Subtitled “understand the anatomy physiology to perfect your practice”, this is very much a technical yoga book, rather than covering the wider philosophical roots of yoga, albeit written in a very accessible and easy to read fashion.
It starts by covering the basics of human anatomy, and then progresses to look at 30 odd yoga asanas (poses) along with their anatomy and practice tips, before moving on to some other specific topics like joint and spinal care, brain and mental well-being and another dozen or so topics. These are all covered well and with appropriate depth. If I had one criticism of the book it would be that the coverage of asana is directional rather than invitational; thats not right, not wrong, but my experience is that a dogmatic approach to practice can lead to loosing sight of the bigger picture; maybe this is a function of the nature of the publication and it’s intended audience.
Being a Dorling Kindersley publication, illustration and ease of read are clear, and as such this is a very good primer for a yoga practitioner, a yoga teacher who finds anatomy and physiology a little baffling, or simply someone who doesn’t want unnecessary detail. In honestly I wouldn’t say it’s a complete reference on the topic, but it is a fantastic starting place.
You can buy The Science of Yoga on Amazon, or in the Yinspire Rowborough Studio
