Om, Hello There!

First, I would like to say, Happy Easter (if you celebrate), and please don't get too crazy with the eggs and whatnot.

Next (and lastly), I would just like to make a few initial comments about Desikachar's "The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice."

Basically, it's a great book.

And: You should read it -- i commend it to you highly.

That said, it's only drawback, mainly for the new student, is that Desikachar uses a lot of Sanskrit terminology, and that might seem a little overwhelming to some of you. All I can say is: If this applies to you, please don't worry so much about the words as the ideas that are being expressed. The ideas are very simple, but at the same time with just these basic ideas, Desikachar lays the foundation for an entire lifetime of yoga practice.

And by the way, in case you still aren't sure about who this Desikachar guy is: He's only the chief heir and student of his father, Krishnamacharya, who was the influence behind 3 of the major types of Yoga today: Iyengar Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, and Viniyoga. For more on this, please read the interview with the author at the beginning of the book.

Please also read pp. 5-7, where he talks about what Yoga is -- some of the meanings of Yoga. It's very clear, well-written, and it concisely explains what Yoga is all about.

And that basically is true of the whole book. If we just used this one single text this whole year, in some ways it would be sufficient. That said, no one book or teacher could ever say everything about yoga, even an excellent guide like this one. So that's why we'll be reading others, but comparing everything to this one.

So...read on, have fun, feel free to send me your 108-page, single-spaced essay on the Heart of Yoga any time , and don't forget to do 108 sun salutations before going to sleep tonight. Oh wait, I didn't tell you about that? Okay, we'll save it for later, then.

Shalom Shanti, Alan


ps. And by the way, have a cow