Book Review:  Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness
by Erich Schiffmann

It’s Monday morning and I just got out of Suzy's Yoga class where I learned all sorts of good things.  It’s great when you're in class and the teacher uses his/her intuition as she leads you through the prescribed progression of asanas.  You try to soak up as much knowledge as possible; but by the end of Savasana, the slate is wiped clean.  You're relaxed, carefree.  Then comes tomorrow.  You've promised yourself to continue where you left off from the day before, but where do you begin?

As a supplement to your studio practice, I would like to introduce you to Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness.  It’s the kind of book you can open almost anywhere and start reading the segments that appeal to your needs. Although the author, Erich Schiffmann, does not teach specifically in the Iyengar manner, as Suzy does in the studio, the terminology and asanas are ones with which you will be familiar.  At the beginning of each pose description, Schiffmann gives the Sanskrit name as well as the English translation.  He completes the profile of the asana by stating the benefits of each pose which can be very helpful.

“A large part of the art and skill in yoga lies in sensing just how far to move into a stretch. If you don’t go far enough, there is no challenge to the muscles, no intensity no stretch, and little possibility for opening. Going too far, however, is an obvious violation of the body, increasing the possibility of both physical pain and injury. Somewhere between these two points is a degree of stretch that is in balance: intensity without pain, use without abuse, strenuousness without strain. You can experience this balance in every thing you do.”

Schiffman’s Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness answers many questions that come up in the yoga studio and home practice. This book will become an old friend and a motivator to get you moving in the right direction.

Review by Bonnie C. Allan