Customer Reviews

The Tibetan Book of Yoga: Ancient Buddhist Teachings on the Philosophy and Practice of Yoga

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It is a shame that I have to point out the book's greatest strength as well as its greatest weakness with equal importance. First, one cannot overstate the importance of moving beyond the overemphasis on strictly bodily exercise of Westernized yoga schools. Most U.S. yoga teachers sell the strictly physical benefits (which ultimately is pointless) or worse yet, mix a mostly physical curriculum with muddled, poorly understood jibber jabber about "energy" or "chakras" or other buzzwords culled from Hindu tradition without an understanding of the overarching, and highly technical, theories behind the complete science of yoga. In other words, much of Western yoga has Patanjali rolling in his grave. As a refreshing contrast, this book explains, albeit in a more simplified manner for the non-Buddhists, the exact reason why yoga can work and how lasting transformation can be achieved. It is also a joy to see Tonglen being taught in "stealth" mode. Thus, we have a Dharma practice that non-Buddhists can practice without feeling alienated or uncomfortable with religious imagery. Buddhists with more experience in these traditions will recognize the deeper meanings to Geshe Roach's non-Buddhist-friendly presentations instantly, whether they are trained in the Sutra tradition only, or in higher teachings. There is a great deal of knowledge stuffed into this rather slender volume for those who are familiar with the Tibetan tradition.

Unfortunately, it does not seem that physical culture is the author's strong suit. Yoga DOES have an important physical dimension, and one would not want to make the opposite mistake of many yoga teachers and stress mental exercise to the detriment of physical positioning. Having been a student of yoga for quite some time, I must say that the description of the postures is imprecise and sometimes confusing. Being a student of yoga doesn't help, as many postures are different from tradition to tradition, especially Sun Salutations! With a posture that has many steps like Sun Salutations, a picture of a competent yogi executing the posture MUST be included with the instructions. It isn't. Even so-so or tragically average yoga books have clearer illustrations and better instructions. Beginners may not be doing these postures correctly. Frankly, since I learned the postures in a different tradition, I am not sure that I am doing some things exactly as the author intends. This is doubly disappointing because the author stresses great precision in the postures and breathing, yet provides instructions that sometimes fall short of this precision. I will admit that this is more of a problem for people who are newer to yoga, but doesn't this book seem written for such a person? I highly recommend doing what the author suggests in later chapters - get instruction from a qualified teacher. When you have some experience with the postures, you probably will be able to piece together what the occasional fuzzy instruction means in this tradition.

The format of the book does not lend itself to opening on the floor so that a new student can glance at the instructions while halfway into a posture. It flies shut. Many home yoga students find it necessary to do this when a posture is new to them. I still can't get over the lack of photos of some aspects of the postures.

Still, one must look at Yoga in the Western world when evaluating this book. We have strictly physical teachers who see yoga as just another health club activity, and we have teachers that try to be "spiritual" but are borrowing bits and pieces from many different traditions that they don't really understand. This book really does eliminate that problem by having a solid, logical theory behind the asanas. I can't stress how important that is to have. So I can give this book four stars and recommend it to others without reservation. Still, I feel the need to reiterate my warning to the newbie: get a good teacher, even if he or she lacks the spiritual understanding of yoga, and gain experience with the physical side of the postures. One misplaced foot or one improperly rounded shoulder can render a posture incorrect, and much less effective.

The authors are up front about how the yoga poses are familiar, so I don't take off points for that but I mention it in case Amazon people are wondering what's different here. The spiritual direction that goes along with the practice, though, is very refreshing. I've used some of the exercises with some of my students and they've all responded very positively. It's not the first book you should buy on yoga (the positions are explained much better elsewhere) but you'll be very happy if its your second or hundreth book.

It's definitely a serious program, but it wasn't as stodgy as I thought it would be. I enjoy yoga and didn't find any of the postures difficult or particularly challenging, but the philosophy that is meant to come into your practice is amazing. I've been using the book's program for the past few weeks in my daily practice and I love the insights it has given me. I definitely feel that I am even more connected and grounded, more focused, and more in touch with myself and those around me. I do recommend this book to casual or experienced yoga practitioners.

This book finally tells the reader how yoga works. If you want to stay toned up! Great! Go to yoga class. But if you want to connect with your higher nature, this book tells you how. Based on the wisdom of the Yoga sutras as well as the wisdom of Tibetan masters, it melds mind and body together in a unified cause - to end the suffering of all living beings.

There are two very enthusiastic reviews below this one, and I don't disagree with them. But buyer beware: this is a very, very skimpy book. Once you count in the chapter-title pages, and the half pages that begin and end each chapter, there are just not many words to read.

In addition, most of the novelty content, such as it is, stems from the marriage of some very familiar yoga postures with Buddhist tonglen meditation. Don't buy this book if you think it has a wealth of information on some interesting "Tibetan" asanas. There is not much of that at all here.

However, however. I am convinced that if you follow this book carefully, you will achieve great results. This will likely be caused more by the tonglen breathing than by the postures described.

Namaste.

I'm a long-time student of Buddhism and a part-time student of Yoga, and I'm thrilled with this book because it so effortlessly brings the two together. It's quite a simple (and easy) book, but at the same time it is highly original--I've never read a book like this. I'm sorry to say that the Buddhism bookshelf has been getting a little stale as of late

Substance-wise, this book will definitely appeal to those who have an interest in Buddhist meditation and it would appeal to yoga practitioners who are looking to expand the spiritual element of their practice. The chapters are basically each of the ten essential exercises the author (authors?) recommend. In the introduction it is explained that this yoga comes from the monasteries of Tibet and has been practiced for centuries. The reading level is quite straight-forward, not too much jargon. The exercises are likewise straight-forward and I had no problem getting started with them. I don't think it would be difficult to really dedicate yourself to practicing them every day, but I do think that deep down the exercises are pretty challenging in that you it would take time to really master them.

It's a refreshing and enjoyable book. Thanks for reading!

this book is luminous!!
it unveils the secrets of why yoga brings light into
every part of your life,
the reason that the 95% of yoga,
which is the mental part, vastly accelerates
the 5% of yoga that's the physical part.
in short, why yoga will not work if
we have negative thoughts towards others.
and why yoga only works if we open our hearts
and help others to be happy.