Customer Reviews

Power Yoga: The Total Strength and Flexibility Workout

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I was initially looking for a yoga book with a more practical side to it and easy viewing of the poses, so I could just get into it.
This book was much too wordy for my liking. Author talks about herself a little too much and her descriptions of the poses are much too lengthy.
It is nonetheless a good book (even though not quite what I was looking for)

As a yoga teacher, this is THE first book I recommend to students looking for a book to not only teach them postures, but also yoga "philosophy", without being religious per say. The detail she goes into for each posture is incredible - no question left unanswered. The prose with which she wrote the "storyline" of the book keeps the reader reading on and on!!! Thank you for such an inspiring book!

This book is one of the few books out there to deal with the ashtanga system. It is very readable; I personally enjoyed the author's personal, conversational style of writing. The pictures and text describe the postures very well, and the author is good at stressing that one should work within their limitations. I don't think anyone should buy this thinking that they will be able to practice ashtanga on their own at home, without any outside instruction. Maybe you would do alright if you were already familiar with basic yoga postures; even then the vinyasa (the linking or "flow" postures) is still very difficult, and, in my opinion, impossible to do without "live" instruction. The book probably works best as an adjunct to classes.

After buying and reading this book when it first came out, I had the pleasure of attending a "Power Yoga" workshop shortly thereafter, given by Beryl and her husband Thom when they were here in Chicago. The book is an excellent description of Power Yoga, and the author's personal experiences and photography blend beautifully into making this book a very enjoyable and inspiring read. Meeting Beryl and Thom, and experiencing their teaching first hand, simply made the inspirations of this book ever more powerful.

I purchased Power Yoga after attending classes at my gym, since I wanted a yoga workout that I could do at home. This book certainly has served that purpose, and it following the workout increased my strength and flexibility tremendously. The pictures are very helpful in getting into the various poses from the series. There is also a great deal of information in the book concerning yoga history and practices which was interesting for a beginner. The biggest problem that I have had with the book is that I think that it would be very difficult for someone who had never taken a yoga class with a live teacher to understand what is called for by some of the positions. I believe that this book is best used as a home supplement to taking a yoga class with an experienced teacher who can guide the student through the asanas (postures) and help correct them if need be. The book also does not really discuss meditation before or after a workout, which I have found to be tremendously relaxing.

This book has lot of useless information i.e. personal life of author, etc. Too much emphasis on philosphy and less on technical detail of yoga. It did not serve my purpose. If you want to read a book on Hindu philosphy and yoga this book may be for you, otherwise get another one.

I am not finished reading this book, but I'm impressed with how much I have learned about Yoga from it. Just going to classes at the gym did not provide the details on correct breathing, the book has improved my yoga workouts 10 fold. Beryl's writing is clear and easy to understand. I have found the work out simple to follow, and she has plenty of beginner modifications listed to help progress deeper into each of the poses. I will surely purchase "Beyond Power Yoga" when I have completed this book.