Yoga Makaranda by Tirumalai KrishnamacharyaMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Online — Centre for Yoga Studies
This was supposed to be the first in a series of books put out by T.T. Krishnamacharya, a teacher called by many the “Father of Modern Yoga.” However, Krishnamacharya lost the patronage of the Maharaja of Mysore when Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV passed away and the heir to the throne proved much less interested in Yoga than in modernization. I mention this because as a stand-alone volume, the book might strike readers as a bit oddly organized — e.g. the book abruptly ends with the discussion of one of the yogasana and one can imagine many topics that were either to be introduced or fleshed out in later volumes.
The book is about two-thirds a manual of yoga asana (postures,) some forty-two poses ranging from basics to fairly advanced postures. The first one-third of the book presents a basic overview of yoga practice and delves into topics such as yogic ethics (yama and niyama,) dietary considerations, shatkriya, and mudra.
The book has many photos in the section about asana. These photos are large enough and clear enough that one can get the gist of the asana. The book also has a short glossary and index.
I’d recommend this book for yoga practitioners and teachers. Krishnamacharya was one of the most pivotal figures in the history of yoga and arguably shaped the practice of Hatha Yoga as we know it more than any other person.
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