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March 12, 2013

Book Review: The Power of Ashtanga Yoga by Kino MacGregor. ~ Amanda Perez

Source: chapters.indigo.ca via Ashley on Pinterest

Head to any bookstore, whether brick and mortar or online and you will find a wide variety of yoga books—all will have different titles and claim to have the secrets to yoga and ground breaking practices that will literally change your life.

Knowing this, I am always just a little hesitant to take on another yoga book. Most of the time you can take a variety of books on yoga set them side by side and you will notice that they all say essentially the same thing. I was pleasantly surprised that The Power of Ashtanga Yoga by Kino MacGregor is not one of those books.

The foundation of the book is the same as you will get in any yoga manual. Part I is a collection of information about the history of yoga in general, the history of Ashtanga yoga as well as a description of how it differs from other forms of yoga (Ashtanga for instance is broken into six groups of poses that must be studied in order). It also has a wonderful section on our relationships to food and how yoga can help us to realize these relationships and come to terms with them.

Part II of the book is the instructional part of the book. This part of the book is very detailed (you can easily compare it to the instructions given by Iyengar in The Light on Yoga). It also contains many wonderful photographs that show exactly what is described in the descriptions of the asanas.

The best section of Part II is the section on Bandhas. I have read many yoga books that try to explain how to achieve a Bandha but usually the language becomes poetic and if you have not been introduced to the bandhas in a class the reader will more than likely finish the section having no idea how to achieve the bandha. MacGregor, however, lays out the bandha instructions clearly and concisely and it is for this conversation alone that I believe this book is a great addition to any yoga book collection.

The Power of Ashtanga Yoga also contains a wonderful collection of Appendices that outline the Sun Salutations and a Glossary that is impressively comprehensive.

As a resource, the book is fantastic and would be a great addition to any library no matter what type of yoga you practice. Perhaps the most unique thing about this book though is the voice. It is not often that you can pick up an instruction manual and feel as if you are connecting with the person; from the introduction to the glossary, MacGregor lays it out there for you and inserts her own experiences so you feel as if your time spent with the book is like time spent in the company of a knowledgeable yoga instructor.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in yoga; no matter what type of yoga you practice the advice and knowledge between the covers is universal and accessible. I personally cannot wait for the publication of this book in May of this year…it will be on my shelf right next to another classic: The Light on Yoga.

My book rating: 4 of 5 stars

NOTE: I was given this book by the publisher to read and review. In no way does that affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

 

 

 

Amanda Perez earned her RYT200 yoga certification and Level I Reiki healer certification in 2012 from Reflex Arts in Sarasota, FL. She currently works as a photographer. In addition to photography Amanda spends a large portion of her time reviewing books for various publishers and publications. She resides in Florida with her husband and their eleven year old border collie. Amanda has been blogging at Amanda’s Weekly Zen since 2004.

 

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Asst. Editor: Edith Lazenby/Ed: Bryonie Wise

 

 

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