Yoga Mala Paperback – July 6, 2010

Pattabhi Jois, one of the best and most important Yoga Teachers in the world.Yoga Mala is a guide to yoga by one of the most influential yogis of the modern era, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Sri Jois, who passed away in 2009, developed an approach to Hatha Yoga that is alternatively called Ashtanga Vinyasa or Ashtanga Yoga. Herein, I will use the term Ashtanga Vinyasa to represent Sri Jois’s style of yoga, which relies on a fixed sequence(s) conducted with vinyasa, i.e. flowing transitions that link postures. The reason I chose one term over the other is that the term “Ashtanga Yoga” long predates Jois and is a more generic name for the practice of all eight limbs of yoga as described in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.Having mentioned the “eight limbs of yoga,” it should be noted that this book really only gets into half of them: yama (rules for interacting with others), niyama (rules for conducting oneself), asana (poses), and pranayama (breath exercises.) Furthermore, three-fourths of the book’s pages are devoted to asana. This is not unusual as many yogis consider it a waste of time delving into the higher level practices (pratyahara [sensory withdrawal], dharana [focus], dhyana [meditation], and samadhi [liberation] with individuals who haven’t yet made headway into the more fundamental practices.After brief discussion of yama, niyama, and pranayama, Yoga Mala launches into description of the postures of the Ashtanga Vinyasa preliminary series. This begins with the two variants of the Surya Namaskara (Sun Salutations) practiced in Ashtanga Vinyasa and progresses through the poses of the standing, seated, and finishing sequences in the order in which they occur in the Preliminary Series. There are clear black and white photos of the optimal version of each asana. The written descriptions explain the entire set of vinyasa for that asana—i.e. the flowing transitions that connect one pose to the next. Most asana have a header paragraph that tells how many vinyasas are associated with the pose and which vinyasa constitutes the asana proper. This opener is followed by a “Method” section that lays out the vinyasa in detail, and—in many cases–a “Benefits” section that explains what the posture is said to do for one–and occasionally what major the contraindications are. (However, this is a poor reference for contraindications as it mostly only says what pregnant women shouldn’t do and doesn’t get into much detail beyond that.)There are a couple of things that I think could have been improved—mostly formatting / editorial critiques. The first is that the text increasingly lags the photos so that one has to flip forward several pages to view the associated photos. Also, the author often refers to a movement through a position using the numbering system of an earlier set of vinyasa, and this necessitates a lot of flipping back and forth. For example, the instructions often say “then go to the 4th vinyasa of the first surya namaskara sequence” whereas if he said “then do chataranga dandasana [or low plank]) they would have saved words and obviated need for the back and forth.Sri Jois was very devout man. For those of a similar mindset, you’ll likely find the book resonates. However, if you’re the kind of person who prefers explanations rooted in a logical or scientific approach, then you may find explanations a bit summarily invoked for your tastes. In other words, he’s prone to say, just do what the Vedas and your teacher tell you and everything will be rosy. I don’t know that this is a critique so much as fair warning. If you think that the Vedas were divinely written by infallible authors, then Jois’s approach may sound good to you. However, if you think that the Veda’s reflect the biases and limited knowledge of another era (just like our present writings reflect our current biases and limitations), you may find a few comments suspect. For example, Sri Jois makes a point of saying that the Vedas state that one can do a headstand for three hours straight without adverse effects. (To be fair, he does point out that you must do it properly and under the supervision of a teacher.)If you practice Ashtanga Vinyasa, or intend to, this is a must-read book, but it’s a useful book for those who practice Hatha Yoga of other styles as well. It’s a good summary of classic asana, and you may find something in Sri Jois’ explanation of yama and niyama to be helpful to you on your personal path.I should point out that those who aren’t sure whether they want to practice this form should be forewarned that Ashtanga Vinyasa is an intense practice. The vinyasas require a high level of core strength as well as upper body strength for Uth Pluthi (lifts) and vinyasa motions requiring that one load all one’s bodyweight onto one’s arms. Also, the fact that one is doing the “Preliminary Series” shouldn’t falsely lead one to believe that these are all the “easy” asana. That isn’t the case; there are a number of challenging poses both in terms of flexibility and strength requirements. If you haven’t done yoga before, I would only suggest Ashtanga Vinyasa for those who have a fairly high fitness level.

The OG of Ashtanga yoga, I like to have the book as a reference and as a part of a teacher who helped change the world, no matter what else happened, and elevated the collective consciousness.

What I liked the most of the book is that the benefits of each pose are explained. For example: it says of Utthita Hasta Padangushtasana "it loosens the hip joints, destroys defects of the testicles and male organs of generation, and purifies and strengthens the vertebral column, waist, hips and lower abdomen. It also eliminates constipation." Further along it says "Matsyasana and Uttana Padasana counterpose the five asanas that precede them and remove the shoulder and waist pain that result from their practice. They also purify the esophagus and anus, as well as the liver and the spleen, and furnish the waist and neck with increasing strength."This is a small book but with lots of useful information on the primary series. It explains how to practice, what to eat, how to behave (the eight limbs)...Each pose of the series is described, there aren't extraordinary tips or insights on how to go deeper into the pose or with great alignment (if you are looking for that you may want to check the books by Gregor Maehle Ashtanga Yoga: Practice and Philosophy), but there is a succint entry -with a picture of the asana- where the breath count is explained, as well as the number of vinyasas of each asana ("Doing puraka, stand, as in Prasarita Padottanasana, stretch arms out to the sides at chest level and straighten them, as in Trikonasana, and hold position; this is the first vinyasa. Then, doing rechaka, place the hands on the waist; this is the second vinyasa..."). And each entry ends with a paragraph of the benefits of each pose, what maladies they alleviate and what part of the body they act upon. There are poses for the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, pancreas, legs... you name it!At the beginning of the book P. Jois explains that the poses are to be held for five breaths, but if someone is in healing mode, "the aspirant may remain in the curative postures specific to a complaint for 50 to 80 breaths".Jois explains that the primary series is called 'yoga chikitsa' which means 'yoga therapy' and it's purpose is to cleanse the body, cure any disease and realign it with health. He says that to 'graduate' him his teacher gave him a test, he presented him with a man that was ill and told Jois: 'cure him'. I found that interesting... that the primary series is pretty much devised as medicine! and it also gets the body supple and ready for the second series that focus on the cleansing of the nervous system.

An essential book for everyone who practices Yoga particularly Asthanga Yoga as the book explains both the postures and the "rules" of yoga. This book is the heart of the Ashtanga yoga primary series; the historical documentation of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois' curriculum for asana practice and his overview and explanation of the 8-limb path. There are newer Ashtanga books written by some of Jois' long-time students that explore in greater detail different areas of the practice, but this book is considered the original source. If you are looking to incorporate Ashtanga yoga principles both on and off the mat, you will need, and want, to own this book and revisit it frequently. Wonderful explanations of the asanas of the primary series put into a traditional context. I'm very inspired to continue to practice Ashtanga Yoga tradition and be fully present in every breath while doing so.

Guru Jois explains Ashtanga Yoga: the philosophy, the poses & practice which are very helpful. He makes it clear that one cannot learn yoga without a yogi. It's helpful for me to understand yoga philosophy.