--- product_id: 332148 title: "The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice" price: "3373 kr" currency: ISK in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.is/products/332148-the-heart-of-yoga-developing-a-personal-practice store_origin: IS region: Iceland --- # The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice **Price:** 3373 kr **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice - **How much does it cost?** 3373 kr with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.is](https://www.desertcart.is/products/332148-the-heart-of-yoga-developing-a-personal-practice) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice [Desikachar, T. K. V.] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice Review: A Wonderful Read for Yogis - If you want to dig deeper into Yoga this is a great book. This was a required prerequisite reading for my YTT. I actually purchased it twice. My first copy got ruined with bug spray on my flight to Bali for my teacher training. As soon as I got back to the States I purchased a second copy. It has great information on the 8 limbs of yoga, yogic philosophy, mantras and the yoga Sutras. Highly recommend. It was a wonderful background of knowledge to have going into my training and reading it again as I love having this information on the forefront of my mind. Review: Interesting reading, and a source for lots of pithy quotes. - In reading this book, I was first taken by the interview at its beginning. I began bookmarking quotes for transfer to my personal noebook (taken to each class), and soon found myself with nearly every other page bookmarked! The quotes available in this book are outstanding. And not just in the interview section. There are many interesting points Desikachar makes in his approach to asana sequencing: the importance of breath, the importance of tailoring the pose (and the sequence) to the individual, the importance of resting before engaging in a counter pose. One of my favorite quotes from this book (attributed to the Mahabharata) is “Speak the truth which is pleasant. Do not speak unpleasant truths. Do not lie, even if the lies are pleasing to the ear. That is the eternal law, the dharma.” To my mind this is much more practicable to practice than “Always tell the truth”. Another is “We can never experience our real nature if we do not expose ourselves to change”. I take this as at once being both a caution in life style, and also in becoming too comfortable in one’s yogic pursuits, including asanas and meditation. Then we get to “The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali” with Translation and Commentary by T.K.V. Desikachar. “If you tell a person who cannot find their own house that there is a pot of gold inside, they would be happier had they not had this information. What use is the gold if it cannot be found? It only causes pain. First they must find the house and enter it. Then there are many possibilities.” I take this to mean that everyone must start at the beginning…everyone must find their own house [way, path]. His views on dualism: (3.35 “The mind, which is subject to change, and the Perceiver, which is not are in proximity but are of distinct and different characters.” as opposed to Reductionism are also presented in this book. This Dualistic approach is softened later “Thus the mind serves a dual purpose. It serves the Perceiver by presenting the external to it. It also respects or presents the Perceiver to itself for its own enlightenment.” leaving open the possibility of a more Reductionist interpretation. This section of the book is the one I shall most refer to in future. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #11,687 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #13 in Yoga (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars (2,427) | | Dimensions | 8 x 0.8 x 10 inches | | Edition | Revised | | ISBN-10 | 089281764X | | ISBN-13 | 978-0892817641 | | Item Weight | 2.31 pounds | | Language | English | | Print length | 244 pages | | Publication date | March 1, 1999 | | Publisher | Inner Traditions | ## Images ![The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81aVW2BwSAL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Wonderful Read for Yogis *by G***Y on March 14, 2026* If you want to dig deeper into Yoga this is a great book. This was a required prerequisite reading for my YTT. I actually purchased it twice. My first copy got ruined with bug spray on my flight to Bali for my teacher training. As soon as I got back to the States I purchased a second copy. It has great information on the 8 limbs of yoga, yogic philosophy, mantras and the yoga Sutras. Highly recommend. It was a wonderful background of knowledge to have going into my training and reading it again as I love having this information on the forefront of my mind. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Interesting reading, and a source for lots of pithy quotes. *by W***W on June 23, 2015* In reading this book, I was first taken by the interview at its beginning. I began bookmarking quotes for transfer to my personal noebook (taken to each class), and soon found myself with nearly every other page bookmarked! The quotes available in this book are outstanding. And not just in the interview section. There are many interesting points Desikachar makes in his approach to asana sequencing: the importance of breath, the importance of tailoring the pose (and the sequence) to the individual, the importance of resting before engaging in a counter pose. One of my favorite quotes from this book (attributed to the Mahabharata) is “Speak the truth which is pleasant. Do not speak unpleasant truths. Do not lie, even if the lies are pleasing to the ear. That is the eternal law, the dharma.” To my mind this is much more practicable to practice than “Always tell the truth”. Another is “We can never experience our real nature if we do not expose ourselves to change”. I take this as at once being both a caution in life style, and also in becoming too comfortable in one’s yogic pursuits, including asanas and meditation. Then we get to “The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali” with Translation and Commentary by T.K.V. Desikachar. “If you tell a person who cannot find their own house that there is a pot of gold inside, they would be happier had they not had this information. What use is the gold if it cannot be found? It only causes pain. First they must find the house and enter it. Then there are many possibilities.” I take this to mean that everyone must start at the beginning…everyone must find their own house [way, path]. His views on dualism: (3.35 “The mind, which is subject to change, and the Perceiver, which is not are in proximity but are of distinct and different characters.” as opposed to Reductionism are also presented in this book. This Dualistic approach is softened later “Thus the mind serves a dual purpose. It serves the Perceiver by presenting the external to it. It also respects or presents the Perceiver to itself for its own enlightenment.” leaving open the possibility of a more Reductionist interpretation. This section of the book is the one I shall most refer to in future. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An incredibly important book for all practitioners and teachers. *by M***. on November 5, 2023* This needs to be required reading for all teachers. Too many schools just run these teacher training money machines with little depth or scope, and consequently a ton of people out there call themselves teachers when their own practice is still in its infancy. Whether you just wish to find deeper meaning and understanding within your own practice or wish to teach, you need this book. Yoga practice is not meant to be the same daily repetition of sequence, nor is it meant to be the same for every student. It should wrap itself around the practitioner and few teachers approach it this way. Yoga is meant to be prescriptive. Bishnu Ghosh understood this as well. All true teachers do. This is beautifully written and a treasure trove of applicable wisdom. If I had to recommend one book on yoga it would be this, followed closely by Light on Yoga. ## Frequently Bought Together - The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice - The Key Muscles of Yoga: Scientific Keys, Volume I - The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.is/products/332148-the-heart-of-yoga-developing-a-personal-practice](https://www.desertcart.is/products/332148-the-heart-of-yoga-developing-a-personal-practice) --- *Product available on Desertcart Iceland* *Store origin: IS* *Last updated: 2026-04-23*