The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice by TKV Desikac is not your typical book of yoga asanas with pictures and descriptions. This book is a guide to developing a personal practice.
This book is helpful for developing a deeper understanding of yoga and approach the practice openly, rather than performing the poses mechanically with one eye on the clock, thinking about what you need to do next. In this book, you will learn to enjoy the asanas without rushing and by doing this; you will reap bigger benefits from the practice.
The book has the tools and information you need to define your own yoga practice. The author has included a lot of detailed information on a broad range of topics, including the philosophy of yoga, movement coordinated with breath, introduction to pranayama and more.
The first section of the book is devoted to the practice of yoga. There is information in this section about the meaning of yoga, foundations and principles of the practice of yoga, as well as the practice of the asanas. This section of the book has information about carefully constructing your yoga practice, variations of asanas, pranayama and more.
The second section of the book is devoted to understanding yoga. This section of the book is largely devoted to the spiritual and philosophical aspects of yoga. The information covered in this section includes the philosophy of yoga in relation to society, living in the world and the many paths of yoga, as well as obstacles. There is a short section in this book that has four general practice sequences.
The spiritual aspects of yoga are discussed in this book and spiritual principles are clearly explained. The second part contains Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. The Sutras are printed in Sanskrit with explanations following in English.
The Heart of Yoga is a good choice for anyone interested in a complete guide with an overview of various aspects of yoga. It is useful for students interested in deepening their practice, as well as individuals considering entering a teacher training program. This book makes a good addition to any reference library.