Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit: A Return to Wholeness

"I've read and really enjoyed Donna's other books, but never bothered to read this one because of my almost 10 years of practicing asana and having read tons of asana books I thought that all of the books said the same thing. I recently took one of her week long trainings and practically filled my notebook with all of this new and great information. Later I bought this book and lo and behold most of it is in this book and her Breathing Book with pictures to boot. This was really a turning point for my practice as before I was more focused on getting the "ideal" yoga pose and not going with my bone structure. Also instead of forcing something to happen I learned to go with gravity, the breath and my natural structure so I can have 'effortless movement'. This concept opened me up to lots of other books that explore this in more detail.

One thing that really stuck with me (and what I think will help you understand where she's coming from) was in her introduction:
"Increasingly doing "good" yoga has come to mean having a beautiful body, remaining forever youthful, and being able to show one's adeptness through the seemingly solid evidence of advanced postures. But as we stretch our muscles deeply or strengthen our abdominals, are we coming closer to feeling a deep peacefulness within ourselves and an inner equanimity that can meet the challenges of life in a compassionate and skillful way? Like the botanist who finally breeds the perfect rose only to discover that in the process he has lost the fragrance of the bloom, when we strip yoga to its mechanics, we also loose something essential.
I have been as guilty as any of both practicing and teaching yoga in a way that made the postures and practices more important than the spirit of the person practicing them. My early obsession with perfecting the forms of yoga brought with it a greater and greater sense of unease and dissatisfaction. The realization that I had bought into dictum of a culture obsessed with achievement and the unhappiness wrought by such striving led me to a long period of deep experimentation in my own practice....I have slowly uncovered a more natural way of discovering the essence of the practice through form. The forms then become vehicles for experiencing one's essential nature rather than goals in and of themselves. Then whether you attain any particular posture becomes irrelevant. The shift from dominating, controlling, or ignoring nature to listening and working with nature's wisdom marks the beginning of this change of mind....
I am convinced that there is nothing new about this approach and that it can best be described as a neoclassical revival of the original way of working first explored by yogis centuries ago..."

In regards to the inquiry parts of the book, they are a much better way for you to learn and understand your body instead of being told what this is doing and what you should be feeling. It also helps you build your kinesthetic awareness. In the workshop Donna came up to me and asked where I was feeling pain in my spine while practicing cobra pose. At first I was baffled b/c I hadn't requested help and didn't notice anything off the top. But she sat their patiently so I took a moment to inquire within and found "hmmm I do have this little tiny twinge". That was my aha moment. She didn't rush me, accuse me, or tell me anything. I felt as if she had given my power back. My power to listen and to know the truth within my body. It was truly amazing and I will always recommend her if you are looking for a more awakened style of practicing asana. "
~ Written on 2008-07-30

"I've not finished reading this book yet, but it has a lot of good information on yoga. So far I enjoyed it."
~ Written on 2008-07-14

"Her section on forward bends is really great. The rest of the book is a nice supplement to Iyengars "Light on Yoga". "
~ Written on 2006-11-03

"Since I first began practicing yoga several years ago, I've read a ton of different books on the subject, and so far, this is one of my favorites. Author and yogi Donna Farhi takes some of the best elements from other works and combines them into an extremely readable, practical format. For example, she begins by reviewing the eight-limbed path of yoga and then focusing on a discussion of the "ten living principles" - basically, these are moral and spiritual guidelines from yogic philosophy. She then moves on to the asana limb, or the practice of yoga postures, and introduces seven "moving principles" (breathe, yield, radiate, center, support, align, engage) to assist the reader in gaining a greater body awareness within the poses. Farhi also reviews anatomical information in a way that is much more simple and more accessible than in The Anatomy of Yoga (although this is also a wonderful book).

The second half of the book centers around the yoga asanas themselves. Farhi groups the poses into chapters on standing postures, sitting postures, back bends, arm balances and upside-down poses, and restorative postures and breathing practices. Each chapter begins with incredibly useful information on properly aligning the body, including many wisdoms which I had never seen before. The descriptions of the individual asanas are also enormously helpful; many include variations for those unable to attain the full posture. I particularly liked the suggestions included under the "Having Trouble?" section, as these anticipated common complaints in many of the poses; those who are pregnant will also appreciate the prenatal guidelines given for every pose. For the more difficult postures such as upward bow and reclined hero's pose, Farhi offers prepartory positions, often using various yoga props. Finally, the simple black and white photos provide multiple illustrations for each asana, and I found the companion photos showing "correct" versus "incorrect" versions of the poses to be especially beneficial.

The book ends with a chapter on "Putting It All Together"--ie, sequencing the postures into specific yoga practices. This was the one section of the book that I found to be a bit less helpful, partly because the shortest suggested sequence is an hour long and partly because only the names of the asanas are included here, requiring the reader to flip back to earlier sections of the book for the full pose descriptions. Overall, however, I felt that I learned many new things from this book, and I would highly recommend it to yogis of all levels."
~ Written on 2005-02-02

"As a student and teacher of this ancient practice, I found this book invaluable. The beautiful photos and readable text make a lovely and educational partnership. As it did for me, this book can become a reliable resource of inspiration and instruction. I highly recomend it!!!!---
Ned Christensen--Midway, Utah"
~ Written on 2003-10-26