|
|
Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners (Hardcover)
by H. David Coulter
| Category:
Hatha Yoga, Health & fitness |
| Market price: ¥ 398.00
MSL price:
¥ 348.00
[ Shop incentives ]
|
| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
A yoga book that explains Hatha yoga from a physiological perspective based on medical science, yet balanced with respect for the tradition of yoga. |
| If you want us to help you with the right titles you're looking for, or to make reading recommendations based on your needs, please contact our consultants. |
Detail |
Author |
Description |
Excerpt |
Reviews |
|
|
|
Author: H. David Coulter
Publisher: Body and Breath
Pub. in: October, 2001
ISBN: 0970700601
Pages: 624
Measurements: 9.1 x 1 x 0.1 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BA01000
Other information: ISBN-13: 978-0970700605
|
|
Rate this product:
|
|
- Awards & Credential -
The winner of 2002 Benjamin Franklin Award for Health Wellness, and Nutrition - Publishers Marketing Association |
|
- MSL Picks -
This is an excellent comprehensive text on anatomy for yoga practioners. It's really well done how the author brings such a seemingly dry, technical subject to life. The author nicely groups the discussion around particular topics as they relate to yoga. It includes detailed information on functional anatomy and how this relates to performing various asanas. The book also presents information in an integrated fashion honoring both the traditional empirical knowledge of yoga and modern scientific research. This is refreshing and true to the spirit of yoga as it continues to evolve in a modern context. This book contains a lot of information and is well worth the cost. It is much more than an introduction and provides good information on pranayama and the physiological aspects of the asanas. This is a most unusual book.
- From quoting Patrick D. Goonan
Target readers:
Yoga teachers and students, personal trainers, medical therapists, or anyone who is curious or troubled about how the body responds to stretching and exercise.
|
|
From the publisher
Anatomy of Hatha Yoga is the only modern authoritative source that correlates the study of hatha yoga with anatomy and physiology. Hatha yoga is comprised of stretching, strengthening and breathing exercises in upright, lying down and inverted postures. Yoga teachers and students, personal trainers, medical therapists, or anyone who is curious or troubled about how the body responds to stretching and exercise will find in this book a cornucopia - partly new and partly old - of readable and reliable information. It was written and edited to meet the needs of a general audience largely unschooled in the biomechanical sciences, and yet to attract and challenge the interests of the medical profession. This book features 230 black and white photographs and more than 120 diagrams and anatomical illustrations.
Chapter 1 summarizes general principles of anatomy and physiology as applied to hatha yoga. Breathing is next in chapter 2 because yogic breathing expedites movement and posture. Breathing is followed by pelvic and abdominal exercises in chapter 3 because the pelvis and abdomen form the foundation of the body. Standing postures will then be covered in chapter 4 because these poses are so important for beginning students, and because they provide a preview of backbending, forward bending, and twisting postures, which are covered in detail in chapters 5, 6, and 7. The headstand and shoulderstand, including an introduction to cardiovascular function, are presented in chapters 8 and 9. Postures for relaxation and meditation are treated last in chapter 10.
|
| View all 10 comments |
A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-07-02 00:00>
Coulter's comprehensive book provides a new bridge between the empirical traditions of yoga science, and Western physiology and anatomy. He uses his deep knowledge of both sides of the divide to provide detailed accounts of what is happening during yoga asanas and pranayama breathing. While I had expected this to be useful in providing answers for questions that I, my colleagues and students have had, trying to fit yoga into a Western scientific context, I have been delighted to find that there is a feedback loop, with the Western analysis making it easier to maintain the detailed instructions I had previously learned from teachers and other books.
This is an impressively detailed and exhaustive book, including coverage of movement and posture, breathing, many categories of asana, and relaxation and meditation. In each case, the physiological information is linked to practice, and often different levels of the posture are discussed. The writing style is clear and informal. There are anatomical diagrams, charts of breathing patterns, and photographs of the poses, but this is a long way from the current trend towards thumbnail pictures of every stage of a pose.
In such a thorough and dense volume (over 600 pages in all) the major challenge is easy access to specific information when you need it. There are two indexes, by anatomical term and by specific practices, but I would have welcomed more context within the indexes (for example, to direct me to the most appropriate of 12 mentions of the synovial joint). I think my carping on this topic will diminish my familiarity with the content grows, as I use the book more over the months and years -- which I certainly intend to do. Highly recommended. |
Lilly (MSL quote), USA
<2007-07-02 00:00>
As a yoga student of less than two years, I have found this book to be invaluable. While very dense, easier to read as a reference than a novel, it contains rich details about the entire body's anatomy as it relates to yoga. You learn what muscles are used in countless poses, and how to deepen your practice to invigorate deeper tissues through more knowledgeable yoga. It also dwells on breathing and meditation.
It's a bit expensive, so you should be a committed yogi or yogini of any level before you spend the money. Keep it handy, read a bit here and there as you grow your own practice, and you will find yourself becoming more aware of your amazing body. |
A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-07-02 00:00>
This book is essential if you want to deepen your yoga practice, for how can you really fully understand and better your practice if you don't have a clear understanding of the mechanics of your own body? My suggestion to get the most of the book is to first read chapter one "Movement and Posture" to get a general foundation of the concepts and terminology that will be used throughout the book. Subsequent chapters provide detailed anatomical information pertinent to types of postures. Chapters, therefore, are in the vein of "Abdominopelvic Exercises", "Standing Postures", "The Shoulderstand", etc. So choose a style of asana that you'd like to focus on, read through the pertinent chapter, and then spend a couple of weeks putting the knowledge to work experientially, deepening your understanding of those areas of your body and the series of associated asanas. Don't expect to learn the vast amount of information in one reading. Expect to frequently refer back to the book as you put the information into practice. In my opinion, you'll get far more value out of the book if you use it as an experiential guidebook, rather than treating it like a textbook. |
A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-07-02 00:00>
I think this book is wonderful. The writing is conversational, and witty, he has the best little, fun and inspiring asides from the regular text that I look foreward to in reading this book. The eplainations for concepts of anatomy are pretty straight foreward, no pressure. He clearly has a passion for his subject which shows and inspires the reader to keep at yoga, especially when you see someone else loving it so much. The book, i believe, is best read straight through, (daunting?- no, it's pretty easy-going and not so boring that it's painful to read- he makes neurons exciting!)My reasoning is that each section leads to more understanding for the future chapters. He also has a ton of other books to check out, if the brief explainations only serve to wet your wistle. This book is a physical study of yoga so if you want more of a spiritual history you'll have to go elsewhere, but that's alright. In the end his passion for yoga and the understanding of it will shine through and will make the reader's interest for yoga grow into a passion much like his. |
View all 10 comments |
|
|
|
|
