Member Reviews

While I found this book to be very interesting, it wasn't entirely practical. This is more a fault with me than with the book as I'm finding yoga harder and harder to do.

Was this review helpful?

"The Yoga Almanac" gives prompts and practice ideas for each week of the year as well as some interesting information on the foundations of yoga.

Was this review helpful?

The Yoga Almanac is a fun yoga guide that is good for both beginner and advanced yogis. There are 52 lessons focusing on a specific ritual accompanied by quick short lessons to carry you throughout the week. I appreciated the interesting connection to astrology. My major critique, however, is that no modifications for the poses are offered making it inaccessible for many folks with mobility issues.

Was this review helpful?

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This is a fantastic treasure trove of information about yoga, techniques and benefits both spiritually as well as physically.
I've always wanted to have a go at yoga but never had the time to start, but now with the current lockdown situation I am going to give it a go and feel this book is a great book for newbies like me to start with as well as a fantastic source of information and learning for those already practicing.

Was this review helpful?

This book helped me to practice yoga at home instead of going to the gym. The author tells the purpose of each pose as well as providing suggestions on reflection and meditation during the pose.

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to expand their yoga and meditation practice.

I received this galley from NetGalley.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you for letting me view this book. I honestly thought it was too wordy and spans too wide of a time period for me to read and review in a short amount of time. I like yoga and really wanted to like this book.8

Was this review helpful?

This is a really nice title for anyone practicing yoga and with a knowledge of the practice. I enjoyed the correlation of the poses and felt it was a nice perspective and addition to my library. Interesting and different from other titles I have accumulated over the years. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

Was this review helpful?

The Yoga Almanac is a beautiful book, meant to be followed by either individuals or classes.

Filled with a wealth of information and exercises, this book is ideal for following throughout the entire year.
I particularly love the introductions to each season, where it describes the spiritual nature of the season ahead and talks to through the significance astrological events.
I would recommend this almanac to anyone who wants to build a consistent yoga practice, especially those who are interested in the spiritual practices.

Was this review helpful?

The Yoga Almanac is a wonderful addition to any yogi’s library. Not only does this connect positions with the seasons and stars, but it explains why that pose is important for that time of year. The format is easy to read through in order to look for something later on. There is a focused position for each week of the year. For new yogis this is an easy way to spend time focusing on form and working through new poses they may not be familiar with. I intend to revisit this book regularly as I work through my practice.

Was this review helpful?

I flipped through this but ultimately felt the title and the contents were a mismatch. The title referred to "52 practices and rituals," but each of the practices was in reality a single pose. I liked the idea, but when the title mentioned "practices," I was assuming it would include a sequence of poses for each week, rather than just one.

Overall I liked the idea but felt that I personally would need a bit more guidance on sequencing the poses, so this wasn't for me.

Was this review helpful?

I adore philosophy so I really liked this book, I love the energy it has and the lessons being taught. I also love astrology as well but I feel I know so little about it and would like to learn more about how it impacts our day to day lives. I do agree with what some others have stated, I am a total newbie to yoga so I did find the illustrations a little abstract.

I have a really silly question and the answer is probably obvious so I'm probably embarrassing myself but.. How does someone from the Southern Hemisphere follow this book? There is so much emphasis on the seasons and their correlating signs, which are obviously different down here. What's more important? To just follow the seasons and forget about the signs? But then I'm missing out on the astrology aspect I wanted to enjoy so much. I am lost haha.

Was this review helpful?

Astrology and yoga. Two of my favourite things and put together with poses. Great for yoga lovers. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

Was this review helpful?

I've been looking to get into yoga practice without the need to go to a group class. This book will be fantastic for following once spring appears (as that is when the practice weeks start) and I am looking forward to getting started.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely love yoga and anything to do with personal growth, so when I had an opportunity to receive an advance reader copy of The Yoga Almanac in exchange for a review, I jumped on it!

