Integral Yoga Hatha

Integral Yoga Hatha by Swami Satchidananda is a classic yoga manual. If you are interested in real deal yoga check this book out.

I have used this edition of yoga postures for the past 35 or more years. Now age 82, I am more flexible than my peers and even my own children who are in their 50s. This flexibility has kept me in good health and physically active. There are two especially valuable aspects to this book: the postures are photographs of a man doing each posture, accompanied with a clear explanation of how to do it as well as what the physical benefits/purposes are for each posture. For example certain postures are used to tone up the nervous system, help asthma, constipation, diseases of the lungs, digestive and genitourinary systems,etc. The book also covers breathing and other practices commonly practiced by those on a spiritual path; I recommend anyone interested in those practices to do them under the guidance of a spiritual master. However, the cultural poses in and of themselves can be safely practiced by a lone individual who follows common sense and does not push his/her physical boundaries too hard. In particular, this book devotes 8 pages of detailed pictures/instructions to the Salutaton to the Sun pose which was recommended to me as the "anti-aging" pose by Baba Hari Das. I have been doing it on my own for over 20 years and strongly recommend it.

A seminal book on hatha that takes a gentle, thorough and, above all, healthy approach to yoga's physical aspects. It's all here--poses, meditation, breathing, even the more esoteric cleansing practices. All of it conveyed with the author's injunction to listen to your body and progress steadily and surely. This is not for the "power yoga" crowd who do hatha for a beautiful bod. You can beautify yourself with this program, but the focus is on developing the whole person--body, mind and spirit. A truly integral, and integrated, approach.