Yoga Workout: having a fabulous shape forever by Barbara Currie
I had to pick this book up because of the 1980’s day glow leotards, and matching ensembles. I was scared by these and did not want my past prejudices to rule me. Sadly, I was not impressed by the content of this book, even though the outfits are freaking awesome if you want to go retro. The title leaves a bit to be desired as well - what is a fabulous shape? and how long is forever?
The postures don’t resemble true asanas, in several instances mimicking the poses as shown could actually have deleterious outcomes - Warrior 1 where the knee is moving towards the toe, lunging where the knee is past the toe, garudasana hunched over - and most forward folds without lengthening the front body, and a
myriad of other postures that just don’t look right, especially headstand (looks as though she is more on the forehead - tucking chin to chest - a common theme in other poses when the chest should be lifting, not the chin tucking).
I didn’t care for the introduction which stated yoga is only for healthy people, those who are pregnant, etc. will need a doctor’s note - as if being pregnant precludes you from being healthy. She also has a small section in the introduction dedicated to pregnancy, stating that even for a person who has practiced yoga for years there are several asanas that are "all forbidden". Sorry, yoga doesn’t really work that way, and Surya Namaskar is something I do every day - if needed there are modifications, I really don’t like when people interject fear into yoga because of their own ignorance or desire to dissuade certain groups from practicing (here being liable if a pregnant lady used the book and were injured - why not say - I’m not trained in prenatal yoga, or this book does not address the needs of a pregnant woman).
There are not enough instructions that pertain to alignment and correct posture for the poses, a lot of emphasis is given to "do not strain" when more should have been given to how to attain a stretch. A lot of subliminal negativity overall in the book.
So I have my own personal problems with the wording of the book, issues professionally with the information and photos and overall believe this should have been marketed or titled as a book for calisthenics, though some of these would still be dangerous..
I give this book 1 star out of 7.
