The Power of Ashtanga Yoga (2 book series)
A foremost Ashtanga Yoga teacher tells you “everything you ever wanted to know from a yogi” in this guide for beginners and experienced practitioners alike (Huffington Post)
Go inside the philosophy, history, and practices of a popular and athletic type of yoga—with step-by-step instructions and gems of wisdom for starting your own journey to self-realization
Ashtanga Yoga has become extremely popular in recent years. Here, Kino MacGregor—a disciple of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, the great modern guru who developed Ashtanga Yoga—gives a comprehensive view of the practice, demonstrating how Ashtanga is fundamentally a path of spiritual transformation and personal development.
MacGregor delves into the history and tradition of Ashtanga Yoga and reveals how its philosophy manifests in contemporary lifestyle and dietary choices. She also explains the essential connection of breath, posture, and gaze that is the core of the practice. Her clear, step-by-step instruction of the Ashtanga Yoga Primary Series—including standing, seated, backbending, twisting, hip-opening, and closing postures—is a wonderful initiation for those who are new to the practice, and it will motivate experienced yogis toward perfection of the form. Throughout, MacGregor shares her own personal yoga journey and her devotion to yoga as a path of self-realization in a way that will inspire all practitioners.
Big thanks to Kino and many westerners like her (and a few exceptional Indians like Ramdev) whose big, golden hearts have uplifted millions from their sufferings. Even she may not realise what a great feat Kino has managed to pull off by her lifetime dedication to spreading the light of yoga to every human being. She won't admit or understand but her contribution to Yoga is far greater than even her Gurus.
The book is phenomenal. Every page is filled with deep insights, helpful suggestions. It's a joy to immerse yourself in this book. A must have book for any regular yoga practitioner.
La partie théorie est une belle source d'inspiration et de motivation, les photos sont impressionnantes et présentent un idéal à atteindre (dommage qu'elles soient en noir et blanc). On a parfois un peu de mal à se représenter la dynamique des postures tellement les indications sont détaillées mais en pratiquant une ou deux fois avec des videos disponibles sur youtube, ça devient vite clair.
Kino McGregor nous fait partager sa passion et nous livre tout un tas de conseils et d'explications pour vivre le yoga au quotidien et découvrir la part de divin en nous!
I'm so disappointed reading the few negative reviews I've seen about this book. They are essentially correct though and it's very easy to get daunted by the images of Kino putting her legs behind her head. Of course no-one is going to be able to do this without substantial daily practice! The book does state to skip out a large chunk of the more difficult postures if you're a beginner and to practice daily in order gain enough flexibility in the hips and hamstrings to be able to perform the more difficult postures.
I have always been a fan of ashtanga yoga and it was a privilege to own a book from the woman who introduced me to it. I really liked this book and I found the layout of the book useful. It is split into sections, the first being about breath and the importance of the breath in conjunction with the postures. The second section of postures is comprised of standing, seated, backbends and warm down postures. Each posture has it's sanskrit name, its english name, a picture of Kino performing the posture and an explanation of the posture and how to enter and exit it and whether or not it needs to be entered from an asana. The last section is just images of all of the postures so I just use this now as a guide to make sure I'm doing it correctly.
Although I've been practising yoga for a number of years I'm still not flexible enough to perform some of the harder postures. That's not down to the book, that's down to the fact I'm still not at the stage where I can practice daily. But I do recognise some of the benefits I've got from ashtanga yoga so I will continue practising this for the foreseeable future. This book is a fantastic guide for the beginner but please just try not to be put off.
Kristofer Ryan, Author of "Power Yoga For Prisoners and Others Desiring Change"
Interview - http://kristofer108.wix.com/yoti
In particolare,sull ashtanga yoga possiedo questo libro di Kino e quello di David Swenson: due testi a mio avviso estremamente validi per un praticante. Certo, come tutti i libri sullo yoga,non possono e non devono sostituirsi al proprio maestro: sarebbe un errore pretendere di essere "autodidatti" perchè questo testo come quello di Swenson non dicono "tutto" e danno oltretutto la loro visione che può non essere perfettamente coincidente con quella del proprio maestro.
