestions. Useful for hospital libraries or in wellness collections. Deborah Anne Broocker, Georgia Perimeter Coll., Dunwoody, GA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.