The Complete Idiot's Guide to Yoga

Where to begin? This is the most comprehensive guide to Yoga for beginners I've ever seen. It delves into background, history, breathwork, meditation, spirituality (not religion--it explains the difference), and, of course, the asanas, or poses. The information is interesting and lively, striking a nice balance between depth and simplicity. It's straightforward and clear, but with a playful tone. Key to any good yoga book is a wide variety of asanas, or poses, to keep you interested. This book has several chapters including standing poses, balance poses, bends, inversions, and more. The information it provides is extensive and impressive. Each posture includes at least one drawing of the properly-performed posture, and sometimes more than one showing it from different sides or angles. Often there are illustrations of posture variations, and sometimes there are ones showing you what not to do. The asanas include warnings about things to watch out for and contra-indicated conditions, as well as variations for easing into the postures, or simpler/less stressful variations in case you simply can't do the full asana. Many of them also include more challenging variations as well, for once you've mastered the standard pose. The authors' vinyasanas include a warming series, a high-energy series, and a mild/calming series. There are also several series for workouts of a particular length, including three five-minute sessions for when you only have a few minutes here or there, three 15-minute sessions, and a 30-minute and one hour session. Even better, the book includes instructions to help you construct your own vinyasanas! All in all I'd say this is the perfect book for the beginner, or for someone who wants a full and thorough introduction to the world of yoga.

I recently read this book and I must say it was a pleasure. This series is written as a "Complete Idiot's Guide," meaning the material is not only supposed to be easy to understand, it's also supposed to be comprehensive. This book is both, and it is nicely put together to boot. For starters, I thought the pictures and illustrations were pretty good considering the difficulty of capturing certain Yoga poses. The good quality of the paper stock and clarity of the pictures get extra bonus points. In addition, the book does have extensive comments on the meaning behind the Yoga poses. Some people may not be as interested in this kind of information, but for me knowing the names of the poses and some of the meaning behind them helps me to remember them better. So I enjoyed that extra research. For those who don't want that level of detail, there are a number of nice picture guides that simply show you the basic routines. What I really like about this book is that it not only helps you get your feet wet as a beginner, it can take you up to intermediate and perhaps even advanced understanding of Yoga. The book is so full of good info that after you read it the first time, you can continue turning back to it for a long time to come. As a beginner, it's good for me to know that my investment in a book will become a nice reference when I'm done reading it. I hope you enjoy this book. :)

I read the Complete Idiot's Guide to Yoga over a year ago. I have found myself practicing yoga faithfully and referring to the book ever since. The book gives a wonderful overview of this centuries old practice. I particularly liked the book for the authors' humor and openmindedness. As can be found in their other book, Complete Idiot's Guide to Meditation. All the information needed to start practicing yoga today is provided without making the reader feel as though they must change religions or make other drastic changes in their lives. Facts and ideas are presented in such a way that the reader can take as little or as much from the book as he wants.I found the explainations of postures, breathing exercises and other yoga aspects to be clear and detailed (enough for a beginner). I was particularly impressed with the instructions for the postures as modifications are included. A lot of books don't do that. The book is truly an introduction to yoga - there is so much more to be learned. In fact, it has lead me to read many other wonderful books about yoga. As well as research yoga on web sites listed in the book (including Joan Budilovsky's site - wonderful, & you actually get answers to your letters).The CIGY offers an EXCELLENT place to begin. I have recommended this book to several friends who have asked me about my yoga practice. I would recommend it again and again.

Granted, I've only begun to practice yoga in the past 3-4 weeks (!), but this book strikes me as the next best thing to live instruction.* It deals with both the physical and spiritual/mental aspects of yoga without being "preachy" or totalitarian about some behaviors (e.g., meat-eating) that most people aren't willing to give up.* It demonstrates a wide variety of postures without picturing extreme variations that no beginner could ever hope to achieve.* It can be read cover-to-cover in just a few hours.Readers looking for a thorough, basic introduction to yoga will treasure this book; those already immersed in yoga will probably find it less helpful (but then, they aren't the ones for whom "Idiots" and "Dummies" books are written.)

Yoga has never been so easy or so much fun! This book is fun, humorous, interesting, beneficial, etc... Finally, a yoga book that a layman can read without referring to a dictionary. From the history of yoga, to breathing techniques, to choosing a right yoga school, to yoga postures, to eating healthy, Joan provides the reader a way to appreciate yoga and incorporate it into his/her life. Anyone thinking about starting yoga "must" begin with this book.