Nadi Sodhana: Yoga in the Tradition of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois : The Intermediate Series Practice Manual

Autorizative and faithful with the source. This is a deep reference of Ashtanga Yoga Intermediate Serie. Petri did a great job compiling Pattabhi Jois’ teaching and preserving it for future generarions

Wonderful book. Great explanations of Intermediate Series and clear guidance on the postures. Wonderful interviews too. A must have book for any practitioner of Ashtanga Intermediate Series.

The hidden challenge for all practical textbooks -regardless of the field- lies in transmitting real knowledge without getting lost neither in too much details nor in too forcing concepts. Some music primers for instance shock your open musical soul with playing just scales for weeks or even month - while on the other hand some vegan cooking books have the extreme broad perspective to save the whole world before sending you to buy some industrially produced protein substitute like seitan.With the disclaimer that I am just a student of Ashtanga Yoga and by no means an advanced yogi, I have to say, that in my eyes Petri Räisänen’s book „Nadi Sodhana“, a manual of the so called Intermediate Series of Ashtanga Yoga, just touches that sweet spot between general horizon and very specific reality. It explains in an easy to understand and systematical way, supported with pictures and clear grafics, the sequence of poses. Actually, every single breath in and out is displayed. But what is much more, and that is the real point, all these technical instructions are embedded in a real life and spiritual background: the book is based on a series of interviews, which Räisänen made with the worldwide accepted Guru of Ashtanga Yoga, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, in the years 2006-2007.In that sense it’s a unique document how at the time of the interview the poses -asanas - of the Intermediate Series should be performed, and why so, seen through the eyes of the Guru itself. And this is really the special thing of this book by Petri Räisänen. Even if you, as an advanced practicioner or teacher, maybe don’t agree with some details, the point is, that because of this documentary interview background, you understand both explicitly and intuitively, that all these asanas are much more than simple physical exercises. That they are spiritually charged , gateways to freedom even. So, if you can read a bit between the lines: really an inspiring book!Silvo Lahtela