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Product Description
From Amazon
Tens of thousands of athletes know Beryl Bender Birch, Wellness Director for the New York Road Runners Club, as the teacher who showed them that yoga could protect them from injuries and improve their athletic performance. In Power Yoga, the first book on astanga yoga, a unique form of hatha yoga designed to build strength and stamina, Birch brings the ancient spiritual and physical practice to the West. Through anecdotes, detailed instructions, and hundreds of illustrations, Birch provides a total workout plan that's perfect for elite athletes, weekend warriors, and people just starting a fitness program. The Power Yoga workout combines dynamic breathing with a series of strong, flowing movements that create a high-heat, high-energy workout. "It (Power Yoga) will work on your body, your mind, your whole self," says Birch. The end result is a stronger, more flexible body; increased endurance, discipline, and self-awareness; and better overall health and fitness. -- Ellen Albertson
From Publishers Weekly
This book is intended for people who seek or possess a vigorous, disciplined approach to physical conditioning and mind-body integration. Birch, wellness director and yoga teacher-in-residence of the New York Road Runners Club, is an athlete and a teacher of athletes. "Sports," she says, "don't get us into shape. In fact, sports get us out of shape." Birch teaches astanga yoga, a rigorous series of positions that flow into one another in a prescribed order, linked by breath and awareness; the author claims that athletes can counteract, heal and prevent injury, tightness and misalignment through committed astanga yoga practice. Here she also introduces the philosophy of yoga to newcomers. She has a light touch, and treats us to autobiographical narrative, as well. Birch offers detailed cautions and adaptations for various levels of strength and flexibility. Both she and the yoga tradition speak to the importance of being yourself. Nonetheless, some readers may find Power Yoga narrowly prescriptive or severe. However, Birch's credibility supports her passionate advocacy. This is an important book for the yoga community, as well: a thoughtful exposition of one of several major yoga movements that have developed from the work of Krishnamacharya, one of this century's great yogis. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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First Sentence
Everywhere I went the search continued. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Everywhere I went the search continued. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
too much fluff,
By Mark (Willowbrook, IL United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Power Yoga: The Total Strength and Flexibility Workout (Paperback)
This book could have been half as long if Birch wasn't so interested in talking about herself. For the most part, this is book about why Birch practices yoga. Certainly there is a lot of quality content here, but it is sparse and has been covered more thoroughly by other authors (Schiffmann and Farhi for philosophy, Kraftsow for yoga therapy, and David Swenson for asanas). The program which Birch recommends is basically a watered-down ashtanga yoga workout in the primary series, with a few embellishments. When this book was initially released, it would have been a very valuable addition to any yogi's library. However, with the current selection of books and videos covering this subject, it has become obsolete and unneccessary.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Does the best job of breaking down the Primary Series,
By
This review is from: Power Yoga: The Total Strength and Flexibility Workout (Paperback)
As a previous reviewer said the Primary Series should not be learned solely through a book. This book does the best job of breaking down most of the difficult poses, offering great modification poses to help work a person into the pose that's part of the series. For instance the half bound lotus forward bend is by not means an easy pose (at least not for me). Bender offers beginner and intermediate modifications to help you work to the full version of the pose. She does this throughout the book giving the reader a chance to build up his/her endurence while he/she is learning the series. I used this book in conjunction with Julie Pegrum's "Ashtanga Yoga: The Complete Mind and Body Workout" Book. Together they are the next best thing to going to class. Overall, I have seen nothing better that helps a person learn the Primary Series, and at the same time, making finishing it semi-attainable.
4.0 out of 5 stars
good but as a supplement,
By A Customer
This review is from: Power Yoga: The Total Strength and Flexibility Workout (Paperback)
This is a great book HOWEVER it's best used, as another reviewer stated, as a supplement to a class or video instruction. I learned yoga (beg.- intermed.) from a book by the American Yoga Assoc. and had no trouble following that one. After 9mos. of doing "traditional" yoga at least 3x/week, I purchased this book with the idea that it would be very similar, just a little more intense. Wrong. If you're not intimately familiar with all of the poses beforehand, it's hard to follow due to the layout of the book. Will go back to this book after perfecting poses via video.
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