I'm in two minds about this book. It compelled me to keep marching through it, but occasionally I felt the point would have been made a bit clearer if the language had been a tad sharper. I don't mean simpler, for I actually enjoy a depth of vocabulary, but while sections of the book were stunning and others felt convoluted. I can't help thinking that a really hard edit would have given the book a stronger backbone and left room for some glossed over areas to be covered in more detail.

Personally, I'd have liked to have had more discussion of the terms which were new to me, perhaps with some more examples of their real-life practice so that the names and ideas sunk in.

The weakest part of the book however was the short reference to the role the practice of Yoga plays in a breakdown. What happens when your sense of who you are shatters and you're left facing the floor? The author's account of the role of these dark moments didn't resonate with me. I felt like she was hiding behind the page, skimming over something that should either have been tackled with courage or left out entirely.

However, if you have a yoga practice and you're wanting to develop the spiritual side of that practice and have it bleed into the rest of your life, it's not a bad choice of book to read.

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Great book about yoga philosophies. Very accessible. Eventually, I think I'd like to own a copy to revisit. ( )

A bit esoteric, but still an interesting look into the modern spiritual side of yoga, with a lot of wisdom for every day life. ( )

In this groundbreaking work, internationally acclaimed teacher Donna Farhi restores Yoga's traditional role as a complete, practical philosophy for everyday living. Most yoga practice focuses on the physical aspects, or asanas, neglecting the profound spiritual teachings that are at its foundation. In this book, Farhi provides a blueprint for understanding the complete philosophy of Yoga. For beginners and seasoned practitioners alike.