Moving into Meditation: A 12-Week Mindfulness Program for Yoga Practitioners

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.

This is a well-written and thoughtful path to unite meditation with your physical yoga (asana) practice. Each week focuses on a theme and offers wisdom and instructions for implementing related yoga and meditation techniques into the exploration of the topic. The experience of this book would have been significantly better with an easily-accessible and complete audio playlist for every practice. In the absence of that, what is written is really good.

Anne is wise, compassionate and humorous. If you want to integrate your meditation practice more fully with your yoga practice, this book is a great resource! The practices really help to cultivate a deeper, more refined ability to sense the body during your meditation practice, yoga practice, and your day. The book seems to reference some audio files that are not freely available but it is definitely able to stand alone without the recordings.

Although I haven't finished the twelve weeks as of yet, I'm encouraged and peaceful with the culmination of technique and knowledge this far. Excited to continue on the spiritual journey.

For practicing yoga students who want to add mindful meditation but struggle with Buddhist approach of emptying your mind. The 12-week program is challenging but perfect as a way to combine the two modalities.

Anne Cushman's newest book Moving into Meditation is a great innovation! Not only is it a collection of beautifully woven stories told with wisdom and laughter from the heart, but the book comes alive visually through her meditative yoga videos. Choosing to download these videos offers twelve delightful opportunities to study, practice, and meditate with Anne doing yoga, and there's nothing better!Both the novice and the seasoned practitioner will find joy in taking this course. Anne teaches on many levels and proves to be masterful at each one.This book gets five stars and is not to be missed!

This is not for the beginning yoga student - the text assumes you have been schooled in a wide range of asanas, and even though there is access to video of the author doing the poses, it still would be difficult for those who are just starting out. I was interested in the book because of it's relevance to Mindfulness Meditation and the joining with yoga. However, being far from adept at the yoga poses left me frustrated and wishing I had not bought the book. If only there had been a gentle yoga program for us novice or older students.

I absolutely am in love with this book.

I've been practising Buddhist meditation and hatha yoga for 40 years now, and this book has given my yoga practice a whole new lease of life, opening up a rich and deep seam of fresh investigation and exploration. A work of profound depth of knowledge and expertise, presented in a clear, easy to read style, spiced with engaging wit and humour, and never losing sight of its dharma focus and objectives. With its wealth of recommended books and video and audio links to boot, this book is a valuable resource for any student of yoga.

What can I say but Wow! The skillful combining of meditation and yoga in a clear and inviting style.