I wrote in my previous post on Sharath's 'new' book Ashtanga yoga Anusthana
"Personally, if you're only going to buy one Ashtanga book ( yeah right) then I'd say stick with Pattabhi Jois' own Yoga Mala which is a lovely well produced book, something I keep finding hidden treasures in to chew over."
And than somebody (mis)quoted me, that 'Yoga Mala was the only (yoga) book you should buy'.
To clarify, I was writing in the context of the Ashtanga of Pattabhi Jois.
If I was to recommend ONE and only one YOGA book it would have to be Ramaswami's Yoga for the Three stages of Life
...but that's assuming you had a good library locally with Aranya's Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali and Swami Venkatesananda's two volume The Supreme Yoga- A new translation of the Yoga Vashista and of course had already downloaded Krishnamacharya's Yoga Makaranda and our ( really Satya's) on going, almost finished (one chapter to go) translation of Krishnamacharya's Yogasanagalu.
But back to Ashtanga (as if we'd never left), if I really was to recommend one, just one book on Ashtanga (Jois method), which one would it be? Would I really stick with Pattabhi Jois' own Yoga Mala?
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Ashtanga Yoga Practice & Philosophy
by Gregor Maehle
Also, special mention....
And you, which would you choose?
And did I miss anything?
"Personally, if you're only going to buy one Ashtanga book ( yeah right) then I'd say stick with Pattabhi Jois' own Yoga Mala which is a lovely well produced book, something I keep finding hidden treasures in to chew over."
And than somebody (mis)quoted me, that 'Yoga Mala was the only (yoga) book you should buy'.
To clarify, I was writing in the context of the Ashtanga of Pattabhi Jois.
If I was to recommend ONE and only one YOGA book it would have to be Ramaswami's Yoga for the Three stages of Life
 |
| Amazon link |
 |
| link |
 |
| link |
But back to Ashtanga (as if we'd never left), if I really was to recommend one, just one book on Ashtanga (Jois method), which one would it be? Would I really stick with Pattabhi Jois' own Yoga Mala?
There are lots of options out there....
Tuesday, 4 June 2013
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Wednesday, 6 February 2013
Friday, 24 April 2009
Thursday, 23 April 2009
Thursday, 25 September 2008
also
Matthew Sweeny's Astanga As it is
John Scott's Ashtanga Yoga
Ashtanga Yoga Practice & Philosophy
by Gregor Maehle
--------------------
I'm looking at my copy of Pattabhi Jois' Yoga Mala now, ONE Ashtanga book, ONLY ONE?
Yep Yoga Mala.
Of course Yoga Mala, there's more Krishnamacharya in it than in all the others, in fact I tend to think of Pattabhi Jois typing Yoga mala up with a battered copy of Yoga Makaranda in Kananda on his desk beside him.
It's an elegant book, a bugger to work from in home practice perhaps and I put mine to one side again and again, but I kept coming back.... I keep coming back.
There are treasures awaiting the first second, tenth reading.
It gets interesting if you allow yourself TWO books or say that Yoga Mala is a given (of course you're going to buy Yoga Mala), what else, which other Ashtanga book if you could buy ONLY ONE more.
Hmmmmmmm...... Help me on this because I can't really say for the Shala Ashtangi having only been to a shala twice in seven years. I should probably go with Sharath's book, as Steve points out, it's probably got all you need for day one. Still, I think I'd have to go with Petri Räisänen's 'Definitive Primary Series Practice Manual' and hope that your Shala gave you a printed out cheat sheet of the sequence as described in Sharath's book or included a copy in your first months membership. Petri's book has the 'official', current, up-to-date Ashtanga sequence but also mentions some of the variations that you might encounter in your own particular Shala and it's teacher(s). There's a lot of Pattabhi Jois' wisdom in it, Petri asked a LOT of questions plus there's much else besides.
 |
| My uninformed choice for the Shala Ashtangi |
But what about the Home Ashtanga, the teach yourself Ashtangi. John Scott's is excellent, all you need to get started although I think I started with Tara Frazer's from my local library but I've always tended to go with David Swenson. It's true you wont need the second series for at least a year or so but he provides you with variations of each and every posture as well as shorter versions of the practice for when your working towards a full practice or actually have a life outside Ashtanga.
But it's got competition, Kino's book is excellent for the Home Ashtangi lots of tips and hints, as is Gregor's and with it's excellent anatomy side panels...
NO, I'm going to stick with David Swenson (sorry Kino), if only for the clear, simple, layout and the intelligent shorter versions of the practice in the back.
 |
| STILL my informed choice for the Home Ashtangi |
And in an extra category, for the Ashtanga blogger
| My choice for the Ashtanga blogger, couldn't blog without it. |
Also, special mention....
 |
| Not a laying out of the sequence but no doubt says more about the Jois Ashtanga method than all the above combined. |
 |
| Amazon link |
And did I miss anything?