Ad ogni modo il testo di Kino è a mio avviso molto bello: inizialmente lo avevo sottovalutato, ma poi ho letto meglio alcuni capitoli e l'ho trovato molto utile.
Certo, nessuno pensi di poter praticare subito alcune asana descritte nel libro,come le fai lei! Qui entra in gioco il ruolo del maestro: perchè poi quella della yoga è una strada lunga da percorrere e non si deve commettere l'errore di voler bruciare le tappe.
This book is meant to be read and used after its predecessor which focuses on the Primary Series of Ashtanga Yoga. Not for beginners, and she says as much. The Intermediate, or Second Series, builds on the foundation of the first series, and if undertaken without that foundation, many things will be missed or disregarded. There is a logic to this living tradition which should be acknowledged and respected.
I highly recommend for all who are serious about their journey with Ashtanga Yoga! Kino is it!
Highly recommend this book to anyone looking to begin their intermediate journey or for practitioners already on the journey.
Este libro es un material complementario excelente para aquellos que quieren profundizar más en la primera serie de Asthanga Yoga.
El libro tiene varios capítulos: primero te explica un poco de la historia de Asthanga Yoga, haciendo un especial énfasis en lo que es la respiración, la postura y adonde deberías dirigir la mirada.
La segunda parte del libro te explica en detalle todas las series de posturas de la primera serie de Asthanga Yoga: Sun Salutations, Standing Poses, Seated Poses, Backbends, Finishing Poses y un especial capitulo dedicado a como mejorar tu fuerza.
También estoy contenta con el servicio de transporte. Muy rápido y el producto llego en perfecto estado.
The only think I could critisise is that I think the blakc and white pictues and rather corse paper does not do it justice as this is a book I will want to keep.
Es fängt mit dem theoretischen Part an, der dem Leser die Geschichte des Ashtanga Yoga nahebringt, aber auch andere Bestandteile, die einem Anfänger vielleicht auf den ersten Blick entweder noch gar nicht bewusst waren oder nicht so wichtig erschienen (Konzentration auf Atmung und Blick, die Ernährung und auch die psychischen/spirituellen Auswirkungen der Praxis). Blutige Anfänger, denen diese Informationen insgesamt etwas zu viel sind, können diesen Teil auch erstmal etwas überfliegen und später noch einmal darauf zurückkommen.
Der praktische Teil des Buchs führt in der Reihenfolge, in der die Übungen auch in der Primary Series anzutreffen sind, durch die verschiedenen Asanas. Hierbei muss man wirklich den Hut vor Kino ziehen, die die Übungen wirklich von Anfang bis Ende bis ins kleinste Detail beschreibt. Einige Yogabücher (die ich letztendlich auch nicht gekauft habe) formulierten so unsauber, dass man entweder gar nicht mehr wusste, was man eigentlich gerade machen sollte oder nach dem Motto "Dann kommt der Fuß jetzt da hin und wenn du das nicht schaffst, dein Problem". In Kinos Buch gibt es beides nicht. Man weiß jederzeit, in welchem Schritt was genau gemacht werden muss und welche Alternativen es gibt, wenn man etwas Schwereres noch nicht schafft. Kino weiß genau, wovon sie spricht und gibt auch realistische Hinweise für die schwereren Asanas, jedoch ohne einem Angst vor der Übung zu machen.
Im Appendix findet man noch das Eröffnungs- und Schluss-Mantra des Ashtanga Yoga sowie die Vinyasa-Zählweise in Sanskrit. Sehr hilfreich ist auch der Bildband im Appendix C, der anhand der Fotos aus dem Buch die Reihenfolge der Asanas der Primary Series zeigt. Gerade Anfänger können sich diesen Bildband hinlegen und so lange während der Praxis zur Hilfe nehmen, bis sie die Reihenfolge der Asanas auswendig können.
Ist dieses Buch auch für Fortgeschrittene hilfreich? Ich würde sagen, ja. Gerade die detailgetreue Beschreibung der Asanas ist es noch einmal wert, durchgegangen zu werden. Über die Zeit schleichen sich bei jedem Ashtangi kleine Unachtsamkeiten/Macken ein und wenn man noch einmal konzentriert anhand des Buchs in bestimmte Asanas geht, merkt man teilweise schon einen Unterschied an der eigenen Ausrichtung oder vom Gefühl in der Pose her. Auch der theoretische Teil ist es wert, noch einmal gelesen zu werden, um sein Wissen zu überprüfen, aber auch um sich selbst die Frage zu stellen, ob man das Gelesene auch wirklich beherzigt.
