cover image Vital Yoga: A Sourcebook for Students and Teachers

Vital Yoga: A Sourcebook for Students and Teachers

Meta Chaya Hirschl. Prajna, $35 trade paper (320p) ISBN 978-0-9823055-0-8

Hirschl%E2%80%94who, after working for years in stressful management jobs, ditched the corporate world to become a yoga instructor and studio owner%E2%80%94offers tips and advice to both students and teachers of yoga. Hirschl aims to help modern yogis transform their asana (pose) and meditation routines via yoga history, philosophy, and traditional practices like pranayama (breath), mantra (chanting), mudra (gesture), and drishti (gaze). The author clearly summarizes classic yoga texts, the eight limbs of yoga, pioneering teachers, energetics, and basic anatomy in a way that will greatly benefit new practitioners. She also offers an excellent overview of yoga styles, as well as sections on classical asana, advice on selecting teachers and classes, tips on becoming part of a community, and her take on applying yogic precepts to daily life via "stealth" yoga. For instructors, Hirschl offers sample yoga sequences and advice about the initial steps of opening a studio. As reference and inspiration, Hirschl's beautifully illustrated compendium will best serve novice students and teachers, as well as those aspiring to change careers.