Science of Yoga: Understand the Anatomy and Physiology to Perfect Your Practice (DK Science of) Paperback – January 8, 2019

I just received this book, The Science of Yoga, yesterday and have already read it (at least initially) cover-to-cover-- it's incredible! I have been a student of yoga my whole life (40+ years-- my mom did yoga, so I did it with her as a kid) and am also an anatomy enthusiast, as well as a social psychologist and educator by trade. I have never found a book that so elegantly integrates the wisdom of yoga with western scientific understanding of the human body and in such a beautiful and accessible manner. I love the way that it illustrates each asana (pose) from multiple perspectives offering deep insight into the ways in which each ansana supports whole body well being and giving clues to how to modify poses when people's bodies don't act the way that human bodies typically act. I have hypermobile joints which have become significantly misaligned recently; I find that my yoga practice (I include meditation as part of practice-- not separate from) is really the only thing that helps to heal my body. Seeing how each asana is meant to engage one's muscles (and body, by extension) helps me conceptualize how to modify the asana depending on how my joints are engaging that day and offers better "signposts" to help me sense my own alignment, adjust accordingly, and ultimately deepens my self-awareness on multiple levels. I also love the Q&A section and particularly admire the way that it seamlessly synthesizes western research and yoga philosophy in such a thorough and accessible manner-- the section on yoga therapy and transformation are two of my favorites! It is not only your gift for explaining complex ideas but your use of visuals (impressive!) and layout that make this work so accessible and engaging for so many people. I have already convinced both my dad and my partner to develop their own practice using evidence from the book-- they both really need it! Thank you for @AnnSwanson for creating such a helpful guide-- I am looking forward to spending many hours pouring over it!

I love this book. Ann has a masterful way of combining western and eastern philosophies as well as subtle and gross anatomy in this book. I actually use it in my yoga teacher trainings and my students love it. The illustrations, the way it’s written, everything is so spot on. This is my go to for anatomy books for yoga.

I am really enjoying this book. It is an excellent reference for proper body mechanics. It has easy to understand explanations of muscles being used. I have been reviewing it with my 10 year old. It's been great for both of us! The pictures are excellent and very well labeled

As a yoga teacher and studio owner I love this book. It's a great reminder in clip notes of all the wonderful things yoga does to your body, it has all the poses right alignments in it and it's just amazing if you are into human body and need a quick reference to look up how different fibers in your muscles are call etcYou know - all the stuff you constantly forget since it's not in your everyday language but makes a big difference to still keep it in mind

A fantastic book, easy to read & understand. It really helped me learn more about yoga & the human body, I would definitely recommend it.

After taking some nutrition and exercise science classes I became interested in anatomy and physiology. I waited for the $300 textbook to reduce in price, I got it for $8 it wasn't even worth that. This book is far far more superior. It has much more detail on every page. I love how it tells you which muscles are stretching and engaged. I love how it is divided into sections and gives you additional detail on the organs and systems throughout the book. This will keep me motivated to do my yoga for years to come.

Great illustrations and information. Exactly what I was looking for!

This book covers so much inside and out. The awesome part is how it breaks things down and makes it so understand able. No matter the level or extent you want to learn this book is a must have