Gibt es auch etwas Negatives zu sagen? Nur etwas Persönliches: Die Fotos hätte ich gerne farbig gehabt. Ich weiß nicht, welchen Hintergrundgedanken es hatte, sie schwarz-weiß zu gestalten, aber farbig wären gerade sehr "zusammengeknotete" Asanas etwas klarer zu erkennen.
I have met kino and participated in her classes and a teacher training emmersion. I have also read yoga mala and watched many of Kinos online videos as well as those about her teachers.
The Ashtanga methods awsome healing potential continues to amaze me and this book I use alongside Kinos Dvd to enrich my practice.
This book helps to unlock the secrets of Astanga yoga. The book inspires a more confident and informed practice because of the wealth of information Kino shares.
I like the way Kino explains the techique with language that expresses her direct experience.This is a great manual to use to enrich the daily practice which is so carefully broken down within this book.
The book contains two parts. The first is theory and story, and I was immediately impressed with how well it is written. From the history of yoga through Kino's personal discovery of it, discussion on diet and spirituality, her work is encouraging and respectful both of her reader and the tradition.
The second is practice, with photos and descriptions that illustrate the Primary Series of Ashtanga. It is certainly helpful to a beginner, and I believe it would be helpful to more advanced practitioners as well.
This book is by far the best on the subject on my small but growing yoga shelf.
This book has filled in many gaps and strengthened different understandings for me, most notably the explanation of bandhas, the description of weight on your foot for balance and how to find that balance. The descriptions of the asanas are superb, it allows me to read and try to achieve some of the finer points you may lose in a mysore style class as a beginner. I also truly enjoy the explanation of what each one does for you.
Chapters 2 & 4 in the theory section, outside of the practice section, I found for me to be the most useful in rounding out my understanding of the benefits of the practice, breath and focus.
In closing I also found the 3 versions of the closing and opening prayer to be quite nice in aiding in my understanding of sanskrit
Because of her deep well of knowledge, The Power of Ashtanga Yoga works on its own as a teacher. In it, Kino manages to incorporate everything you ever wanted to know from a yogi. She seamlessly incorporates personal experiences, useful gems of wisdom, and detailed technical knowledge of the practice. Rather than bombarding you with an overload of technical information or droning on and on about generic information as most yoga books tend to do, Kino stops quite often to relate the information on a personal level. She manages this quite well because she doesn't hold back. Sometimes it feels like she knows the objections you have to a concept before even you do.
I was always someone who poo pooed anyone younger than me and thought how could they possibly know more than I do, and was amazed at myself that I was actually learning from this being who is almost a decade younger than I am and who had started practicing around the exact same time as me. But of course, she was approaching it differently than I was and from her own perspective. I'm still not sure what angle I was approaching it from lol.
Just a couple weeks ago I received my book in the mail and the following weekend drove to Chicago again to study with this lovely young lady and this time she blew me away, moreso than last time.
Its amazing to me how she juxtaposes the spiritual side of this particular asana practice with the extreme physicality of this practice and inspires and delights you into doing more, and more. The book and its narrative are no exception.
From her insight into what each section of the practice is about to her insight on diet and even the elusive bandhas, that no one has ever given instruction on to my liking, until now that is, she takes you on a journey deep inside yourself so that you are ready to take a look at why you do this practice and to keep questioning yourself along the way, as we are ever evolving creatures, who are hopefully using this practice to navigate our way through life with as few chinks in our armor as possible.
Beginners should buy this because it will show them there is so much more than just the extreme physicality, but how to use the marriage of the breath and the movement (along with the bandhas) to deepen their experience and take themselves to new realms.
But also experienced practitioners like myself will benefit just as much because her take on Ashtanga is unique and completely inspired from the fact that she's dived deep into herself through this practice. It shows the vulnerability and the strength that one can achieve through the sustained practice of the Ashtanga Yoga method.
