This was such an interesting and helpful book as a yoga teacher. I try to focus my classes on facts and science so my classes are safe and enjoyable for students. I ended up recommending this book to many students to try out.

It has take me awhile to get around to writing this review because I never “finish” the book. This, to me, is meant to be a reference book. I like to pick parts to read and practice. Very helpful to have a yoga instructor who is also a uphysical therapist. Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review..

Until very recently, every high-level yoga teacher I had ever met had experienced one or more very serious injuries--usually to the hips, hamstrings, shoulders, or pelvis--often unintentionally inflicted by the hands of their yoga teacher. In the early days of yoga's popularity (in the US, at least) there were very few yoga teacher training programs. Those that existed were fairly exclusive, in that you needed years of experience practicing and the recommendation of your own yoga teacher before you could apply for the program. On the one hand, this had the result of yoga teachers who had years (often decades!) of practice before studying to become teachers. On the other hand, this also resulted in a very small number of yoga teacher training programs, and in the case of most yoga schools what you learned as a student, you learned to teach, and you taught to your students--no outside study, no "cross-pollination" with other yoga teachers, schools, and practices. In many ways, Judith Hanson Lasater is both a product of that yoga teacher training system, and one of the greatest forces for its evolution.

I knew I wanted to buy this book before I finished reading chapter one. Maybe even before that. When I saw the subtitle for chapter 2 ("Why you don't need neck rolls, but do need blankets for shoulder stand") I got really excited--I was fortunate enough to have a yoga teacher training program that explained the anatomy of the neck and why blankets are essential for shoulder stand, and cringed every time I attended a class where the teacher included shoulder stand without blankets. (I may have even "suddenly developed a shoulder issue" that prevented me from executing a shoulder stand in those classes, wink, wink.)

While Judith Hanson Lasater's name often appears in discussions of yoga '"celebrities," it's not because she's playing the role of yoga rock star, standing in front of hundreds and teaching to a live band. It's because among all yoga teachers, Ms. Lasater is one of the few who has continued to learn and experiment with that knowledge in her practice, then translate that knowledge into something useful for other yoga teachers. She's been writing for Yoga Journal since before it was purchased by a media conglomerate, and regularly teaches for Yoga U and other teacher training course offerings. In doing this, Ms. Lasater is not afraid to upset the sacred cows. She is one of the first instructors I remember speaking out against the "position your pelvis between two panes of glass" instruction (attributed to Iyengar teacher training and repeated daily by thousands of yoga teachers--I used to be one of them) often used in trikonasana or virabhadrasana II.

This book continues to question the assumptions taught in even some of the most well-known yoga teacher trainings, explaining the anatomy involved and WHY that assumption is incorrect. But more than just explaining it, Ms. Lasater provides step-by-step instructions for how to personally experience what she is explaining. (For this reason, it might be worth purchasing the audio book as well, especially if you don't have someone to read it aloud to you so you can focus on your movement.)

While you might think this book is geared exclusively towards yoga TEACHERS, I highly recommend it for all students. This is NOT a "beginning yoga book" but I highly recommend it for beginners to yoga. The reason for this is simple. Given the proliferation of yoga teacher training programs, many of which provide little instruction in anatomy, or were written with the assumption the trainees are already involved in a discipline that requires advanced anatomy knowledge, if you read this book you will likely know more than your teacher the next time you go to yoga class. This is important because then YOU the student will know the right feel of the pose in YOUR body (regardless of what it looks like) and will be able to opt-out of misguided but well-intentioned attempts to assist/correct/etc. your pose.

There are a ton of Yoga books out there but there aren’t many that really dive into how to manage the poses correctly. I’ve been practicing Yoga for 3 years at home before I realized there was a better way to do it and that I was actually not putting my body into the poses the right way to get the results I was hoping for.

I’m a long time sufferer of mild-Scoliosis and it has affected my quality of living over the years, just not enough for me to take steps medically to correct. There's just not enough of a curve to deem it necessary so I’ve looked to other ways to help alleviate the pain and discomfort. You can imagine my surprise when after practicing Yoga consistently, that I started seeing and feeling results not just in my back but everywhere and I was learning how to breathe properly which aids us in other ways!

If you’re looking to learn more about Yoga to enhance your knowledge this is the book for you, but if you’re just getting started I highly recommend it as well! You’ll start off with a great foundation that will guide for years to come and really give you the Yoga body you want!

Yoga Myths by Judith Hanson LasaterIf you've been in yoga for any length of time, you've heard of Judith Hanson Lasater. In a recent podcast I listened to, she mentioned that she will have been teaching for 50 years next year. So she should know what she's talking about. And this book is a definite exploration into what has changed in yoga and our understanding of the human body. Of course, the biggest one is "tuck the tailbone." When I started practicing in 1999, I very much remember my teacher demonstrating how/why tucking the tailbone would serve you in your poses as well as in the rest of your life. But that has slowly evolved as have other ways we do poses. Well, depending on the type of yoga you practice. The book has lots of great pictures with variations for each pose and long descriptions of why each might serve better than a "traditional" pose.

Four stars
This book came out August 25th
ARC kindly provided by Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Opinions are my own

The blurb accurately describes this book. Lasater does an excellent job explaining biomechanics so that you will understand how to move more safely. The discussions of anatomy and physiology can be a bit technical at times. If you don’t have any training in this area, this may be a challenging read. However, generous illustrations help clarify the concepts.

