Yoga, youth, and reincarnation

I was studying raja joga when I picked up this book many years ago. The author provides an unpretentious look at his own experience with learning hatha yoga. After reading the book I began to practice the hatha yoga asanas given at the book's end. I found the instructions and illustrations easy to understand. Following the author's suggestion I started with the beginning asanas, taking my time, and gradually worked up to the advanced exercises. I probably spent about 30 minutes or so every morning, which was a great way to start the day. I and about ten others used the book as a guide in our own "free university" hatha yoga class in which we participated for two years. I have loaned and lost three copies of this book to friends and acquaintances, which is why I am ordering two copies this time. I recommend this book for anyone wishing to learn more about hatha yoga from a layman's perspective.

...I still think this is the best book to teach anyone yoga from scratch. I have done many types of yoga, in excange for the space, or the job, or the study, but they all had serious problems. The worst of them were downright dangerous. Learning in a class, even from an experienced teacher, a tape, or one-on-one, will have you listening to something other than your own body, and is, more often than not, injurious. Gather the information first, practice slowly and meticulously, and you will improve faster than any other way. The best thing about this book is that it stresses the how and why, rather than the usual, "Do this!" As with everything, it's not as much WHAT you do...it's HOW you do it. Plow your way through the rest of it for the occasional tip, rule, or instruction, and you will be amazed at the benefits. I first read this book because it was the only book in English that I hadn't read, in that part of Japan, during the Vietnam war. As a 20-something agnostic-by-mind, atheist-by-heart, all I was interested in was getting in shape physically, and, perhaps, controlling my own emotions. Imagine my surprise when, 3 months later, I found I had become an entirely different person! Not only was I physically more capable than I had ever been in my life, but I had the courage and the confidence to change my life into what I wanted it to be. My vision had been 20/200, it was now perfect, as an example.You won't find the instructions for that in the positions illustrated in the back, or the pictures. You must read the text....with a notebook or a highlighter and dog-earred pages, but it's there, in language even a child can understand. The stories may entertain you, they may irritate you, but everything is there that you need. No one knows what your body needs but you, so do it alone, without distractions, when it is best for you. (I had 2 pre-schoolers then, so I did it late at night.)Guaranteed, everything you need, for the rest of your life, is in there.

The black and white photos of Marcia Moore doing the major Yoga Asanas are what inspired me to study and practice Yoga as a sixteen yr. old. This was in 1965, though the Photos have not suffered in the paperback edition.I have been teaching Yoga since 1972 (I have a degree in Physical Education) and have sat at the feet of many masters over the years, and I still think this is one of the best books out there for beginners or otherwise for learning postures and breathing.Jess Stearn did a kind thing to share his experiences at Marcia Moore's Ashram, and to chronicle how Yoga practice helped him overcome the effect of years at his desk as a Daily News Reporter. And Frank Stork's photos will make you want to stand on your head, etc. . .Namaste Marcia Moore! (We honour the light within you).

Jesse Stearn's account of his discovery of the discipline of Yoga. This NY Daily news reporter had been letting his health go after years at a desk job. He meets Marcia Moore whose Concord, Massachusetts Ashram was one of the first of its kind in the US. He discovers a way back to health and well being which requires no special equipment and not much space, and unlike sports, can be performed by anyone in any condition with dramatic results. Considering that this book was published in 1965 before the subsequent glut of literature on the subject, it should be regarded as the pioneering work which aroused an interest in Yoga in America.The black and white photos of Marcia Moore in various Yoga postures are both stunning and inspiring.

I read this book in 1969 and started doing the exercises at the back of the book. After 30 years I still return to this book to do the exercises. They work as well or better than all the other things I've tried.