We should all applaud this effort, and of course, purchase it!
The last sections after the practice portion focus on the development of "flying" by giving tips and techniques to develop strength and ability for jump back's/throughs. I especially like the final section which gives the opening/closing chant (with its respective translation) and the correct vinyasa count, in sanskrit, for each asana which is what's I believe is what truly completes this guide. In my opinion, Kino MacGregor did an exceptional job. She packages the information that took her years of study to assimilate and wrappes it up nicely making it easy and enjoyable for all who have the opportunity to read this book. Every Ashtanga Yoga practitioner should have this one on thier night stand. Along with a qualified teacher, this book will enrich the yoga experience for anyone on the path to life transformation.
From my first read through, it is evident the book will have a permanent place in my library. I'll probably wear it out. Poses are presented with large, clear pictures. Descriptions are detailed, often filling several pages.
A few things really stand out compared to other yoga books:
1. Instructions are finely nuanced, without being repetitive or overwhelming. They include the drishti for each pose, as well as how to coordinate movement into the pose with your inhale and exhale.
2. Careful attention has been paid to aligning written descriptions with the pictures, including left/right sides of the body.
3. The book offers extensive discussion of modifications, along with steps required to build into the full expressions of poses.
4. The spiritual side of yoga is presented in a very objective, factual manner. No corny catch phrases or hokey promises.
Kino has done an incredible job capturing her years of experience teaching others.
As a relative novice to Ashtanga, I did find piecing the book together into a home practice a little challenging. Questions come up like:
1. How many times do I repeat Sun A / Sun B at the start of the practice? I've opted for 5 each.
2. How far into the standing series do I go on day 1? I've opted to just try the whole thing.
3. When is the closing series introduced into my practice? For now I've chosen to skip the seated series, do back bending, and then go for the full closing series.
4. When do vinyasas fit in between the postures? This can be figured out on a per pose basis, by reading the detailed text descriptions, but it's difficult to refer to during a practice session.
This is minor stuff. I'll resolve it when I get to work with an Ashtanga teacher later this month. I think annotation of the primary series pictorial at the end of the book with stuff like "repeat 5x", do vinysasa, hold for X breaths, use thumbs as drishti, "gateway posture", etc. would resolve this. I'll probably do that in my own copy of the book as I learn more.
Two more points:
1. The book has highlighted some glaring shortcomings in my existing practice. I was blissfully ignorant, now I have so much work ahead of me.
2. The pictures are really well done. They deserve to be in full color, and even bigger - like a hard cover coffee table book. I'd get it for sure.
Overall, one of the few must-buy yoga books.
Wer Kino Macgregor von ihren Youtube Videos, Workshops, Podcasts oder Blogs kennt, weiß dass sie eine absoluter Profi auf dem Gebiet des Ashtanga Yoga ist und damit meine ich nicht nur ihre beeindruckenden körperlichen Leistungen innerhalb der vierten Ashtanga Serie. Kino steht für Wissen und praktische Tips und an beiden hat sie zum Glück auch nicht in ihrem Buch gespart.
Los geht es mit "Getting Started with Ashtanga Yoga History and Tradition", ein Kapitel welches über die Herkünfte von Yoga generell, Ashtanga Yoga und Pattabhi Jois spricht. Ebenso erklärt werden grundlegende Begriffe der Yoga Philosophie wie Samskaras, Tappas, etc.
Da darauf folgende Kapitel "Heart of the method: Breath, Pose and Gaze" erklärt eben die drei fundamentalen Begriffe des Ashtanga Yoga. Es wird erklärt warum man auf bestimmte Punkte schaut, welchen Effekt das Starren während den Asanas hat, warum der Ujjayi Breath so viel Hitze aufbaut, warum wir Vinyasas machen und warum alle drei zusammen Veränderungen auf körperlicher, emotionaler und spiritueller Ebene hervor rufen könnten.
