Yoga Unveiled: Its Evolution and Essence

Split over two DVDs, Gita and Mukesh Desai's three-hours-plus Yoga Unveiled offers a comprehensive history of yoga, replete with details about the various schools and insights into this Eastern philosophical and spiritual exercise regimen's journey to the West. Experts interviewed include Georg Feuerstein, founder and director of the Yoga Research and Education Center in California (and author of Yoga for Dummies), whose crystal-clear analysis and obvious enthusiasm for the subject makes him a perfect spokesperson. B.K.S. Iyengar, Krishna Das, and Swami Tyaganandaji are also on hand to comment on the history of yoga styles (hatha, kundalini, etc.), while Rodney Yee, a familiar face to viewers of yoga exercise videos, and others, expound on integrating yoga into one's lifestyle, as well as the mental and physical health benefits. Historical vignettes, such as the discussion of Swami Vivekananda's appearance at the 1893 Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago, are used to illustrate the progress of yoga into Western consciousness. Indeed, Emerson's and Thoreau's affinity for Eastern thought and meditative practices are heralded, giving the lie to the notion that yoga in the West is a New Age affectation. An excellent, in-depth examination of a perennially popular subject, this is highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (M. Tribby)