Yoga is the new age mantra to stay fit in body, mind and spirit. Although yoga is over 5000 years old, it was introduced to the west only a few decades ago and it is only in the recent decade that the popularity of practicing yoga has shot up immensely. One of the reasons is a lot of research is being conducted on the benefits of yoga and every day, more and more evidence it turning up to attest to positive difference yoga can make in a person’s life. The other reason is the explosion of mass communication around the world. With the advent of internet and the proliferation of books, yoga has become more and more accessible to people in a way that was never possible before. But, in this age of real-time communication, how good are yoga books?

Truth be told, there is no substitute for yoga books. While it is true that these days you can learn yoga from yoga videos online or Yoga DVD, they cannot hope to provide you with as much information as a yoga book can. It is also true that Yoga videos online and Yoga DVD can give you a visual reference to the many yoga poses and breathing techniques and there they do have an advantage over yoga books, and yet, they fall short of yoga books in a number of different ways.

Yoga originated as a purely spiritual quest for oneness with the universe. It was important to keep the body healthy and the mind in control to be able to meditate on the spiritual oneness of the universe. Without this foundation, Yoga is incomplete. Unfortunately, in the recent past, the physical and the mental benefits of yoga are threatening to overshadow the spiritual aspect of yoga altogether. Without this aspect, the study and practice of yoga will fail to yield all the potential benefits that can be derived from it. To ensure that you do not fail to grasp the foundation of Yoga, it is important to know and understand the history and the philosophy of Yoga.

Yoga has a lot more to offer than physical health and mental fitness. Understanding the art and science of yoga can lead you on a way to understanding yoga as a way of life. This is far more beneficial than focusing on what benefits your body and mind can derive from it. To adopt yoga as a way of life, you need to refer to books that can help you do so. New age technology restricts itself to the new age outlook on yoga. But, if you want to get the full benefits of yoga, you need to learn where, how and why yoga originated.

Additionally, you can get fully illustrated yoga books that will give you a great depiction of what the yoga poses look like. By following the written instructions and referring to the illustrations, you will be able to follow yoga poses correctly.