Essential Yoga
Olivia H. Miller
(Reviewer - Rev. Marie D. Jones)
2004 Chronicle Books
ISBN: 0811841154

An Illustrated Guide to Over 100 Yoga Poses & Meditations. For all things yoga, including complete routines for whatever ails you.

Associate Reviewer Rev. Marie D. Jones writes:

Never has the practice of yoga received such popular attention in today's fast-paced world, with dozens of books, videos & programs devoted to the many styles, postures & techniques of this ancient system of mind, body & spirit alignment.

Chronicle Books' Essential Yoga: An Illustrated Guide to Over 100 Yoga Poses and Meditations by Olivia H. Miller is without a doubt one of the most comprehensive & usable books on the subject today, & is sure to become a must-have for yoga practitioners along with their mats & towels.

Although many will argue that you cannot learn yoga from a book, this guide proves them to be wrong, with dozens upon dozens of illustrated poses & accompanying text which is highly detailed & descriptive, allowing the reader to do the poses with ease, &, even more importantly, do them correctly.

Not everyone can get to a gym or studio to work out, & Essential Yoga is the perfect home companion. The book focuses on the widely practiced & highly popular tradition of Hatha Yoga, the “yoga of activity,” & on the three key elements of yogic practice -- physical postures, breathing techniques & meditation, & gives concise & bulleted instructions that guide the reader along each step of the way.

The warm-ups, poses, & complete exercise routines run the gamut from beginner to athlete in training. The longer yoga sessions described in detail include sequences for golfers, people age 60 & over, those with bad backs, skiers, office workers, those with respiratory ailments, those who suffer from depression &/or fatigue & so many more!

There are six complete flowing sections, as well as 48 mini-sequences drawn out in detail, so no matter what your style, need or preference, Essential Yoga is bound to have exactly the information you need. It has so much information, in fact, that it is breathtaking, but don't worry, the information on how to breathe correctly for both calmness & more vital energy will give you back the breath you've been missing!

Olivia H. Miller has studied yoga for over two decades & has written for many yoga-oriented magazines. She has done an awesome job in Essential Yoga by providing the reader with everything he or she needs to get started in a yoga program today, or totally revamp the program more advanced practitioners may be on. Whether you are just learning about yoga, or a long-time yoga “expert”, this book will instruct, enlighten & empower your body, mind & spirit.

More from Olivia H. Miller:
The Yoga Deck
The Stretch Deck: 50 Stretches
The Prenatal Yoga Deck: 50 Poses and Meditations.
(09/12/04)

Rev. Marie D. Jones
2004©Marie D. Jones
A RebeccasReads.Com Associate Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
Marie Jones is a New Thought minister, author of Looking For God In All The Wrong Places & a widely published writer of inspirational essays, gift books, short stories & magazine articles. She is also a screenwriter, & has produced a children's storybook video series for Gigglebug Farms Productions. she holds a Masters Degree in Metaphysical Studies & is a licensed pastoral counsellor.