Iyengar Yoga: Classic Yoga Postures for Mind, Body and Spirit

Judy Smith is an extraordinary teacher, and being her student was one of the many bonuses of my exhaustive collapse nearly two years ago. I attended a small remedial class (8 students, 2 teachers) once a week to help build up strength from being so weak I'd sleep for days at a time. I was initially intimidated in this intimate but strict environment but quickly felt huge respect and gratitude for being able to attend this extraordinary class. Under Judy's expert guidance I improved enough for her to kick me out of the class. I've now graduated to 'Gentle Yoga' level which is wonderful, but I do miss Judy and want to practise at home.So I was delighted to find a copy of her book. I practised yoga many years ago, and have other books, but I'm most impressed by this one. Aside from obviously being biased towards her, I love how this book is laid out. Detailed and well illustrated descriptions of each pose. Then clear and easy to follow sequences. And, best of all, there's pages of remedial poses, alternatives to the classics using bolsters and belts, for those of us not quite strong enough for the real thing.Judy would say when I would try to compliment her... "It's not me, it's the yoga" - it has and continues to be a huge catalyst in my recovery.

Having recently joined a Iyengar yoga class, and as a complete novice, I have found this book indispensible. The layout of the page explaining each exercise or pose is so clear and a Star system at the top of the page indicates the level of difficulty. There are tips to help with Focus and how to modify the exercise to suit different abilities, such as using props like a chair or wall. Having the book has enabled me to practice what I have learnt in the class which will make me feel more confident when I am there.

Been doing a novice Iyengar class for about three months. This will really help me practice at home. Good pictures and instructions for the poses as well as clear modifications, tips to improve poses and a guide to pose difficulty. Perfect to aid regular practice in conjunction with a class.

This book was easy to follow, with clear and illustrated photographs. I attend a yoga class every week for Iyengar Yoga and this book has exactly the same positions. Very good.

As a beginner,having practised for six months,I was looking for a guide to help me develop routines for home practice. This book is perfect for me. It covers the history and philosophy of Iyengar yoga;asanas, with clear instructions and photos which make it easy to follow at home;routine and sequences to help you develop your own practice plan, and therapeutic yoga,which covers the use of postures and props to improve and treat minor injuries or ailments.I thoroughly recommend this book.

A simple easy to read book fantastic for begginers to Iyengar Yoga, more so for the rountines at the end of the book which are great! Well worth buying although if you have some Judy Smiths other books you are likely to have this information in that book so check first!

A very informative book but personally I find the print too small to read comfortably.

My Iyengar Yoga teacher recommended this book to his class. Its brilliant as it describes and photographs the poses very clearly. I like the section on dealing with particular ailments etc. I have tried poses to help with colds and painful knees. I just need to practice more often!

Super

This book is fantastic. I already had experience doing Vinyasa yoga classes, but couldn't keep going to the studio. A lot of yoga books are hard to actually follow and they only teach you poses, not sequences. This book not only gives you 27 different sequences to follow, but it breaks them up into a sort of training course you can follow with increasing difficulty. It also includes a lot of modifications for poses in case you can't do the full pose for whatever reason, and that's another thing I hadn't found in other yoga books. I definitely need modifications & supports for certain poses & this book showed me how to do them until I could reach the full pose. A third bonus is the section on "Yoga Therapy" with poses given for numerous common ailments, like headache, backache, anxiety, etc. Of course, it's not a total replacement for a class/teacher, but this book is really excellent and will definitely help anyone with their practice. Maybe the only sort-of downside is that I ended up buying a lot of equipment to be able to do all the poses in the sequences--bolsters, a strap, a block--which can get pricey? But having those thing has definitely helped me deepen my practice, so no regrets.

Nice book with visual pictures to guide. Teaches the basic of postures, which was the exact reason for me to buy this book.

An illustrated book very highly recommendable. The postures as long as its execution, are perfectly and quite a accurate explained. Step by Step. It looks at each type of asana (standing, inverted, twists...) in different chapters. Very appreciable to find at the end lots of postures and therapeutic sequences for headaches, constipation, colds, insomnia, backaches and many more.

The explanations of the positions in the book are easy to follow. The explanation of Iyengar yoga is good. Easy to understand.