books for learning ashtanga

[Guest guest]

What would a club be without

controversy?<br><br>I also like Power Yoga. Despite its faults - i.e.

minor omissions from first series, major omissions fom

second series, (the title?) - I still think it has about

the most comprehensive descriptions for beginners.

David Swenson's (also good) book is in my opinion more

useful as a reference for experienced students than a

primer for beginners. <br><br>But trying to learn from

any book really isn't a great idea, although it might

be better than nothing. If there is no teacher near

you, it's certainly worth trying to get to a few

workshops if you can afford the time and money. Or

(heretical thought, but ...) if there is a good teacher of

some other style of yoga near you, maybe try them.

Astanga isn't the only valid path.

[Guest guest]

"Or (heretical thought, but ...) if there is a

good teacher of some other style of yoga near you,

maybe try them. Astanga isn't the only valid path."

<br><br>I agree. At work we have a yoga club which offers

an hour's class every lunch-time and every evening

(try setting one up where you work!) - a different

teacher every day - which I attend when I can, and have

done over the last 25 years. These are classic hatha

yoga classes, and I have to admit that since I

discovered Ashtanga (I go to three weekly classes outside)

four years ago I find them rather slow and

unsatisfying. However, they do give you time to concentrate

more fully on correct alignment, practise bandhas

(which tend to slip if you have limited time in a

posture) and feel the postures in greater depth, all of

which can only enhance the Ashtanga

practice.<br><br>Now some questions:<br><br>Are "Ashtanga" and

"Astanga" equally correct (just different ways of

transcribing the sanskrit, I presume)?<br><br>Is Ashtanga a

form of hatha yoga (I assume so as the postures are

the same)?<br><br>Any ideas on how to refer correctly

to what I call "soft" yoga, i.e. the conventional

yoga taught by e.g. Van Lysbeth, where you hold a

posture for a while then stop and relax?<br><br>I am

sorry if these questions sound rather pedantic but (a)

I am a linguist and like to use words correctly,

and (b) I am "President" of our yoga club and before

joining people often ask things like "What sort of yoga

do you do?"<br><br>Thanks in advance for any

replies.<br><br>Dave