IGX

I wasn't looking for this, but it caught my eye at the bookstore. I've been going through it for about a week now, and I think its safe to say that its near the top of my list for best training books.

IMO, the book could be divided into four intertwining focuses. The first is anatomy and physiology, with plenty of diagrams. It breaks down the different types of tissue, how they are affected by each different component of yoga (and both breathing and practice are covered). It covers these areas in an extensive intro (about 100 pages), and also in each group of yoga exercises. The book reads like a textbook, but in a good way.

The second focus is yoga practice. The breakdown here seems very good. It breaks poses into groups, and goes over progressions. It's designed as a teaching text, so it mentions where students make errors, or which types of errors to expect, and how to correct them. There are a lot of exercises mentioned. The photos seem pretty good, and many have diagrams to go along with them. Being yoga, there is a strong focus on balance in the approach.

The third focus is flexibility and strength. This is a big part of yoga, but for those who do yoga primarily to increase flexibility and strength for other activities, the detail here is very useful. Some of the focuses include ankle, low back, hip, hamstring area, shoulder, and trap flexibility. There is a lot of information, and a lot more strength stuff than I expected.

The fourth focus is rehab. The book goes into detail about processes for rehab, as well as a detailed breakdown of diagnosis (ie what causes what, and how to fix it). It gives what seem to be reasonable expectations throughout.

The book is expensive, about $40 at the bookstore (amazon has it for much cheaper). I wasn't looking to buy it, but after looking through it, and testing it out for a week, I already consider it one of the best training books I own. I don't consider myself an expert on training in any sense, but I can't see anyone who posts here regularly not benefiting from this book.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/097070 ... e&n=283155