great yoga read

For a while now, I've been reading the book Kripalu Yoga: A Guide to Practice On and Off the Mat. (It's taking me a while because I tend to read a bunch of books all at once, and then I end up getting through them slowly.) Overall, I think this book is a great yoga read. Although the style of yoga I teach is power yoga, so far, I would say that most all of what I've read completely aligns with my philosophies and how I teach. Someday I plan on having a teacher training program, and so far, this book is good enough that I would consider using it as part of a training program.

Here are just a few of the great quotes from this book:

"Be prepared for the mind to put up a fight. At the beginning of a session, it often feels like the mind simply won't let go, and that the effort to breathe, relax, and feel is a futile exercise. Resistance arises and the mind loudly cries out in protest. Then something shifts. As the body softens and the mind comes to focus, what seemed impossible a few moments ago happens effortlessly."

"So much of yoga comes naturally if you can just remember to breathe."

"Practicing at the edge assures that you will encounter a broad range of sensations and emotions. Kripalu Yoga postures are intended to evoke a depth of feeling, as this provides an opportunity for the deeper work of regaining emotional sensitivity and balance. Resist the tendency to go 'into your head' and try to understand or fix your feelings. Simply breath, relax, and feel, letting sensation and emotion flow through you. Over time, areas of numbness wake up, buried and banished feelings surface to be felt, and emotional armoring melts away. Celebrate this process of opening to feeling the pathway to greater vitality and full aliveness."

Namaste'
Leslie