Books: Yoga Anatomy Book Surprises Forecasters

A book that "Yoga Journal" calls "essential for any serious student of yoga" already doubles yearly goal, just four months after release.

Leslie Kaminoff knew yoga practitioners would find his book, Yoga Anatomy, insightful, but neither he nor publisher Human Kinetics expected to sell 31,000 copies in the first four months. Conservative forecasts had placed its yearly sales at half that mark, and its sales strength continues, with 8,000 copies sold in September alone.

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Yoga Anatomy provides an x-ray view insideevery pose.

While many forecasters would expect a book with such pin-pointed subject matter to sell primarily through yoga channels, Yoga Anatomy was greeted with respectable upfront national purchases at Barnes & Noble and Borders. Now, Costco has also selected the book for a December promotion in its stores.

"I'm thrilled at the great reception our book has had so far," comments Kaminoff. "We've packed a lot of information into it, but in a very accessible format, so people seem to be appreciating that combination." He commends Sharon Ellis' for her illustrations' role in the book's appeal, as well as Amy Matthews' brilliant asana analysis. "We all worked very hard on creating this book, and it's been very gratifying to see it selling so strongly."

Beyond the numbers, the anecdotal feedback to the book has also been extremely positive, including a review in the October, 2007 Yoga Journal calling Yoga Anatomy "an essential book for any serious student of yoga who delights in the details of asana."

Readers have also posted overwhelmingly positive reviews on Amazon.com, where the book's sales rank has been strong since its release. "This would be a great manual for any yoga teacher training program as well as for anyone who would like to 'see' what is happening in each asana," includes one review.

Kaminoff, an internationally recognized specialist in the fields of yoga and breath anatomy, is founder and head instructor of the Breathing Project, a New York City-based studio dedicated to the teaching of individualized, breath-centered yoga practice and therapy.

In Yoga Anatomy, Kaminoff and medical illustrator Sharon Ellis depict the most common asanas with full-color, detailed anatomical drawings and expert instruction to provide a deeper understanding of the structures and principles underlying each movement--and of yoga itself.

For more information on Yoga Anatomy, call (800) 747-4457or visit www.HumanKinetics.com.

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