I appreciated the structure of the book. Each chapter introduces a myth and offers a teaching story demonstrating the potential dangers of that myth. Next, the relevant anatomy and physiology is explained. Then asanas (or pranayama practices in the chapter on breathing) are used to help you experientially explore the prior instruction. That section, called “Attentive Practice,” begins with cautions and props needed. Each new chapter builds upon the previous content in a logical progression.

I enjoyed the chapters explaining how shoulders and knees are designed to function since I have had trouble in both of those areas. I also really appreciated the chapter on practicing during menstruation, pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause.

Many of the practices require props, and some will be hard to do if you don’t have a teacher to guide you. However, I think this book has something to offer anyone who enjoys yoga.

Thanks to Shambhala for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.

This is a beautiful book. There are photos showing you a yoga move and then there will be illustrations of what body part is helped by doing the move. There is explanations of each move. Overall an excellent guidance book if you are interested at all in yoga.
The book would make a great gift for someone that is interested in yoga.

If you're a yogi with a few classes under your belt and beyond, then this is the book for you! This book isn't quite what I had imagined (I had thought that each chapter would highlight one cue that teachers commonly give, then debunk the cue); each chapter talks about a part of the body that is often misunderstood or miscued in yoga more generally, then goes in detail about anatomy and alignment, ending with key takeaways and a practice session covering what was just taught. It's actually fairly dense (which is why the author even recommended reading through the book twice before taking the lessons onto the mat to put the new knowledge to practice). Even as a seasoned practitioner, I will need to read it again in order to really digest the information. There isn't a ton of new information in the book for long time yogis who have always had a high level of awareness of or interest in yoga anatomy, which is why I would recommend this book for beginners because it's better to learn this early than to have to "unlearn" unsafe habits. But the presentation of information is very clear, and it's still a great reference guide for all levels of yogis. The book could be made more appealing by using anatomy pictures and the yoga photos in color rather than black and white throughout the book!

Judith Hanson Lasater is such an incredible resource of yoga information and I always enjoy her books - this was no exception. She tackles common yoga asana instructions that are actually counter to what your body should be doing from a functional anatomy perspective, and presents the information in an in-depth yet accessible way with diagrams and photographs. A book that every teacher should read, at the least.

***Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication date August 25, 2020.***

3 stars
⭐⭐⭐

This book seems to have a lot of information on ways to potentially adjust your yoga practice. However, the information was more technical oriented for someone like me to follow, meaning someone who has NO background of how anatomy ties in with yoga. Would definitely be worth a re-read after getting a better anatomical background understanding. ☺️

This is quite well done. It's very serious and practical, with some helpful photos (although I wish there were more), and lots of detailed, helpful info. Being essentially self taught, this answered some questions I had about some poses, and I'll make some corrections. This also covers some deep relaxation poses which I've never tried. This is important info to avoid injury or long term problems. It's not comprehensive, but covers a lot of popular poses. 3.5 stars.

Thanks very much for the review copy!!

This book is so informative! Judith Hanson Lasater goes into great detail regarding many different poses, when is the right time to do them (i.e. avoid certain poses or modify when on your period or when pregnant). She also includes a lot of diagrams, take aways from each chapter as well as things to be cautious of. I recommend this book for anyone who practices or teaches yoga, even if it is a home practice.

Idiosyncratic and Technical

This might be a useful book for a teacher or advanced practitioner. For a casual student it didn't offer much. The author has very fixed and distinct attitudes about many aspects of yoga practice, and without a deep background in the subject it's not possible to tell whether her approach is revolutionary or out in left field. At any rate the topics she addresses cry out for in person demonstration and are poorly served by just text and the occasional posture photo and stock anatomy drawing.

There are a ton of yoga books out there, so why should you buy this one? Because chances are, you're doing it wrong. Or at least some of it. But again, why THIS one? Because Judith Hanson Lasater knows yoga and anatomy, and how to teach it.

Judith Hanson Lasater is not just an author of yoga books or a yoga enthusiast. She is THE go to person for yoga. I don't say this lightly. Judith is quite an impressive woman. She has a Ph.d. in East-West Psychology and is a physical therapist. She has taught yoga around the world since 1971.and trains yoga teachers in just about every state. She is president emeritus of the California Yoga Teachers' Association. .She is also a founder of the Iyengar Yoga Institute in San Francisco, CA, and a founder of Yoga Journal magazine. If you've ever been to a yoga convention, chances are, she's been a guest speaker.

I have a few other books by her, so when I saw Yoga Myths on Netgalley, I might have squealed a little. Okay, a lot. I've been practicing yoga ever since I became ill in 2013, and I've learned a lot, but Yoga Myths really put me in my place and explained in detail how and why I was doing certain things wrong. Parts of this book are very technical, keep in mind she's also a physical therapist, so she knows anatomy and physiology, which is incredibly important when practicing yoga safely. While the technical portions may seem dry and boring to someone that's not into that stuff, I encourage you to get through it, because you, and your body, will see huge benefits from it. After going through the technical details, she does walk you through poses and the proper way to go about it for your body and how to recognize what is correct for your body. I wish I had this book years ago!

This book is absolutely brilliant. I highly recommend this book and any others by her. She is phenomenal.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Shambhala Publications, Inc for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

With the increasing popularity of yoga, a book like this is incredibly necessary for anyone looking to maintain health and safety in their practice. As a yogi myself, I found the information presented in the book to be content I've encountered numerous times in yoga classes and I've always wondered how credible the information on alignment, breathing, etc. I was being told really was. It turns out that a lot of the claims are false and I appreciated the breakdown of the anatomy of the body during yoga, as well as the proper way to approach poses. I hope every yoga teacher and practitioner gives this a read!