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Book Review<br />
Yoga In India<br />
A Journey to the Top 24 Yoga Places<br />
by Otto Stricker & Coni Horler<br />
Reviewed by Inna Constantini<br />
In a market flooded by an array of books<br />
on yoga – from practice based guides to<br />
philosophy and anatomy books – Yoga in<br />
India has found its niche.<br />
Photographed over the course of six<br />
months in India, the book is an up to date,<br />
comprehensive and informative overview<br />
of some of the ‘top places to practice in<br />
India’. Whilst it can obviously not include<br />
every single retreat or ashram in the sub<br />
continent, the authors selected a wide range<br />
of locations (both in terms of geography<br />
and traditions), to offer a fairly honest<br />
insight into the many methods of yoga in<br />
India. In a further jest of authenticity they<br />
designed a website (free to access)<br />
associated with the book, where many<br />
more places for quality yoga courses,<br />
retreats or workshops are listed in detail.<br />
This is a wonderful source of information<br />
for yoga enthusiasts and those curious<br />
about the practice in India.<br />
With a foreword from BKS Iyengar<br />
himself, Yoga in India starts on a high note.<br />
The master himself says of the book: “It is<br />
heartening to note that the authors are in<br />
touch with almost all yoga ashrams and<br />
yoga institutes in order to present Yoga in<br />
India to the rest of the world. As yoga is<br />
taking people like a gale, lots of people call<br />
themselves ‘yogacharyas’. In this<br />
environment maintaining the purity, clarity<br />
and sanctity of the subject of yoga is<br />
essential. Herein, the authors present<br />
genuine yoga centres of India…”<br />
This is a beautiful coffee table book that<br />
honours the traditions of yoga at its very<br />
source. Going beyond the aesthetic imagery,<br />
travellers and seekers alike will find some<br />
useful information to guide them through<br />
their journeys. More practiced yogis will<br />
most likely value the non-dogmatic and<br />
open-minded vision this book provides.<br />
After all, we are all on the same path, the<br />
methods may differ, but the minds are in<br />
unison. As BKS Iyengar re-iterates, ‘the<br />
trunk (of a tree) is one but the branches are<br />
many, bending and moulding in different<br />
directions. It is the same with yoga. The<br />
root of yoga is the same as the trunk but<br />
One of the top 24 yoga places in India - the Iyengar Centre in Pune, India. Shown above, a<br />
class being taught by Geeta Iyengar<br />
the branches have grown in different<br />
directions. Today this is how yoga has been<br />
understood: to have many diverse<br />
branches.”<br />
So whether one simply wants to discover<br />
more on the various branches of yoga in<br />
India or find the ‘right’ place to learn or<br />
practice, this book tackles both.<br />
As a visually stunning guide to the some<br />
of the best places to study yoga, the book<br />
includes all the key travel information for<br />
visitors, as well as an honest and accurate<br />
view on each center.<br />
‘Yoga in India - A Journey to the Top 24<br />
Yoga places’ is indeed a must for any<br />
dreamer who seeks spiritual truth and a<br />
taste of a truly Indian experience.<br />
It is available as an e-book or as a paperback<br />
via amazon.com<br />
Inna is a yoga teacher<br />
and freelance writer<br />
currently based in<br />
London. With a<br />
background in media<br />
and PR, she<br />
experimented with a<br />
variety of yoga paths,<br />
before deciding to<br />
trade her desk for a<br />
yoga mat, and embark<br />
on an intensive Yoga &<br />
Ayurveda teacher<br />
training course in India.<br />
innayoga@gmail.com<br />
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