exercise and fitness

As a person who follows Ayurvedic health principles and has a regular yoga practice, I was already familiar with most of the concepts presented in this book. My fitness and athletic performance have greatly benefitted from these principles. However, this is the first book I have read that really applies the pricniples to fitness and athletic competition. The book has several techniques that I already knew, but did not consider applying to athletics as described in the book. I have been doing the breathing method described for years, but never considered actually doing it during competition. It works.

When I first found this book I did not look closely at it and assumed it was another slick marketing gimmick riding the mind-body trend. Then I attended one of the author's lectures at a yoga conference and recognized that Mr. Douillard has a throrough knowledge of Ayurveda. Although Ayurveda and Yoga are becoming more well known for their general health benefits, Mr. Douillard is one of the few to properly apply these principle to fitness and athletic competition.

The best part about this book is that anyone can read it and immediately benefit from it regardless of age or physical condition. No previous knowledge of Ayurveda and Yoga required. The author takes very sophisticated knowledge and methods from the sciences of Ayurveda & Yoga and presents them in a form Americans can readily understand. The concepts are normally part of more structured teachings and usually include extensive Sanskrit terminology. For example, the mind-body constitutions Vata, Pitta, Kapha are renamed Winter, Summer, Spring in the book. Also, the breathing technique Ujjayi Pranayama is referred to as Darth Vader breathing. While these innovative synonyms might make a room full of experienced practitioners cringe, they are perfect to convey powerful knowledge to an audience that would be confused by or indifferent to more precise terminology. My only criticism of the book is that some of the descriptions of the techniques are not as well presented as they could be. While they are adequate, they are better presented in other yoga books. Regardless of how the techniques are presented, any reader would greatly benefit from taking a few yoga classes. Virtually all of the techniques described in the book are introduced in the first few classes at the beginners level.

I picked up this book at a relatives house and could not put it down. After reading it, I have to own it. If you are a serious athlete who has ever over-trained, this book is for you(or, if you simply want to avoid overtraining in the future...) John combines Auyervedic principles with Yoga, creating a way to perform better while straining yourself even less. So far I have only incorporated his principles in one workout, but with complete success. I'll know better as the next few weeks progress how easy it is to follow the principles in the book. I read a different book on Auyervedic principles(Quantam Health?), which was good but not too extremely easy to follow. John has laid out how to live the Auyervedic way, and specifically how to apply it to athletic training, in a simple and easy to follow manner.

I first read this book back in the early nineties after hearing an interview of Mr. Douillard on NPR. The introduction to his book explains that he is looking to make participation in sport more accessible to all people, not just the elite athletes. The breathing techniques he discusses sound nuts at first, and are a little trick to master (especially if you have a cold!) but once you get used to them, they really really work. I was never athletic growing up, but since reading this book, I have used the techniques and completed 17 marathons, including 4 ultramarathons. I never finish first - but I really enjoy participating. Before being exposed to these techniques, I never would have thought I could run a mile - much less 50! If you are looking to start an exercise program, get into shape, or have a specific fitness goal, this is a really worthwhile book.