"As an aside, if anyone that doesn't have a copy of Yoga Mala were to buy the recently released Kindle version, they'd pay almost as much as for the paperback, yet the entire front section on yamas, niyamas etc. is excluded AND 90% of the photos have reverted to negatives. It's a real rip off so worth avoiding".
--------------
So lets take a look at what you're getting
Ashtanga yoga Anusthana
87 pages
Interestingly the book is designed or by the same designer as the Jois yoga website
The pages are glossy but it feels a little cheap in the hand almost like a glossy pamphlet . The design is adequate at best but it has more of a self published feel to it than something professionally published. That's fine for 500rs in the Mysore shala shop perhaps but Jois Yoga are selling the book for $18 which is pushing it a little.
To put that in context here's a quick look at some of the Ashtanga books on Amazon.com
Kino's Primary 240p $21 list but reduced to $14
Gregor's Primary 320p $19.95
Petri's Primary192p $24.95 list selling at $18.71
John Scott's 144p $13
Yoga Mala $18 list selling for $14
Looking inside
After the dedication there's a brief look at the Yamas and Niyamas, here's one from each...most are about a paragraph,
from the yamas
Brahmacarya: celibacy however, gets a whole page .
and from the niyamas
"4. Svadhyata; Self-Study
Svadhyaya means self studying what we have learned from our teacher; not only trying to understand what has been said, but deepening that understanding and expanding our knowledge by reading manuscripts and thinking more about the subject we are learning. Self-study is to engage our mind to further our studies. It is our duty to do our homework, to do and review what the guru has said, to go deeper into whatever yoga subject we are learning and in understanding and experiencing the self and the devine. The teacher cannot push, he or she can only guide. If he or she shares who Ganapati is, the remover of obstacles, it is up to the student to find out more about Ganapati and those obstacles.
svadhyayadisthadevatasamprayogah ys 2.44
While practicing self study, we totally submerge ourselves in the deity we have chosen"." p20
Liked that explanation.
99% practice 1% theory? The above makes us think a little more what might be meant/intended by that.
----------------
There are a few notes on practice, a paragraph each on breathing, posture and gazing. There's also a page on Vinyasa which is word for word the same as on the
KPJYI webpage
Vinyasa: Vinyasa means breathing and movement system. For each movement, there is one breath. For example, in Surya Namskar there are nine vinyasas. The first vinyasa is inhaling while raising your arms over your head, and putting your hands together; the second is exhaling while bending forward, placing your hands next to your feet, etc. In this way all asanas are assigned a certain number of vinyasas.
The purpose of vinyasa is for internal cleansing. Breathing and moving together while performing asanasmakes the blood hot, or as Pattabhi Jois says, boils the blood. Thick blood is dirty and causes disease in the body. The heat created from yoga cleans the blood and makes it thin, so that it may circulate freely. The combination of the asanas with movement and breath make the blood circulate freely around all the joints, taking away body pains. When there is a lack of circulation, pain occurs. The heated blood also moves through all the internal organs removing impurities and disease, which are brought out of the body by the sweat that occurs during practice.
Sweat is an important by product of vinyasa, because it is only through sweat that disease leaves the body and purification occurs. In the same way that gold is melted in a pot to remove its impurities, by the virtue of the dirt rising to the surface as the gold boils, and the dirt then being removed, yoga boils the blood and brings all our toxins to the surface, which are removed through sweat. If the method of vinyasa is followed, the body becomes healthy and strong, and pure like gold.
After the body is purified, it is possible to purify the nervous system, and then the sense organs. These first steps are very difficult and require many years of practice. The sense organs are always looking outside, and the body is always giving into laziness. However, through determination and diligent practice, these can be controlled. After this is accomplished, mind control comes automatically. Vinyasa creates the foundation for this to occur.
There is a welcome additional paragraph added on to the end of the web description of Vinyasa
"
It is important to note that the indicated number of vinyasas may not be possible at first. In the beginning, extra breaths may be necessary, but one should adhere to the proper inhalation and exhalation movements. With time and practice, the correct vinyasa for each posture will be possible". p25
A list of the asana names as well as translations
Opening mantra
And then we are into the 50 pages of the sequence starting with Suryanamaskara
Fifty of those eighty-seven pages are taken up with the Primary series itself, a picture of Sharath in the asana and the the vinyasa count in and out of the asana,
This is my favourite page below, is that two or three Sharath's, the third one with the beard is clearly more recent but I can't decide if the first two are from the same period.
I love that his leg in the third picture is about as high as mine rather than something along the lines of Derek Ireland, I find it comforting.
Shouldn't there be a picture for dve, chin to the knee.
The most interesting section follows the main series where we find a section on Yoga Therapy. I was quite excited about this but it turns out to be only two pages, one on back problems, the other on respiratory problems the later includes a paragraph on nadi shodana (without kumbhaka).
At the back of the book are a four pages of mantras.
And that's it. I don't know what more to say about it really except that given the cost of studying in Mysore and on Sharath's world tours it might have been nice to give out a free copy with the shala pass.
Don't get me wrong it's still a nice document to have but if you're impatient and considering an online purchase I'd wait until you're in India and can pick it up for 500rs on the day you arrive rather than ordering it online for $18 plus postage or ask a friend who's making the trip to bring you back a copy.