The Yoga Almanac: 52 Practices and Rituals to Stay Grounded through the Astrological Seasons, is broken into 52 weekly "lessons/practices". The practices follow the zodiac wheel, so each week you are focusing on a ritual and a yoga pose that aligns with the themes of the astrological sign that you are currently in. There is an astrological themed lesson to complete as well, some mythology on the yoga pose you will be working on, and a short closing poem at the end of the lesson called dharma talk. There are art depictions of the yoga poses in the book (which I loved). It was one of my favorite things in the book.

What I liked about this book is the lessons are short enough that it something that can easily fit into the week which is perfect for those of us who want to work on our spiritual growth and practice, but are limited in time. The yoga poses are fun and not overly advanced, so even beginner yogis can go through the book with ease. The lessons/practices are something that can easily fit into a morning or bedtime routine as they do not take too long to complete but definitely give you something to think about and focus on.

The only downside for me was that I had to read through this book quickly to be able to write this review, and could not spend a week on each lesson, as intended, but I WILL be restarting the book again in the spring and following through, spending one week on each lesson.

Was this review helpful?

The Yoga Almanac is a great concept for a book. It gives a series of 52 yoga asanas (poses) with some information about them and a basic description, then pairs each with a weekly goal/thought and information about the season each pose falls in. The book gives a layout of the seasons, moving from Spring to Winter. Really cool format. Also included is a short poem-something to ruminate on for the week.
I am excited to delve into this book and maybe one day make it through it in a year. It would be a great addition to yoga goals for New Years, or even inspiring for beginning a daily or weekly yoga practice.
Glad to have stumbled upon this book, it will be nice to reflect on as the years go by too, making personal growth in yoga more visible.

Was this review helpful?

The best thing about this book was the spiritual and seasonal connection to the selection of yoga poses. The pictures were a little difficult to decipher so the book would not be suitable for yoga beginners, but it could be used in conjunction with a basic yoga instruction book. I liked the idea of meditating and doing some spiritual work during a yoga session. I found some of the information informative but not all of it was relevant so I did skim over bits. So for me some of the book was very good but not all of it, but I would read selected parts again.

Was this review helpful?

Enjoyed the layout of the book. Separated into astrological seasons, with intentions and meditations. Love that there are yoga poses directly related to the astrological seasons.

Was this review helpful?

The Yoga Almanac by Lisette Cheresson and Andrea Rice offers readers insights into obtaining a more fulfilling life and yoga practice through poses, hands-on activities, and dharma talk knowledge. The book is a great purchase for anyone interested in yoga or bettering themselves though mindfulness and self-healing practice.

Was this review helpful?

The Yoga Almanac is an easy to follow guide on how to sync yoga practices to the Astrological seasons. The 4 seasons of the year are subdivided to each astrological sign ex; Winter- Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces. There are weekly rituals, exercises, poses, and journaling prompts for each Astrological sign for a total of 52 practices.

The aim of this Almanac is to help individuals harmonize themselves with the rhythm of nature, inviting in more grounding and self-awareness. This book is friendly to anyone wanting to get into a more rooted flow. It doesn’t matter if you are a newbie or a seasoned practitioner, this book has something to offer for everyone. Even if you don’t know anything about Astrology, don’t let that scare you. Astrology is simply the seasons of the year reduced to archetypal energies that we interact with on a daily basis. Cosmic embodiment is the ultimate way on how to forge a deeper connection to nature, which ultimately helps to build a deeper and more insightful relationship with oneself.

As someone who has dabbled in Yoga but have never been able to stick with it, and as a budding Astrologer, I absolutely loved 'The Yoga Almanac.' The authors did a great job at connecting the poses to the journaling prompts and rituals, helping me to understand the mind body connection from a yogic perspective.

'The Yoga Almanac' is a great resource for those who wish to cultivate more presence and harmony in their lives via the astrological seasons. It will help you to come back into your body fortifying the relationship between mind, body, and soul...or planet, person, and practice.

Was this review helpful?

This book wasn’t what I was expecting, I was hoping for a focus on the actual poses, perhaps with a more prominent illustration of the pose and some modifications for the pose. Instead, I’d describe this book as a yoga devotional with philosophical insights. This is one of those circumstances where a book isn’t for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy.

Was this review helpful?