From Powells.com
"Asanas: 608 Yoga Poses is a handy visual reference tool and an aesthetically
fascinating introduction to yoga's physical possibilities. Dharma Mittra's humble
and very practical introduction offers appropriate advice for anyone with an interest
in yoga, and the section descriptions and glossary are quite helpful. In between
is a panoply of simply formatted, highly complex (if not convoluted) poses, performed
by and more impressively, photographed by the master himself. Yogis
and yoginis will thumb through appreciatively; uninitiated friends will gawk
either way, this compact, artful book is meant to be looked at. Two notes of caution:
1. Do not try all of these poses at home. 2. Once opened, this book is very hard
to put down." Malia, Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Asanas: 708 Yoga Postures is the most comprehensive illustrated guide to classic hatha yoga ever published. There is absolutely nothing like it currently available. In 1974, legendary "teacher of teachers" yogi Dharma Mittra created the Ultimate Yoga Chart as an offering to his guru, Swami Kailashananda (Yogi Gupta). Setting up a camera in his New York City studio, Dharma Mittra photographed himself in 908 yoga postures, sometimes snapping the picture by holding the trigger between his teeth. He then printed each of the photos as an 8 x 10, and then pasted them together and finally produced a poster of all the postures. The effect is like an Escher drawing: you canand#8217;t tell what is shown until you get very close, but the picture seems to move and evolve as you watch. Asanas is a stylish, design-driven book that -- for the first time ever -- collects these black and white photogrpahs and provides brief commentary.
Synopsis
In 1974, the legendary "teacher of teachers" yogi Dharma Mittra photographed himself in 908 yoga postures. He printed each photo as an 8 x 10 and pasted them together to form a poster, creating the Ultimate Yoga Chart as a gift for his teacher, Swami Kailashananda (Yogi Gupta). Asanas collects 608 of those black-and-white photographs, each accompanied by the English name of the pose and the Sanskrit characters, brief commentary, and specific combinations for Vinyasa, Ashtanga, and Iyengar practice. There are suggestions for beginning, intermediate, and advanced yoga practitioners, as well as a list of poses beneficial for particular health problems and chakra relationships. Because it builds on basic postures, Asanas will appeal to students of any of the 100 yoga styles.
About the Author
At the age of 65, Dharma Mittra continues to teach and practice yoga. He lives in New York City, NY.
Table of Contents
Sun salutations & hero series -- Standing poses -- Inversions -- Arm balancing poses -- Floor & supine poses -- Arm balancing poses -- Twists & seated poses -- Breathing & cleansing practices -- Resting poses.