Book Review : Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha
What is it about?
Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha written by Swami Satyananda Saraswati of Bihar School of Yoga, begins with brief history and relevance of Yoga.Then it proceeds with detail explanation of Asanas, Pranayama, Mudras and Bandhas in their respective sections.
Asanas are divided into beginner, intermediary and advanced group of asanas, which are further subcategorized as relaxation, pre-meditation, meditation, bends, inversions, balance postures etc. Subcategories also include detailed series of Pawanmuktasana and Eye exercises. Each asana in these subcategories is mentioned with pictures along with their images, steps to follow, variations,breathing, awareness, benefits, chakras they work on, contraindications and general practice notes and counterposes if any.
Pranayama section talks about different koshas, pranas of pranamaya koshas, preparatory practices of pranayama, its effects on lifestyle and health. It also illustrates Abdominal, Thoracic, Clavicular, normal and Yogic breathing.Then it goes on to detail different pranayamas, along with their duration, awareness, contraindications, benefits and practice notes.
Bandha section details 4 main bandhas: Moolabandha, Udiyanabandha, Jalandharbandha and Mahabandha, their significance in yoga and benefits. Each bandha is explained along with breathing, duration, awareness, sequence, contraindications, precautions and other practice notes.
Mudras are introduced with ther effect on prana and science behind them. Mudras are classified into 5 main categories: hasta, mana, kaya, bandha, adhara. Mudras under these categories are explained with their benefits, duration, awareness and variations.
This book also explains Yogic cleansing kriyas (shatkarmas) chakras and nadis in detail.
In the end it enlists common ailments and asanas, pranayama, mudra, bandhas and shatkama kriyas,diet and precautions to help alleviate them. Throughout it maintains that almost all diseases in human body are psychosomatic and yogic practices can help in achieving a healthier and balanced life.
How it helps?
It definitely serves as a book every hatha yoga practitioner needs to keep handy. This book helps to understand the importance of awareness and breathing in the postures. Several asanas from pawanmuktasana series like knee, leg and shoulder socket rotation, rock and roll, butterfly are good as warmup poses.
Benefits, contraindications helps in tailoring asanas, pranayamas, mudras and bandhas according to the practitioner’s need, age or medical conditions. Counterposes mentioned for several asanas are helpful to create a balance in your body.
The advance asanas shows us where we are in our yogasana practice and how much is still left to achieve. Whether you are a student or a teacher it deserves multiple readings and references over time as it is full of concepts and details which cannot be grasped in one or two readings.
Disclaimer : The content or images in this book is not owned by me. I am just presenting a brief summary and analysis of what I read for the benefit of someone looking to pick up a new book to read.
