Review of The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga (Paperback)

This book was my first yoga book; as such it is close to my heart.I read it (in another edition) in 1974 and used it as a guide to my practice for many years thereafter.It is not, of course, “complete.”No “complete book of” ever is.That is a publisher’s fiction.It is however, very thorough in presenting the yoga of Patanjali and the classical Hatha Yoga Pradipika to the English speaking reader.Much of the book is devoted to asana, highlighted by 146 photos of demonstration by an unidentified young man, who is as good as, if not better than (if that is possible), the accomplished and illustrious B. K. S. Iyengar in showing the sort of suppleness and precision that can achieved.The photos really are extraordinary.There is an excellent and lengthy chapter on pranayama and several on the philosophy and spiritual aspects of yoga.Consequently this goes beyond hatha yoga and becomes a treatise on raja yoga, the so-called “king’s yoga” or “ashtanga yoga,” or “eight-limbed” yoga–the yoga codified and outlined by Patanjali about eighteen hundred years ago.Raja yoga, which is a continuation of hatha yoga, is to be distinguished from the three other yogas of the ancients, karma yoga, bhakti yoga, and jnana yoga, respectively the yogas of selfless action, devotion, and knowledge. (There is also tantric yoga, the so-called “left-handed path,” the beginnings of which are lost in antiquity.Following the example of the Bhagavad Gita, tantric yoga is not mentioned in this book.)Raja yoga is sometimes called “the science of mental control,” as it is here on page 220.

There are many experts on asana; and there are many academics whose knowledge of yoga and yoga culture is extensive.But there are few public teachers of yoga who have mastered all aspects of yoga and can be said to be truly accomplished.Vishnu-devananda is one of them, that is clear from this book.B. K. S. Iyengar is another.I have read nearly a hundred books on yoga in English, and I would not be able to identify more than a handful of other authors as “siddhas,” or “accomplished ones.”Usually, a yogi who realizes samadhi ceases to be a public person.It is only the few–perhaps taking their inspiration from the Buddha, who returned from bliss to instruct humankind–that actually take the trouble to write books.I believe that Vishnu-devananda may be one of them.Certainly the knowledge and wisdom emanating from these pages suggests as much.Incidentally, “Vishnu” is one of the deities of Hinduism (“the Preserver”); a “deva” is a personal divine (such as Krishna, a manifestation of Vishnu); and “ananda” is bliss itself.

Yoga, fully realized, is a mystical and religious practice–be sure and understand that it is a practice: mere knowledge will not be efficacious.Its ultimate purpose is the realization of the Absolute, or to be joined with the Ineffable, or to live continually in the state of samadhi (three ways of saying what is essentially the same thing).Nonetheless, physical health and well-being can be gotten along the way (indeed they are prerequisites to samadhi), and sufficient in themselves as reasons for taking up the practice.

One of the auxiliary strengths of this book is in its presentation of the Vedic and Hindu viewpoint through the study and practice of yoga.Swami Vishnu-devananda reveals himself here as an accomplished jnana yogi as well as a master of raja yoga.While I do not agree with everything written here, and could easily point to some exaggerations (hyperbole, of course, is part of the tradition of yogic literature, fulfilling an “intentional” purpose) as well as to some ideas that are perhaps more central to Hinduism than to yoga itself, I nonetheless believe that what Vishnu-devananda writes is wise and measured and worth careful study. I don’t think one can really understand yoga or appreciate its place in our world without not only a long practice but also a concomitant study of its origins and historical development in the Hindu, Buddhist, Tantric, Jainist and other traditions.This book is an excellent beginning.

Product Description
Since 1960, more than 1 million people have used this classic guide to tap the incredible power of yoga. The attractive new edition, in a new size, will appeal to a wide audience of contemporary yoga students.

From the Inside Flap
Since 1960, more than 1 million people have used this classic guide to tap the incredible power of yoga. The attractive new edition, in a new size, will appeal to a wide audience of contemporary yoga students.

