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| 40 Days to Personal Revolution: A Breakthrough Program to Radically Change Your Body and Awaken the Sacred Within Your Soul | 
 enlarge | Author: Baron Baptiste
Publisher: Fireside
Category: Book
List Price: $17.00
Buy New: $9.70
You Save: $7.30 (43%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (12 reviews)
Sales Rank: 14894
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9 x 7.3 x 0.6
ISBN: 0743227832
Dewey Decimal Number: 613.7046
EAN: 9780743227834
ASIN: 0743227832
Publication Date: October 5, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Let the Revolution Begin Now In 40 Days to Personal Revolution, Baron Baptiste -- one of the world's most beloved master yoga teachers -- inspires us to transform more than body and mind: He gives us the tools we need to set ourselves free to live the healthful life we've always imagined. In the next 40 days you will create a whole new way of being and living. Tapping ancient wisdom and his own personal experience, Baron has created a relevant and completely practical program that will lead you to the clarity of mind, body, and spirit that awaits on the other side of your revolution. Each week includes: A yoga practice to do every morning Principles to cleanse your diet along with eating plan Instructions to begin and deepen a meditation practice Excavation questions to root out limiting beliefs and patterns
Amazon.com Review
Those familiar with yoga teacher Baron Baptiste know that he trains many high-profile celebrities and athletes. Yet his message is the antithesis of the American obsession with wealth and fame. For Baptiste, personal transformation is about facing the abyss of our internal emptiness and recognizing all the ways we seek to fill the void with money, status and material possessions. Ultimately, this program offers readers a kick-butt chance to get started on a steadier and more lasting, internal form of fulfillment. "In the end yoga is not a magic cure-all, but the way challenges our bodies moves our stuck energy, clears our mind, and inspires us to seek and live in truth can be a catalyst for amazing spiritual growth," he writes. "Ultimately the yoga program found in the book is about developing a soulful perspective to the question that I hear nearly every day in my classroom: 'How did I get into this state, and how can I get out?'" Baptiste divides his program into a six-week system. Each week focuses on a theme for transformation. For instance, Week One starts with the theme of "Presence." Baptiste suggests readers start with a daily 20-minute yoga practice. (His asanas are all gentle, but the mechanics may be challenging for readers completely new to yoga, although the pictures and lengthy captions will help.) He also suggests a beginning "balancing diet" (based on Ayurveda principles), and thematic meditations, which include a list of "excavation questions." One could argue that this book is even better than going on a 40-day retreat at one of Baptiste's yoga centers. The program is designed to be integrated into your life as you live it. Readers do the yoga and prepare the food in their homes, and contemplate the principles for enlightenment within the routines of daily life. In this way it has the potential to be a lasting and well integrated transformation. --Gail Hudson
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| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
 Great book for specific audiences, some shortcomings for others December 17, 2006
13 out of 14 found this review helpful
I have to admit I have an ambiguous relationship to this book. I admire the author's credentials and experience and the contents are organized around a 40 day plan which is a great idea. However, I think there are some important gaps if this is your only reference.
First, the best part about this book is progressing and deepening your commitment a day at a time. This is a great way to change your life and the ideas presented are useful and cover physical, mental and spiritual practices. The book is also well-illustrated and provides basic instruction on the most important asanas.
What I feel is missing here is more depth on the appropriate and safe ways to practice the asanas. If one is attending regular yoga classes or has a teacher, then I think the instructions are adequate. However, I think it's particulary important for beginners to focus on the details and if you purchase this book I would get something to supplement it such as Judith Lasater's "The 30 Essential Yoga Poses" and/or "Dancing the Body of Light" by Dona Holleman. If you have a bad back or neck, then it might also be worth purchasing "Back Care Basics" by Mary Pullig Schatz. (The Pilates back book might also be helpful, but it is not as comprehensive and it's not a yoga book per se.)
Some other aspects of this book that I like is the broad scope that covers philosophy, diet, meditation and routines that build up over time. It also talks about dealing with resistance and has a very motivational tone. While this approach may be a bit aggressive for non-athletes or people who are casually acquainted with yoga, the challenge will appeal to more serious students and atheletes who want to move forward quickly and are already in relatively good shape. These people are also less likely to get injured along the way.
In truth, I would rate the book a 3.5. However, there is no 3.5 category. While there are many things I like here, I don't see it as a standalone book. The most interesting thing about it for me was the attempt to integrate lots of elements into a way of life. However, I think there wasn't enough space to completely tackle this task. The effort to do this is admirable and there is certainly a lot one can learn, but please pick up one or more of the other books above before you starting combining bending and twisting or other physical moves that put high strain on fragile joints as well as the back.
