Yoga and You

Yoga and You by James Hewitt

Many books on Yoga are notable either for their obscurity or for popularization carried to the point of banality. Always lucid and highly readable, here is a book that is packed with sound information on what Yoga is and is not and with techniques adapted for maximum benefit to busy life-affirming westerners. Its aims, practical and non-mystical, include increased vitality a more youthful figure, physical and mental poise and relaxation.

You are not expected to tie yourself in knots. Only the most practical simplified variants ensure that they are within the capabilities of all. The exercises and postures act beneficially upon all the main muscles of the body, plus the heart, lungs, nerves and glands.

The emphasis on sound breathing and its employment to calm the mind as well as to energize the body is among the most valuable features of what is not just another book on Yoga.

The practical approach the author brings to the exercises and postures of physical or Hatha Yoga is also carried into control over the mind or Raja Yoga. Here for the first time in any work on Yoga the author introduces a western contribution to metal relaxation; a stilling of the mind’s turbulence, which being a neuro-muscular skill is as practical as learning to drive a car.

Through emphasis is always on practical techniques for healthier and more relaxed living, the reader receives a clear and concise picture of what Yoga is about. The extraordinary hygienic practices of traditional Yoga are described, though, with some exceptions, they are not advised. There is a frank and enlightening chapter of Yoga and Sex and the nineteen chapters also include advice on diet, abdominal health and trimness, and head to toe relaxation. The illustrations must be among the most effective and attractive to appear in any work on Yoga.

“Yoga does not work miracles”, the author points out, “but thousands of men and women, finding their tensions dissolving, experiencing a more serene approach to life through the practice of Yoga, have seen the change wrought in themselves as a near miracle.”

Specifications
Artist/ Author:  James Hewitt
Condition: Used, Good condition, no marks or writing, pages yellowing due to age. Images of actual book.
Format: Paperback
Publication date: first published in UK 1966, this edition dated, 1^st Tandem Edition 1967, Vintage
Number of Pages: 140, including 12-page posture illustrations.
Publisher: Tandem
Dimensions: H18.4cm x W11cm x D1.3cm, approximately