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Review of Baby’s First Tattoo (Hardcover)

This book made me laugh so hard- It has a lot of great tihngs in here that all parents go through but would rather not discuss- These are the things you should be told if you’re a first time parent:)

Product Description
Millions of people think children are the cutest, cuddliest, most wonderful creatures in the whole world. These people do not have children! They have nice things. They collect fragile pottery. They have candlelit dinners in fancy restaurants. They go to the cinema. They have white carpets. People with children haven’t been to a restaurant without plastic cutlery for years. The last film they saw in a real-life cinema with popcorn was Chariots of Fire And their house looks like it was decorated by Fanny Craddock. “Baby’s First Tattoo” is for them. For years, parents have been buying baby books to document all the precious moments in their baby’s life – Baby’s First Tooth, Baby’s First Haircut etc. What have been ignored for too long are those ‘alternative’ precious moments that really should be written down and celebrated – Baby’s First Projectile vomit, to name but one. Otherwise one might forget them and make the foolish error of thinking of becoming a parent once again.

About the Author
Jim Mullen has seven brothers and sisters and sixteen nieces and nephews. When not in therapy he writes for ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY.

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Review of The Complete Guide to Baby’s First Year (The Practical Handbook Series) (Hardcover)

My partner and I were very impressed with this book, as first time parents we weren’t sure what to expect and this book gives you a run down month by month.It is amazing comparing what your baby can do and what the book says they should be doing.The Guide also gives helpful information about sleeping, teething for example. The best thing about this book however is that it gives you the basic guidelines and is not long winded like many baby help book.

Product Description
How to plan effectively and cope with any situation in your baby’s first year as well as how to help your baby to grow strongly, develop quickly and progress smoothly.

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Review of Baby Steps: The “Whys” of Your Child’s Behavior in the First Two Years (Paperback)

I have used this book as a supplement for teaching infant developmentcourses at the college level.Students find the information in this bookeasy to read and understand.It gives an overview of development in thefirst two years of life, including changes in social, physical, mental, andemotional growth.The author also provides many personal examples that thereader can relate to.I strongly recommend this book for any one who wantsto understand more about basic child development.

Product Description
From birth to the end of the second year, a child undergoes extraordinary changes. This wise and compassionate guide walks parents through those changes step by step. By describing the ‘how and why’ of child behaviour, Baby Steps takes much of the guesswork and anxiety out of parenting and child care.

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Review of The Fathers Book: Being a Good Dad in the 21st Century (Family Matters) (Paperback)

This was a fun book to read. Congratulations to Wiley for finding David Cohen to author this book. This book is part of a new series on Family Matters introduced by Wiley to highlight common topics relevant to the 21st century family.
David Cohen is a psychologist, writer and also film-maker, who has been involved with many interesting and funny projects. His PhD thesis, as an example of this, was on the subject on what makes children laugh. In this book he has used his talents as a reporter, a psychologist, an academic, as a father to two children and stepfather to another two. The book is very personal on his experiences and relationships to his parents, his ex-wife, present wife and children.
Every year around 120 million men become fathers, but very few were ever taught the profession of being fathers, because very few fathers tell their sons about this task. Men usually do not talk about these things and the author’s father only told him two things, honour the mother of your children and send them to decent schools.
This book has 12 chapters, from the history of fathers (from Abraham to Woody Allen) to the new dependency paradox, where it seems that today’s children are very reluctant to leave home. This is due to the harsh world out there with sky high rents, stress and why leave the nest, when the nest will provide you with food, drinks, computers, e-mail, emotional and financial support.
We recommend this book to both new and old fathers, you will have a good laugh, but it will also provide you with intelligent and relevant information for the task of being “a good enough father”. …. …. …. …. …. ….

Product Description
Being a dad isn’t easy — just ask David Cohen.

In this personal and humorous account, he shares with us not only his experiences of being a father, but his in-depth knowledge of psychology. Along the way, you’ll pick up tips — about child development from the terrible twos to teenage tantrums; about sex with your partner in the weeks after childbirth; about accepting your stepchildren’s rules about socks.

The Father’s Book is a mine of information you’ll re-read many times. It is a wise best friend who can advise on discipline, how much time to spend with the kids, favouritism, their play, personalities and IQ, helping with homework and more serious problems and allowing them space to grow and leave. You’ll wonder how you ever coped without it.

