Core of the Yoga Sutras - Book Review

B.K.S. Iyengar's Core of the Yoga Sutras: The Definitive Guide to the Philosophy of Yoga is actually a pretty short book at less than 200 pages of actual reading material. Much of the bulk is comprised of a handy dandy Glossary and Appendix. There's also a foreward, preface, and prologue before the introduction. I thoroughly appreciate all the organization that went into this thing. Plus it's pretty in pink and orange. I'm only a little sorry for saying that - because it's true.

This book is meant for everyone. Including newbies and people that have never done any study of yoga.

Iyengar's 80+ years of yoga experience prove helpful to the rest of us in learning what the sutras are saying - providing a more modern accessible explanation. It even has a few charts and tables throughout for the more visual learners.

Don't let the small amount of God-talk in the preface fool you. This book is not a religious text. It took me forever to read because I'm terrible about reading philosophy or anything that isn't chick-lit really. Don't let my reading-flaws color your perception of this book.

I think most yogis that are just barely getting started should probably not read this book just yet. They'll likely get bogged down by the amount of sanskrit tossed about. Flipping back to the glossary every few sentences can make it feel like a more difficult read than it really is; but the glossary is a huge help. Yogis that are starting to get serious about the practice (beyond asana practice) should totally buy this book. Sit down with your tea, keep one finger on the glossary - and get ready to do some learning. Smart teachers will add this to their library.

Especially for being well-organized - I certainly recommend this book.

B.K.S. Iyengar on Asana

"The moment you lose the feeling in the skin, the asana becomes dull, and

the flow or current of the intelligence is lost."

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

"The brain may instruct the body to do a posture, but the heart has to feel it too."

B.K.S. Iyengar on Physical Health

I'm currently reading B.K.S. Iyengar's Light on Life, and this passage stood out to me:

"Physical health is not a commodity to be bargained for. Nor can it be swallowed in the form of drugs and pills. It has to be earned through sweat. It is something that we must build up. You have to create within yourself the experience of beauty, liberation and infinity. This is health. Healthy plants and trees yield abundant flowers and fruits. Similarly, from a healthy person, smiles and happiness shine forth like the rays of the sun."

That's What It's All About

Sometimes I get a little frustrated (as we all do) when my practice isn't really going anywhere. I'm practicing some of the same old stuff over and over, wearing the same yoga clothes, facing my mat in the same direction, practicing at the same time of day... when's the last time I really did anything new? Sometimes I feel like I need to shake things up, but usually it's just a matter of sticking out the doldrums.

Nothing to see here.

Last week I turned my mat. It usually faces my inspiration board, but I just got kinda sick of it, so I turned it and now I'm looking at a front window. Does this bring new intention to my practice? Not really, but it changes the perspective just a little. Maybe it helps me stay more in tune with my hamstrings instead of the bright colors on the wall. I don't know, I try not to overthink these things. It's entirely possible that none of this matters. What really matters is that I'm still practicing.

Yep, Still Nothing.

At the Noah Maze Workshop last month he said that in "Light on Life", Iyengar says he went through a 10 year period where he had absolutely no discernable progress whatsoever. 10 years! That's a long long time to see no effect at all, but he remained dedicated and he continued to practice every single day... and eventually something shifted. That's what yoga is all about.

Light on Reading

As a yogi there are some books you're kind of "supposed to" read at one time or another. For some people that time is when they take the plunge into teacher training - others just wanna read all about it because they're readers. Some of the standard books to know are The Bhagavad Gita, Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, The Upanishads, Ram Dass' Be Here Now, Light on Yoga, The Ramayana, etc. I read a couple of these books during teacher training. I have a couple of these books on my wishlist, and I've owned one of these books for maybe 8 years, but I've never read it.

I'm not really much of a reader as an adult. My eye doctor says it's because I have a reverse astigmatism, so I'm soooo far sighted that by the time my eyes are focusing on something as close as a book they're working something like 10,000 times harder than they should really need to. Therefore, reading makes me sleepy before I finish a single page. It's ridiculous, but totally true. If I try to read a book, I can't focus because I will start falling asleep right away. 

Anyway, so I don't really read much. Maybe that's why I have never read Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar even though it's been on my shelf almost as long as I've been into yoga. I remember trying to read it once early on, but I wasn't really into it. I'm hoping that now - with all my experience, and all my previous studying - that I'll have it in me to read it. I always want to read more, so last night I finally pulled this book out and started it. I'm hoping to actually make it all the way through this time - and fully absorb and understand it. I should totally be able to "get it" now, and I'm hoping it will introduce me to a couple poses I never really do. It should be interesting - and maybe it will provide me with some inspiration for the blog.