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| I was recently recommended to buy a copy of Light on Pranayama by a yoga teacher. I went to Amazon but the reviews were not that favourable. Given that, ideally, I want something that aligns to Iyengar's definitions, what would folk recommend I do?
Thanks,
Fee |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
  
Location: A Blue State | I haven't seen those reviews, but I found LOP very useful. It is hard-core Iyengarism, however, and extremely detailed, so that may be what turned the reviewers off. I'm not aware of much that's comparable, other than the pranayama section of Light on Yoga. .... bg |
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| Cheers BG. That's what I suspected. My Sivananda book does have a pranayama section but my class on the same the other day made it very clear that there are significant differencees between the two traditions in this area.
Fee |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
 
| Yes - I can see where others may not like it but it is the real deal. The chapter on savasana is great! Richard Rosen also has a very nice book on pranayama. |
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| I'm reading LOP right now, and I miss the analogies like 'fill your lungs like a glass of water' that I remember reading and practicing years ago.
LOP is much more technical, and at first a bit claustrophobic in practice, but I'm easing into it and getting over the analytical prowess magnifying each and every minute detail.
I'd kinda say that Iyengar leaves no stone unturned and leaves nothing to the imagination, so you can sorta follow his detailed instructions like a cake recipe and come away with stellar results.
Of course not all of us want to bake a cake that way or learn that way. That being said, Iyengar is a tremendous authority and all aspects of his descriptions and analysis are beneficial to taking the experience that much further. |
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| Second the vote for Richard Rosen's book. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| SCT - and from what I hear, the editors took a lot out of all of his books. There was supposed to be a whole bunch about the various sections of the nostrils which was edited out. In the photo with little arrows pointing to the sections of the nostrils, it is apparently family members holding little sticks (they look like bamboo skewers to me) so the big picture must have been hilarious to see.  |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State | tourist - 2006-08-23 12:43 PM SCT - and from what I hear, the editors took a lot out of all of his books. There was supposed to be a whole bunch about the various sections of the nostrils which was edited out. In the photo with little arrows pointing to the sections of the nostrils, it is apparently family members holding little sticks (they look like bamboo skewers to me ) so the big picture must have been hilarious to see. I know that pciture --- rather striking, even in this reportedly redacted form --- so I can only imagine the one with people holding sticks! ... bg |
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| I finally got to the part in the book offering the analogy that made the most sense to me about how to properly think about breath during pranayama.
Filling up a vessel from the base to the top
just like the glass of water analogy that really founded my understanding so many years ago...no matter how far I stray, I always come back to the breath. |
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Pranayama
