Yoga Anatomy

This is the third in this series I've purchased (Pilates and Dance prior to this), and it's as clear, concise and accurate as it's previous counterparts. The writing style is succinct and not too intense for the casual reader to understand (it's not a medical jargon book, for sure!) but it has enough detail and anatomy to be a great value for any student wanted more details on poses, or for any teacher trying to design classes around body groups or injuries. For anyone wanting to know the exact breakdown of a great number of poses, this is a must have! I wish it had been a required read during my teacher training, the amount of info it contains is fabulous, considering its small size! This means I can tuck it in my bag and if a student has a question regarding a pose or injury, I'm a quick consult away from being able to better explain safety and modifications in their practice.The illustrations are with enough color and detail to enhance the written portion, but not so much so that they're distracting or visually overwhelming. The illustrator clearly knew what the intention of the book was, and stayed consistent and precise throughout.

Greater understanding of poses

I love anatomy and yoga and this book was so well written that it became an immediate favorite. I found myself in awe several times at the insights I found within its pages and eagerly shared those insights with my partner who is much less inclined to read (and who would be incredibly lost reading this information intensive book).Now that I have finished the book I have a much deeper understanding of my practice and the purpose/roots of yoga. I am able to be mindful of what is happening within my body as I move through each pose, which I am certain helps keep me safer and progressing faster.For example, the conversation about breathing and shape change allowed me to fully connect my breath to movement and I finally understood what ujjayi pranayama meant and how to do it.Although the terminology may be overwhelming if you have never studied any anatomy, for me it was perfect and the precision of the language really helped me grasp what the book was describing.This would also be a wonderful book for anyone who wishes to teach yoga! When yogi instructors talk about the healing power of each pose I often find myself marveling at the lack of basic anatomical understanding (I was once told that Eagle helps massage the pituitary gland O.O). This text would quickly remedy any confusion while helping create accurate descriptions of what is really going on during each pose.By far the best yoga book I have purchased (so far). I look forward to revisiting it as grow in my practice and know I will learn something new each time I do.

Fantastic. Book bought it over 12 years ago. Still look at it.

I have been doing yoga on and off for several years and still consider myself a beginner. I know many of the basics and intermediate poses and stretches for a good session. I recently noticed I was not getting the normal feeling/ "burn" from my sessions and wondered about if I was still doing poses correctly. I was screwing around on Amazon for a new yoga book and came across Yoga anatomy. I was curious so I bought it. This book is information heavy but it does make up with images you can easily study and visualize later as you move into poses. I think in my case I was doing the poses correctly but I was not moving in anslower and more mindful pace that worked the muscles that should be utilized in each pose. This was a surprisingly helpful book that has help me get more out of my sessions.

Reading this book, I feel like I'm in graduate school for yogis. Meaning, when you're in grammar school, subjects are presented in relatively simple terms. ('your knee bone's connected to your thigh bone') But when you go to high school, you learn things at a deeper level. In college, you learn that there are even more points of view, and in grad school you're really digging for the richest possible level of understanding. That's what Kaminoff and Matthews do in this book, they dig deep and share the gold with you.They teach you (as a yoga teacher) not to rely on misleading pat phrases like 'breath from the belly,' and make sure you understand what where the the truth lies. That said, if you're like me, you may have to read passages a couple of times, or more to grasp exactly what they're saying.This is a very intelligent presentation of breath, the spine and anatomy for yoga teachers and those who want a deeper understanding.

All yoga teacher should have this book. I’ve been teaching yoga for 20 years and recently took a another advanced yoga teacher training, for 300 hours. My teacher recommended this book and it far exceeds any of the other books in my yoga library. It is easy to read and understand and has great visuals.

I’m loving the anatomy part of my yoga teacher training. This book does a great job of showing how yoga works with the internal structures of the human body.