Customer Reviews

Ashtanga Yoga: The Definitive Step-by-Step Guide to Dynamic Yoga

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a really good book. I really mean it. It's obvious that the author's knowledge about yoga is truly wide. Despite this, I find the instructions a little hard to understand and the excercises are a little bit too tough for me. These days I'm having a first contact with yoga and I believe that starting out with a little hatha yoga practise for a couple of months will prepare you for what's inside this book but, I don't think you should try it as your first workout ever. I would give it 5 stars if it the book made a progression from first-time yoguis to advanced practisioners - I think the book fails in this beacuse a little previous knowledge and practise are needing (from my point of view).

I just bought this book about a week ago and so far am really enjoying it. I had taken an Ashtanga Yoga class 3 years ago and really enjoyed it, but then quit my practice. I've been looking for a good book/manual that shows the sequences, and this is the best one I've found. It's easy to read, and the photographs are very helpful. It also is very good in that it tells you the proper breathing techniques, i.e. when to inhale/exhale for each transition move. Great book for both the beginner and someone looking for a nice review of Ashtanga Yoga.

After a long search (I looked at dozens of books) for practicing Ashtanga Yoga at home, I found this book which I think is the best of them all. I use this book as a supplement to my yoga classes. It is clearly written with very detailed photos showing the poses and the entire sequence of movement. Extremely easy to follow and therefore very encouraging! I highly recommend this book. It has helped me practice yoga at home.

John Scott goes into great detail to talk about yoga theory, especially the Ahstanga breath, and the internal locks used through the practice. It is the first book I have seen which explains the difficult vinyasa transitions is such a lucid manner, using full color photographs to illustrate each subtlety. Another outstanding feature is that John takes you through how to enter and exit each posture step by step, breath by breath. I have been doing Ashtanga yoga for five years, and this book has helped me greatly in my own practice and as a teacher. I cannot recommend this book highly enough to students of all levels. Thank you for this beautiful work John Scott!

I disagree with what the 1-star pan of "reader from Los Angeles" said, does he really know what is astanga yoga? i think he don't know.

I disagree very much with the 1-star pan of "reader from Los Angeles". I am a beginner. I have both John Scott's book and David Swenson's. Both are wonderful but different. While doing (or trying to do!) ashtanga, I usually have BOTH books open in front of me. Yes, Swenson's has spiral binding and therefore stays flat easier, but the binding on Scott's book was no match for me and easily cracked, allowing it to lie flat on the floor, too. The main reason I have Scott's book open is because for each asana, he illustrates each step to reach it. E.g., the very first asana has about 8 "steps", each requiring an inhale or exhale. All 8 are shown on the same two facing pages, so I can see each. Swenson's book does not have this. However, Swenson's book shows not only the ultimate pose, but also two or three variations for the "asana-challenged." Scott's book does not illustrate any variations, so this is a big plus for the Swenson book. Both are excellent for differing reasons. Make it a two-fer:) Namaste.

What a wonderful book. John tells us right off to seek lessons from a qualified teacher. The pictures and writing come together after one lesson. The clarity of the photographs demystifies the movements. John's book allows me to work at home at my own pace.
In class the instructor was amazed how quickly I caught onto the movements. I am able now to concentrate on the positive aspects of my class instruction.
Thank you John Scott!

What on earth were the publishers, and the author, thinking about? This book presents ashtanga in such a dull mechanised way, one wonders why anyone ever took the practice up. Full of insipid step-by-step pictures that completely miss the spirit of ashtanga. Who exactly is this book aimed at? There is not enough info for a beginner and there is no 'heart' for the more experienced yogi. The photos are neither artistic nor particularly useful. Shame really, as John Scott was the first westener to draw the visual sequence of the ashtanga primary series in a sort of pictogram form. Why was that not included in the book, and instead we got those awful close ups!
If you are looking for a really good ashtanga book that is about the spirit of the practice and is also practical to actually use get David Swensons, 'Ashtanga Yoga'. He designed and published it himself and quite frankly I do not see how anyone can improve on it.

Complete and admirable presentation of Ashtanga Yoga foundamentals and the whole first series.More so than the David Swenson book,stays true to the way PK Jois teaches the first series.John Scott is an amazing practitioner and a great teacher in his own right, and that shows clearly in this book.Highly recommended for all Ashtanga practitioners and for beginners that have a teacher.

A great overview of "Power Yoga" by the instructor who taught Sting.