yoga beyond belief

a few days ago i mentioned i was reading a new book.  (not newly published, but newly purchased and read by me) yoga beyond belief insights to awaken and deepen your practice, by ganga white. i said i loved it, and i am loving it. i own many many yoga books. my spread sheet says over 800, so when i go looking for a yoga book, i have some specific desires. i prefer to receive NEW information. and if you have nothing NEW to me, then i’d like a fresh look at that subject please.

yoga beyond belief, at first looks like a yoga primer, the contents pages outline history and origins, the branches of yoga are explained… all of the names of the chapters were familiar.  as i thumbed thru further, the titles got more interesting; “fear as limitation”, “competition and comparison”, “enjoying your practice”.  Humm…. that sounds new and different.  It was!

what looked like chapters actually turned out to the names of a  paragraph or two on these ideas.  this made navigating thru thru book to the “good parts” much easier and more fun.  and reader, when i say “good parts”- i am here to tell you this book was filled with good stuff.  white talks about heat and cooling and believes too much of either is bad.  well that’s a given… balance and all that. but other ideas he offers are delicious, especially of you are a yoga teacher.  simple little revelations that can bring instant understanding to the student.  such as: “loosening hamstrings is part of the formula for reliving back pain, as long as the forward bends are done without aggravating the posterior spine.” i have told students a million times in my yoga teaching lifetime to “pull in the abdominal muscles when forward bending… and to stay completely aware of the lower back while stretching your hammies.” i feel happy to now have this little “extra” to remind them of.  “dont avoid the f-bend  do it safely!  until hammies are stretching a bit- that low back can not release”.  priceless reminders while we are in the throes!

there is talk of sequencing, meditation chakras and such, and it’s all good. there is also a forward by sting. i skipped most of it. i love sting- i crush hard on him but he’s a little too self- important. (duh…)

this book is a must read for the yoga student, and a fun MUST read for the yoga teacher.  you can pick it up, get smarter and put it right back down without thinking you’re unfinished.  this is one of those books i will go back to again and again for reference, reminders and refreshment and no doubt so will you!