Das dritte Kapitel beschäftigt sich eingehend mit der "Ashtanga Yoga Diet", sprich einer einfachen vegetarischen Ernährungsweise mit ayurvedischen Einflüssen. Wen das abschreckt, dem sei versichert: es ist kein bloßes Bekehrungskapitel, vielmehr geht es auf grundlegende ayurvedische und yogische Prinzipien ein soll einen nur dazu anregen nachzudenken. Nichts Dramatisches also ;-)
Das letzte Einführungskapitel "The Spiritual Journey Of Asana" beschäftigt sich noch einmal mit der tieferliegenden Dimension der Yoga Asanas und diskutiert was Yoga von normalem "Sport" unterscheidet.
Der Hauptteil des Buches bildet natürlich der Praxisteil, der sich mit jeder einzelnen Stellung der Ashtanga Yoga Primary Series befasst. Wer Kino MacGregors Videos oder DVDs oder Workshops kennt weiß, dass sie wirklich praktische Tips liefern kann, die einen tiefer in die Asanas führen. So auch hier: zu jedem Asana gibt es mindestens ein Foto, oft sind es aber mehrere, welche entweder Modifikationen oder das Hinein und Hinauskommen aus dem Asana darstellen. Geschrieben daneben sind detailierte Schritt für Schritt Erklärungen, wie man sich die Asanas am Besten vornimmt. Ebenso aufgelistet wird die Wirkung jeder einzelnen Stellen auf körperlicher, energetischer und spiritueller Ebene. Ich kann wirklich sagen, dass in diesen Teil so viel Wissen hineingepackt wurde, dass es unmöglich ist, alles auf einmal zu erfassen. Ich werde auf jeden Fall öfters Kinos Anleitungen durchlesen, um meine Asana Praxis zu verbessern und zu verfeinern.
Letztes Kapitel des Buches ist "Strength: The True Power of Yoga" - dieses befasst sich mit den wichtigsten Komponenten, die Stärke erfordern. Die Bandhas werden beispielsweise erklärt und es gibt hilfreiche Anleitungen und Tipps für die Jump Backs und Jump Throughs, sowie Chakrasana.
Im sog. "Appendix" werden dann noch aufgelistet: Die Ashtanga Yoga Mantras, der genaue Sanskrit Vinyasa Count für die Asanas, sowie die komplette Primary Series in Bildern in einer Übersicht.
Fazit: Für mich persönlich ein perfektes Ashtanga Yoga Buch. Ich liebe David Swensons Manuel und auch Tara Frasers Ashtanga Buch, aber Kino gibt hier wirklich alles - ihre Einführungskapitel umfassen (auf grundlegender Ebene natürlich) alles, was man über Ashtanga Yoga wissen muss, und der Praxisteil ist ein fantastisches Sammelsurium an Tipps, Kniffen und Hilfen, um auch noch das Letzte aus Ashtanga heraus zu holen. Nachteile gibt es eigentlich keine - ich hätte vllt noch eine Short Form wie in David Swensons Buch oder farbige Fotos gut gefunden, aber das ist wirklich Meckern auf hohem Niveau. Wer also ein wirklich fantastisches Ashtanga Buch für Neueinsteiger (die aber natürlich einen Lehrer suchen sollten) oder auch erfahrene Yogis sucht, sollte unbedingt zugreifen!
There are many books on Ashtanga available to the public, notably by David Swenson, Gregor Maehle, and the recently released Astanga Yoga Anusthana by Boss-Man himself, Sharath Jois. Kino's detailed primer on the practice will certainly be praised and heralded with the group mentioned above. Quite frankly, the level of depth and detail blew me away. If you were expecting a thin, casual walk-through of the practice, you will be thrilled that it is the exact opposite and similar in richness and depth as Maehle's book.
Guruji always taught his teachers, "to teach the way I have taught you." And although books will never replace the authenticity of parampara (lineage) of an authorized teacher, they play a valuable role for both the shala and home-practioner, filling in gaps in both practice and theory. Each book is a representation of how they have learned the practice from Guruji. I find this aspect fascinating.
The first few chapters are rich in theory: the background of tristhana, the Ashtanga yogic diet and the spiritual journey of the asana. The middle portion focuses on the practice by breaking down each section from sun salutations to standing, sitting, back-bending (including drop backs) and finishing poses with modifications explained when appropriate. The final section focuses on mantras and a pictorial of the entire primary series.
This book is highly recommended. You can feel the enthusiasm and passion she has for the practice throughout each page. Many thanks, Kino!