Book: Yin Yoga – Olivia Summers

I have, as you would expect, a number of Yin Yoga books.  I bought this one to add to my collection, you can never have too much of a good thing.

You can.  This is the one too many.

With a heavy heart, I must say this is a disappointing book.

“With Yin Yoga – it is not meant to be comfortable at all.  The whole point is to invoke change in our bodies – from our joints t our tissues to our cells.  For the duration of each pose (which can be up to five minutes or sometimes even longer) you’ll be in an excruciating amount of discomfort and ‘pain'”

“Push through the discomfort and hold the poses to retrain your body”

These sentiments worry me.  At the very core of yoga is Ahimsa – non harming – and these views don’t sit well with that.  Equally they don’t well with Yin energies being nurturing and healing – and before any one says it, yes thank you I know the difference between Yin Yoga and Restorative Yoga.

If my I taught my students on this basis not only would I be doing them a disservice, I probably wouldn’t see them again.

These are serious concerns, I would even go so far as to say the book is dangerous.  For these reasons alone I can’t recommend it.

Leave these points aside, and the lack of any pictures or diagrams make it both dry and difficulty to follow. 

In some instances terminology changes for the same asana between the main narrative and suggested flows without explanation, suggesting a lack of care in the writing.

Mercifully its quite a short book.

Sorry, not recommended.