Thrifty Acres: An Oldie But Goodie

Hello! I first did yoga in the mid-to-late 1980's, using a paperback book I'd gotten at a rummage sale. The book was already quite a few years old then. I don't recall why now, but eventually I stopped doing yoga, and so donated that book to a thrift store. 

Yoga's now become trendy, and so I come across books devoted to this practice quite often at secondhand markets. I've purchased a few of these books, and while they were nice to work with, I often found myself confused by the directions. And it wasn't always exactly clear what progress I could hope to make over time.  I missed the step-by-step instructions that were the foundation of the book I'd once had. 

Came across a copy of that years-ago yoga book at a fundraiser garage sale a few weeks ago, so I eagerly snatched it up:

Richard Hittleman's Yoga 28 Day Exercise Plan. This book was first published in 1969, but my edition came out in 1973. Some reviewers on Amazon.com say that the book is still in print! 

The cover photo shows some color, but inside, demonstrations of the poses look like this:

That's right, all the poses were photographed in black and white - no color shots of the model clad in various examples of coordinated yoga clothes. No props such as straps or blocks either: you just stretch as much as you comfortably can. 

The program is set up in a progressive way, with each day building on what was learned on previous days. The photos of the poses, and the accompanying descriptions, are very helpful. To reinforce the lessons, every four days a review session is given.  There's also a brief essay at the end of each day's practice ranging from nutrition advice, to how to judge one's progress, and to how yoga can help arthritis sufferers. 

And how has this yoga work helped me thus far? Well, with my latest go-round of using this book - I'm on day 19 - I do feel less  "creaky" and more limber than I had before I started the routine. My back doesn't feel as tight. I've been sleeping very well too. So all in all, pretty good results in less than three weeks.

I'm glad I found this book again at that garage sale. Maybe I've learned a lesson: instead of falling for something flashier, stick to an oldie but goodie!