Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit: A Return to Wholeness Paperback – May 1, 2000

I've read and really enjoyed Donna's other books, but never bothered to read this one because of my almost 10 years of practicing asana and having read tons of asana books I thought that all of the books said the same thing. I recently took one of her week long trainings and practically filled my notebook with all of this new and great information. Later I bought this book and lo and behold most of it is in this book and her Breathing Book with pictures to boot. This was really a turning point for my practice as before I was more focused on getting the "ideal" yoga pose and not going with my bone structure. Also instead of forcing something to happen I learned to go with gravity, the breath and my natural structure so I can have 'effortless movement'. This concept opened me up to lots of other books that explore this in more detail.One thing that really stuck with me (and what I think will help you understand where she's coming from) was in her introduction:"Increasingly doing "good" yoga has come to mean having a beautiful body, remaining forever youthful, and being able to show one's adeptness through the seemingly solid evidence of advanced postures. But as we stretch our muscles deeply or strengthen our abdominals, are we coming closer to feeling a deep peacefulness within ourselves and an inner equanimity that can meet the challenges of life in a compassionate and skillful way? Like the botanist who finally breeds the perfect rose only to discover that in the process he has lost the fragrance of the bloom, when we strip yoga to its mechanics, we also loose something essential.I have been as guilty as any of both practicing and teaching yoga in a way that made the postures and practices more important than the spirit of the person practicing them. My early obsession with perfecting the forms of yoga brought with it a greater and greater sense of unease and dissatisfaction. The realization that I had bought into dictum of a culture obsessed with achievement and the unhappiness wrought by such striving led me to a long period of deep experimentation in my own practice....I have slowly uncovered a more natural way of discovering the essence of the practice through form. The forms then become vehicles for experiencing one's essential nature rather than goals in and of themselves. Then whether you attain any particular posture becomes irrelevant. The shift from dominating, controlling, or ignoring nature to listening and working with nature's wisdom marks the beginning of this change of mind....I am convinced that there is nothing new about this approach and that it can best be described as a neoclassical revival of the original way of working first explored by yogis centuries ago..."In regards to the inquiry parts of the book, they are a much better way for you to learn and understand your body instead of being told what this is doing and what you should be feeling. It also helps you build your kinesthetic awareness. In the workshop Donna came up to me and asked where I was feeling pain in my spine while practicing cobra pose. At first I was baffled b/c I hadn't requested help and didn't notice anything off the top. But she sat their patiently so I took a moment to inquire within and found "hmmm I do have this little tiny twinge". That was my aha moment. She didn't rush me, accuse me, or tell me anything. I felt as if she had given my power back. My power to listen and to know the truth within my body. It was truly amazing and I will always recommend her if you are looking for a more awakened style of practicing asana.

This book was everything & nothing like I expected. Chosen as the 1st of 10 books to read for a Yoga Teacher Training program, I expected it to have a wonderful amount of detail on Yoga's physical practice & a healthy dose of the other (rarely covered in the West) aspects of Yoga.The book certainly delivered on that, but it also took me by surprise as to the LEVEL of detail - a level that is certainly required of any book for to-be Yoga teachers, but I believe that this book could be understood by even your average practitioner.I wish I had known about this book when I first started Yoga (right around the time this book was 1st printed, ironically). Even after nearly a decade of practice, I feel as though, after reading this book, I'm practicing Yoga with a whole other level of awareness.While I can easily give the book copious amounts of praise, I was sad to see the smaller selection of actual Yoga poses, including the classic Tree Pose. Understandably, there is only so much that you can cover in one book (and this book is STUFFED with info), but I was disappointed to see many of my favorite poses (many of which are beginner-to-intermediate level) left out. I'd LOVE to see Donna Farhi write another Yoga book with more poses - possible a "Part 2" to this tome.This book stands as vital proof that Yoga is far more than "just stretching". I recommend this book to EVERY person who has thought about trying Yoga, practices Yoga, or teaches Yoga - no matter the style or type. This book will reconnect you to your practice in ways you never imagined.

I have been doing yoga for about 5 years and this book along with Eric Schiffman's have been revelatory.Donna Farhi helps make your yoga practice more personal (in terms of how to make your practice more internal rather than external), and more spiritual. She's not afraid to talk about the deeper issues of yoga.This is a complete book of Yoga in the sense that it's not just a book about how to get your body into the proper "shapes". While the asana instruction is very easy to follow and precise, it teaches you how to make the asana's come to life through "the Seven moving principles".These are things that I've not seen before in any other book.These are :1. Breathe. Let the breath move you.2. Yield. Yield to the earth.3. Radiate. Move from the inside out.4. Center. Maintain the integrity of the spine.5. Support. Whatever touches the ground becomes the foundation of support for each asana.6. Align. Alignment is the clear sequential flow of force through the body.7. Engage. Engage the whole body.These principles are real eye openers and can bring the asanas alive.She also give ideas on sequencing principle and much much more.It is by far the best book on Yoga I have seen and I've read quite a few!Namaste.

Amazing book. Must read it and see for yourself.

I am a 10+ year yoga practitioner, and have been teaching for 4 years. I love this book! The philosophy, the instruction and overall amount of useful information in it renders this book my new yoga "bible"! There as so many ways to approach the practice of yoga and this just explains and encourages a way to look at it with fresh eyes and simply inviting the reader to read on!! and on! and OM!

The great book used it for class and also for my personal journey. A step by step instruction of how to do poses accurately and the benefits, I totally recommend.

I ordered the book and a hardcover, but I received a paperback copy. The vendor credit me the purchase price. The content of the book is great but it is a reference book so I wish I had a hard copy.