 Good guy, Bad book February 3, 2006
1 out of 6 found this review helpful
My main beef with this book is how quickly it goes... For example, in the first week you perform Paschimottanasana (seated forward bend), which is crazy! In Iyengar's Light on Yoga, this is not presented until week 14; the reason is that it requires A LOT of preparation, or else (and I write this from experience) you can really mess up your lower back if you do it improperly. Secondly, all the pranayama is done while doing the asanas instead of separately; I'm sure Patanjali is rolling in his urn. Thirdly, it mentions (forgive me if I'm wrong, I've shelved this book a long time ago) nothing of the Yamas and Niyamas, which is a prerequisite for asanas. And last but not least, the meditation portion of this book is just all wrong, and I'll leave it at that... Leave this book, go with Iyengar's Light on Yoga. It's more difficult and moves at a snail's pace, but it's as authentic as you can get without a guru.
I hated the book but I put two stars... If you go to Baron Baptiste's website, and email one of his employees a quesion, they answer it, gratis. Don't get me wrong, from what I've seen, Baptiste seems a little money hungry, but the world is not yet perfect. Namaste.
EXCELLENT SUPPLEMENT TO "JOURNEY INTO POWER" April 21, 2005
32 out of 32 found this review helpful
If you found "Journey Into Power" (Baron's first book), to be a life changing book (I also have it on CD and listen to it all the time for inspiration), Baron has produced another excellent guide along the path of his approach to yoga.
While I must admit that I haven't followed the plan on a week by week basis, I have already been doing yoga daily for 8 years and have a very well established practice which I vary daily (I have over 70 videos of every imaginable style of yoga).
A big part of the reason that I purchased this book is because I was curious to see how he broke the sequences down for the various weeks. I like the way he lays out the routines in the series of photographs in the back section of the book, very useful!
The excavation questions in the meditation sections are useful as well as the principles he outlines in the first part of the book. The last section is also very useful in terms of applying yoga to one's whole life and not just what happens on the mat.
I did find Baron's nutritional principles ("The Cleansing Diet" and "The Detoxifying Cleanse") a bit easier to follow in "Journey Into Power", but there was still much interesting "food for thought" in this new book :) Baron's approach to eating is not a "diet" in the way the word is typically used, it's just really an approach to eating vital, living and unprocessed foods along with the psychology behind your relationship to food.
As far as practicing Yoga, in general I feel it's much easier to work with his Video/DVD programs than any book, even those as excellent as Baron's. His video/dvd programs are the best I've seen if you want a real "physical" yet sensible practice. For me the information on the poses in the books are excellent for getting detailed information on the specific elements of the poses which can be hard to get and absorb in the flow of a class (be it live or recorded).
In particular I'd recommend his "Live" programs, such as "Core Power" and "Unlocking Athletic Power" which are shorter practices. Plus "Soul Of Strength" which is a longer program (and it follows the "Journey Into Power" sequence almost exactly, just a few differences.
His PBS special which you can buy called "Transform Your Life" is a documentary of sorts which shows 40 students on one of Baron's weeklong "Bootcamps" and it is very inspirational, it also has a fabulous 20 minute Power Yoga Basics routine which is worth the price of the tape alone, I use it all the time for a short but effective practice.
Also, you may want to check out Baron's "Bootcamp Box" which has two CD's (not DVD's, but the CD's are VERY easy to follow) and flash cards which contain three 20 minute practices (Vinayas Flow/Hip Flow/Core Flow) and a long 75 minute practice. It also has a small booklet that helps you structure a home "Bootcamp" weekend practice.
Since writing this review I have purchased and used his "Journey Into Power" Video/DVD programs and they are excellent. The level one is a wonderful introduction to Baron's approach, it certainly seems that it would be challenging for someone new to vinyasa flow, and even for an experienced person it is a nice shorter and less intense practice than the level 2 which is considerably more intense. The level 2 program follows the sequence of Baron's book "Journey Into Power" quite closely (though it is very close to "Soul Of Strength" so if you have that you may not need "Journey Into Power" Level 2)
Namaste
 All the Rudiments Are Here. September 22, 2004
4 out of 8 found this review helpful
Baron Baptiste is the son of two of America's yoga pioneers, and he trained in all of the major traditions before selecting the best from all of them to create Baptiste Power Yoga. In this book he explains that within 40 days, following a specific program readers can shift to a whole new way of living and being.
For the forty day time period, there are specific instructions covering exercises, diet, and meditations. Each week within the forty days has a specific theme within the overall goal of changing your life. Of course you have to put yourself into the program, and what you get out will depend on your input. The rudiments of a new lifestyle are here. It is now up to you.
40 days to transformation May 13, 2004
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This book is very well written and I've not been able to put it down since I got it. I'm in the middle of my fourth week of the 40 day program and things have been unbelievably smooth. The practices have awesome flow from one to the next. The progressions are so natural. When I saw "40 days to transformation," I conjured up some grueling process, something I'd force myself to get through and then move on. But around the end of the first week I realized these 40 days are transforming my life. The physical changes have been powerful, I've dropped weight, stress and a lot of tension. The lessons I've learned about myself are permanent. They'll be with me always!
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