Master the science behind Vinyasa Flow and the standing poses of Hatha Yoga. Dr. Ray Long guides you on a visual narrative through the anatomy, biomechanics, and physiology of this ancient art, decoding each pose along the way. The Mat Companion series provides you with beautifully illustrated, step-by-step instructions on how to use scientific principles to obtain the maximum benefit from your practice. Each book includes the Bandha Yoga Codex, a simple five-step process that can be applied to any pose to improve strength, flexibility, and precision — no matter what style of yoga you practice.
The quality of the paper, the drawings, the detail of the muscles, the clarity of the information,etc.
Inside you'll find instructions to ace the final Asana, options for preparing it like another asanas or how to use props (like in Iyengar style).
The book have a guide for muscles used in every asana or involved in it.
Wow. These books are amazing. I wish I'd had them 30 years ago. Most books on yoga will say, don't do this pose if you have this condition, and that's the end of it. These books tell you every detail of a pose, from how to get started if you're not very flexible, to how to get even more from the pose for very advanced users. I knew these were worth every penny and every minute spent reading them, when I saw something cautioning how you need to do these things in such a way as to not destroy your joints; most books (and an awful lot of teachers out there) don't know how to teach to prevent major joint damage. Dr. Long does.
It is easy to understand.
Precise in its descriptions.
Nice drawings!
I will be using it a lot.
Ruth
It begins by taking you through the science of yoga--why yoga does what yoga does. It explains how yoga interacts with the brain. It teaches the moves in an extremely in depth way.
The illustrations are great.
And, there is great reference corresponding with the muscles and bones in the body.
Week by week, my yoga instructor and I are working our way through the book.
Br // Raul
I didn't get to look at this book through my library, one of the reasons why I was skeptical. I usually only get books that I have already decided are a worth while investment. So I threw caution to the wind and wound up with a wonderful book.
It goes into how the book should be read and then breaks down poses like Mountain, Tree, Warrior 1 and 2 by:
Telling you their joint position (Mountain = the knees are extended, hips neutral, . . .)
How to prepare for the pose
And what muscles you are using through various stages of the pose with some amazing muscular photos to go along with it.
It also give you some example workouts for vinyasa yoga as well.
Overall my impression: This is great, You can easily focus on proper alinement a pose or two at a time for a week until it becomes natural to your everyday practice. I am buying the rest of the set.
this is my second book in the series and I can't recommend it enough. This book gives you a clear understanding of bone and muscle positioning while practicing yoga. Easy to read with great illustrations.
I expect I'll be getting great value from this series for many years to come.
The books are well made, with thick papers, and the pages are set opened easily (just like having a spiral bound book).
The step-by-step illustrated instructions for each pose includes a preparation sequence, followed by the step-by-step process of achieving the pose with detailed explanation of the bio-mechanics of the movements involved. The illustrations are excellent and detailed and the narrative is easy to understand. Not only are the muscles which are involved in each pose shown clearly in the illustrations, but each muscle is "color coded" to show whether it is engaged or stretching.
As for the quality of the book: When I first placed my order, I was a little disappointed that this book was not available in "hard cover". I prefer the hard cover format because I feel it is more durable. I was pleasantly surprised when I received this "paperback" book. The cover is made of very thick card stock and the pages are very high quality "slick" paper. The binding seems similar to hard cover books. I feel this is a very durable book that will last as long as a hard cover book. Also, the book "lays flat" which makes it very convenient to use while practicing the techniques presented.