The Sivananda Companion to Yoga: A Complete Guide to the Physical Postures, Breathing Exercises, Diet, Relaxation, and Meditation Techniques of Yoga

by Sivananda Yoga Center, Vishnu-Devananda (Preface by)

The essential companion for beginning and experienced yogis alike! Now with fresh, colorful pages throughout, The Sivananda Companion to Yoga remains the classic guide to yoga. Featuring easy-to-follow instructions, inspirational teaching, and detailed illustrations, this authoritative guide covers every aspect of the yoga lifestyle—including relaxation, exercise, dietary guidelines, breathing, and meditation.

A highly regarded organization for yoga studies and practices, the Sivananda Yoga Center created the first edition of The Sivananda Companion to Yoga in 1983. Since its publication, it has sold more than 700,000 copies worldwide and has become a standard text for both yoga students and teachers.

Whether you're using it in conjunction with a class or on your own, The Sivananda Companion to Yoga can help
-Develop a fit and beautiful body
-Boost your energy and vitality at any stage of life
-Reduce stress and experience greater peace of mind
-Eat nutritiously and responsibly
-Increase your powers of concentration and discipline

Yoga is a journey toward physical and spiritual wellness. With this beautiful, bestselling guide in hand, you will experience the health, energy, and vibrancy that yoga can bring into your life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Spirituality, Reference, Fitness

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 28, 1983

Reviews

[Moshe Zioni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, balanced, instructive book.
Very concise, to-the-point, not going overboard with the spiritualistic side albeit not neglecting it.

[Malcolm Ivey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know... weird choice for a Goodreads review, but this book is terrific for anyone curious about yoga. It covers history, the spiritual aspect, meditation, diet, breathing exercises and, of course, the postures.

[SarahYogaH20 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first every yoga book... I bought it in the late 1990s. It is beautifully written and illustrated. Very good for beginners, though it wasn't enough for me at the time to be able to develop my own practice - one needs a class, a teacher, or a good audio/video program to get started.

[Manuel Vega · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the first books on yoga i read, long time ago. I still keep on browsing and recommending.

[Candy Donaldson]

This is my favorite yoga book. I have come back to it for years. There is a newer version, but I love the images through out this one.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though it is old (1983) gives a good introduction to yoga: philosophy and really solid overview of basic asanas.

[Layla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is helping me so much. It is an amazing book, I've had it for two years. It has helped me with so much pain in my body, mind and anxiety.

This book instills a way to care for your vessel all throughout life. It looks outdated, but you'd be surprised to see that this book which was published in 1983, prescribes a diet that is just now being prescribed today (ghee, no meat, legumes, grains, fruits, veggies).
I believe this book is very informative and way ahead of what is being told to the masses by governments and media.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid introduction to yoga and the ideas/philosophies that come with it. It is a good supplement to taking yoga classes and watching yoga videos. It provides discussions of individual asanas and other yogic practices, but it does not provide a clear routine of asanas that one could follow. The book contains something like that, but it appears odd to me - it calls for doing headstands and shoulder stands at the beginning of the practice (instead of at the end, as in every yoga class I have ever taken), and the series of asanas is pretty short.

[faith adams-michaels · Rating 4 out of 5]

a little extremist at points (some of us have ulcerative colitis and can't eat only whole grains) but thorough and very useful regarding the asanas and breathwork. looking forward to trying some of the pose variations that i have never tried before

[Leslie Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

great illustrations and photos to learn yoga with.

[Tinea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book's pictures and descriptions. These poses and routines are simple yet really challenging. They allow room for stillness, really sitting in each asana and feeling it out; they're very calming. Regular practice following this book's routines results in rapid and frankly ridiculous flexibility.

I think it's important to alternate these poses with other styles though because they rely a lot of gravity and stretching, and not so much on muscle strength. Regardless, this book is the one I go back to again and again when I need to focus and ground my yoga practice.

I first picked this up in the library in Marseille, France, and had to search to find it back in the States. If I ever buy a yoga book, instead of just always taking them out of the library, I'd love the Francophone version of this. Sentimental charm, and creative ways of learning anatomy vocabulary.

[Silvio · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really resonate with the system of the practices, and the big focus on asana (and their pseudoscientific marketing for health and wellbeing) rather than the meditative aspect, while at the same time using the Yoga-typical transcendental approach (Patanjali, Maya, etc). That doesn't really make sense to me, but I guess that's what the modern yoga world is about (not that I know much about it, I'm a beginner). I'm currently getting into classical non-dual Tantra, which transcends the transcendental approach, so yeah I am biased.

[Desiree · Rating 5 out of 5]

How is it that they knew all of this in 1983 (hydrogenated oils, colon cancer from eating too much meat, the importance of fiber, etc.) yet it's only finally coming to the mainstream?
This is fantastic so far.

[Jo Mc menamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant guide to Sivananda even if you haven't done a class (but even better if you have). Clear descriptions and photos to guide you through all asanas. would recommend for any aspiring yogis bookshelf

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than most yoga books for beginners. Gives a basic but good introduction to yogic history and philosophy and basics for a home practise.

What I like about the Sivananda system is that it is traditional, holistic, provides a structure yet is flexible.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've used this book for 18 years now, but this is the first time I've read it cover to cover. I can't say I understand all the theory behind the practices, but it says definitely an holistic approach. I love the moves and their explanations.

[Tianjiao Dai · Rating 4 out of 5]

在Airbnb host家看到这么本书拿来翻完了。如果不是自己练瑜伽可能不会对这本书太有兴趣，但因为自己在练嘛就想看看别的school是怎么介绍瑜伽的。过了几天就不太记得里面有什么takeaway了（感觉自己特别需要训练retain information in reading，这也是那本书里提到的一个练习——每看完一页就要回忆一下这一页讲了什么。我经常看完后就想不起来😂

书里的很多图片让我知道自己学的yogasana只是个beginner level的，就这我还三天打鱼两天晒网的不好好练习，惭愧😂我想学用头倒立的那个，听说不难但自己也不敢瞎练啊😂

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got time to devote to your yoga practice?
This book provides adequate guidance to deepen ones understanding of hatha yoga positions.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sivanada Companion helps you understand your practice and the benefits of the asanas. It can be used to build a daily practice or to identify asanas to heal the body.

[Stefan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could carry just one manual of Hatha Yoga, this would be it. It is not just a manual of Hatha Yoga though, as the explanations are easy to understand, sincere and free of new age associations.

[June Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good reference book!

[Darryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12092369

[Svetlana Wesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Think this one would be enough to understand how to live complete forever

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-illustrated with good descriptions if poses and attendant yoga philosophy. Rather too religious and extreme for my needs, however.

[Elynor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another required book for my yoga teacher training. Good, general background on yoga.