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Review of Nipple Confusion, Uncoordinated Pooping and Spittle: The Life of a Newborn’s Father (Paperback)

I’ve read a number of books geared towards the expecting or new father and have found this one to be the most enjoyable.Friedman captures the daily trials and tribulations with a wry sense of humor and touching sentiment.The book flows nicely, chronologically from late pregnancy though his daughter’s first year and covers the major topics of early parenthood with helpful and insightful advice along the way.Not dry or patronizing like some advice-books, “Nipple Confusion…” made me laugh outloud and would certainly bring comfort to the expecting father who may otherwise feel alone or even petrified about the thought of a new baby in his life.

Product Description
There are the first-year milestones that everyone talks about–baby’s first smile, first steps, and first words–and then there are all the firsts that everyone conveniently forgets to mention. The first time you find yourself hanging around the baby store parking lot, waiting for the doors to open so you can make an emergency breast pump purchase. The first time you discover that girls, too, can shoot pee across the changing table when you’re least expecting it. And the first time you discover baby poop smeared on your tie moments before you need to leave for work (and it was your wife, not you, who changed the poopy diaper). It’s not surprising that firsts like this leave you feeling like you’re on your own as a new father, and that perhaps you should’ve skimmed one or two of your partner’s what-to-expect books that appeared everywhere around the house over the course of her pregnancy.

With Nipple Confusion, Uncoordinated Pooping and Spittle: The Life of a Newborn’s Father, Roger Friedman wonderfully captures all of his daughter’s firsts in an often humorous, sometimes poignant, and occasionally grown-up manner. It’s an enjoyable, honest account of the confusing, terrifying, and downright messy world of parenthood. Not only does it give you an idea of what might be in store, it lets you know you’ve got plenty of company when it comes to all of those firsts you never imagined.

About the Author
Roger Friedman never meant to write a book. The longtime journalist wanted to chronicle the experience of fatherhood to eventually share with his daughter, and a book appeared. Friedman has written for dozens of publications. He is editor at The Motley Fool, armed with a mission to educate, amuse and enrich. He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and two dogs?oh yeah, and his baby.

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Review of Dr. Susan Love’s Menopause and Hormone Book: Making Informed Choices (Paperback)

This is a revision of Dr. Susan Love’s Hormone Book – which was updated and republished after the Prempro arm of the Women’s Health Initiative was halted.

The best thing about this book is its perspective.Susan Love writes as a woman experiencing menopause.She’s a doctor and serious researcher who insists on hard EVIDENCE, not just good theories.She’s a doctor who feels a responsibility to her patients and readers, a responsibility to fully and accurately INFORM them, so that they can make their OWN choices.She’s a researcher who knows how to analyze and re-analyze data.She is open minded.

This book sets out to inform women about menopause, its mechanisms, its symptoms, its accompaniments, and ALL the available treatment choices from positive thinking, to diet, to acupuncture, to herbs, to pharmaceuticals, to exercise, and everything in between.It includes information on what is and isn’t known about each possible treatment, as well as the risks and benefits of each.

Dr. Love is not looking for “converts” to one side or the other of the “hormone wars,” as so many menopause/hormone authors seem to be.She is not the sort of doctor who tells patients/readers what to do.She clearly feels that every woman should make her OWN choices, and that those choices will be different for each individual woman.While educating her readers, she is also good enough to state her own positions, so readers can factor in consideration of her personal prejudices.Yet, she clearly supports women’s choices whether or not they are ones she would make herself.She asks only that those choices be based on understanding and knowledge.

The Prempro phase of the Women’s Health Initiative was halted due to the serious side-effects of that drug. Susan Love largely predicted those results in the earlier editions of this book.She had the courage to stand-up to other doctors in a field which is not her specialty (she’s a breast surgeon), and question the “evidence” upon which they relied for their theories and therapies.She stuck to her guns although she was severely criticized (and readily admitted when she herself was in error).Despite the fact that Dr. Love was widely vindicated by the Women’s Health Initiative, she refrains from taking an “I told you so” position in this new edition that incorporates the Prempro findings of the WHI.

