Download One Simple Thing A New Look at the Science of Yoga and How It Can Transform Your Life Eddie Stern Deepak Chopra Books

Product details Hardcover 320 pages Publisher North Point Press; 1 edition (March 12, 2019) Language English ISBN-10 0865478392

One Simple Thing A New Look at the Science of Yoga and How It Can Transform Your Life Eddie Stern Deepak Chopra Books Reviews

• This is a great read for these interested in the science of yoga, beginner students and advanced practitioners. Eddie Stern does a beautiful job of explaining, in simple terms, why yoga can be so transformative. As a long time yoga student, I often find myself overwhelmed by the practice - having to be a "perfect yogi" - but this book puts those thoughts to rest. In addition to providing a concise, yet thorough description of the different elements of yoga, this book explains how and why practice can bring about changes in oneself. What I love about this explanation is that it suggests all people can benefit from practice. Yoga poses do not have to be "perfect" or look a certain way. They simply need to just be practiced. And in that practice, benefits just arise. It really does seem that simple after this read.
• Like many others, yoga has changed my life; it's the only thing that I have that is a 100% return on investment. And like many others who feel the same, I really had no idea why it was so - why does yoga work?
  
  Over the years I have kept up with Eddie's podcasts, lectures, etc, and am now reading One Simple Thing for the second time; this time making annotations and spending a little bit more time in each chapter.
  
  Eddie does a great job of eliminating the interference that can get in the way of experiencing yoga in the West. Early on in the book, he helps us to frame Yoga as a contemplative practice and begins to steadily build a foundation of understanding through his practical, real-life, modern day interpretations that cut through the opaque and mysterious nature of yogic treatises and elements of the practice.
  
  Where Eddie's text really opens up for the reader is when it all comes together in the last chapter where East and West meet on the neuroscience piece. Using accessible language, he presents his learnings from meeting with subject matter experts in their fields and makes sense of it for us at the right level of information; blending his own personal experience with scientific research. Merging the invisible and the visible worlds. If that's not enough to ponder the question of, "why am I here?" then I don't know what will.
  
  One suggestion I have is to listen to some of his recent podcasts between reading the book. This may help enrich your understanding of some of the pieces that may be new to you (the 8 Limbs of Ashtanga yoga, the Yoga Sutras, Sanskrit in general, etc). Further to that, he does spend time talking about the book and can help reinforce some points for you.
  
  Slowly, layer by layer, Eddie helps us broaden our perspectives to understand more about how having a practice (yoga, meditation, practicing kindness, etc) can help us discover our purpose in this complex and demanding world.
• I'm only on Chapter 4 but I have several shelves full of yoga books. I can already tell you that One Simple thing explains the practice of Yoga, the reasons for practicing, and the origins of the practice, more clearly and eloquently than anything that is already on my shelves. It is done without over simplifying or over summarizing. It is done in a language that flows easily between scientific data and spiritual texts. I would describe the pleasure of reading this book as listening to a really smart and engaging person, who is giving you information you thought you had but really didn't, in the most entertaining and pleasant format. Most good writers do this and they make it look so easy. It isn't.
• For decades the Western world has been drawn to yoga and felt its benefits as being strangely different from other forms of exercise. For many, we're not sure why yet we still make time for it and feel the effect. Well, this book is the most help I've had in explaining that phenomena. The author, obviously a dedicated and experienced practitioner, gives us an insight into the effect of practice on our nervous system, which for many isn't considered even after decades of practice. We begin to understand why we feel like practice is literally 'upgrading our software' (if we let it) and we begin to move way, way beyond the physical, athletic aspects of asana practice and literally become a person that is operating in a higher realm.
  I highly recommend that you take a look, and include what you'll potentially learn, into your daily yoga practice. You might just notice how your days improve, you achieve more at work, you have more friends and, well, you grow to become a better person. Thank you Eddie Stern!
• Loved the book, it is precise and concise. Gets right to the point with the theory and practice. The insights from Chapter 11 on The Nervous System, Vagus Nerve and Polyvagal theory, is a must read!
  Thank you. Poonacha
• Great read. Many interesting questions were asked and answered.
• Very thoughtful and even-handed. Not dogmatic. Love it.
• will inspire newbies and experienced yogis to keep up and why- so accessible and wonderful!