This book goes further than just informing.It goes into detail on just about every possible form of menopause therapy: eastern, western, new-age and old wives’ tale.It also details virtually every variety of drug, every dosage, every form of administration, as well as the particulars of what actions specific medications, herbal and naturopathic remedies might have.Dr. Love educates us with whatever solid knowledge there is about each, and she gives us tools to help evaluate future data.She is a scientist whose mind is open to considering all possibilities.And, she’s a woman who knows the menopause experience.

Product Description
In the first edition of this important bestselling book, praised by Newsday as “the bible for a whole generation of menopausal women,” renowned physician and pioneering women’s health advocate Dr. Susan Love warned about the potential dangers of the long-term prescription of hormone replacement therapy. Her insightful words of caution have been backed up by the stunning results of the recent studies on hormone replacement.

In this revised edition, Dr. Love offers a remarkably clear set of guidelines as to what the studies have shown about the risks regarding heart disease, breast cancer, stroke, and other conditions, and what effect hormone therapy has on osteoporosis. She offers definitive expert advice about whether or not to go on hormone replacement therapy and, if so, for how long, as well as how to taper off hormones; and she introduces the alternative methods for treating the symptoms of menopause.

Dr. Love stresses that menopause is not a disease that needs to be cured-it is a natural life stage, and every woman ought to choose her own mix of options for coping with symptoms. A questionnaire about your own health history and life preferences helps you develop a program that will best fit your unique needs. With clarity and compassion, she walks you through every option for both the short and the long term, including:

- lifestyle changes (diet, exercise, and stress management)
- alternative therapies (including herbs and homeopathic remedies)
– available medications other than hormones

About the Author
DR. SUSAN LOVE, M.D., is an adjunct professor of surgery at UCLA and the president of the Susan Love, M.D., Breast Cancer Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the eradication of breast cancer. She is the author, with Karen Lindsey, of the renowned Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book. She lives in Los Angeles..

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Review of Desiderata for Baby Lovers: A Guide to Life & Happiness (Hardcover)

The pictures alone are worth the price of the book.There is nothing like baby pictures to make your soul sing and your smile broad.Putting together the Desiderata with baby pictures makes this a perfect gift book for expectant parents or new parents.I am buying more so that I am ready for my own kids. This little gem is perfect.

Product Description
Nothing could more perfectly illustrate the Desiderata‘s mood and meaning better than this gallery of innocent, adorable tots. A peacefully sleeping infant helps us remember “what peace there may be in silence” and a tiny hand gripping the edge of a crib shows exactly what it means to “nurture strength of spirit.” It’s an inspired and unusual pairing of words and images that would be the ideal gift for a mom-to-be at her baby shower, expectant grandparents, and every parent.

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Review of Dream Baby Guide: Positive Routine Management for Happy Days and Peaceful Nights (Mass Market Paperback)

Have you got a child that just does not sleep regardless of what you do?Have you visited and sought the advice of every professional, friend and relative to find that their advice does not work for you?Are you barely managing getting through your day with next to no sleep and your child is grumpy and over-tired but still will not sleep more than a short amount of time?
Look no more – this is the book for you and you will solve the sleep problem in a short time frame.I can say this with such confidence because I have experienced Sheyne’s methodologies myself with amazing results.I had two very difficult sleepers – then ages 6 months and 2 1/2.I was getting 5 hours of sleep a day, I was at the end of my rope and no one could help me.Control crying was barbaric and escalated the situation for my toddler.Enter Sheyne and her straight forward, effective and positive routine.In two days I had kids that slept for 12 hours every night.I have to admit that at first I raised an eyebrow – role playing to a 6 month old who couldn’t speak themselves seemed a bit of a stretch I thought at the time.But it works – it really does.Kids and babies understand so much more than we appreciate.I have absolute faith in her approach and I still reap the rewards of happy kids and a peaceful, positive home.

Product Description
A complete program for caring and interacting with your baby aged 0-2 years, particularly focusing on sleep, play, communication and routine, by the original Australian ‘baby whisperer’ and early childhood expert, Sheyne Rowley.

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Review of 7000 Baby Names: Classic and Modern (Paperback)

It is very good for naming any child. It is my favorite baby name book because I liked the way it was set up.

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