Body, Mind, and Sport: The Mind-Body Guide to Lifelong Health, Fitness, and Your Personal Best

When I first found this book I did not look closely at it and assumed it was another slick marketing gimmick riding the mind-body trend. Then I attended one of the author's lectures at a yoga conference and recognized that Mr. Douillard has a throrough knowledge of Ayurveda. Although Ayurveda and Yoga are becoming more well known for their general health benefits, Mr. Douillard is one of the few to properly apply these principle to fitness and athletic competition.

The best part about this book is that anyone can read it and immediately benefit from it regardless of age or physical condition. No previous knowledge of Ayurveda and Yoga required. The author takes very sophisticated knowledge and methods from the sciences of Ayurveda & Yoga and presents them in a form Americans can readily understand. The concepts are normally part of more structured teachings and usually include extensive Sanskrit terminology. For example, the mind-body constitutions Vata, Pitta, Kapha are renamed Winter, Summer, Spring in the book. Also, the breathing technique Ujjayi Pranayama is referred to as Darth Vader breathing. While these innovative synonyms might make a room full of experienced practitioners cringe, they are perfect to convey powerful knowledge to an audience that would be confused by or indifferent to more precise terminology. My only criticism of the book is that some of the descriptions of the techniques are not as well presented as they could be. While they are adequate, they are better presented in other yoga books. Regardless of how the techniques are presented, any reader would greatly benefit from taking a few yoga classes. Virtually all of the techniques described in the book are introduced in the first few classes at the beginners level.


this is a must have book   October 25, 2002
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I bought this book 8 years ago, I use what I learned form it and have never looked back. I am a mountain runner, and found new power speed and recovery using this book. It's a winner!! I also combine this book with " The Zone " by barry seares and I have to say its works, no messing no sales pitch.


It has really opened my mind.   July 24, 2001
 9 out of 10 found this review helpful

This book is fantastic. I got it because I wanted to get more from my work outs. I didn't want to learn new exercises, just optimize what I was doing. It offered so much more! It looks at your whole life, body rhythms, etc. I personally didn't care for Ayurveda and have never really been into Yoga (didn't even know it was a part of the book), but I see now there is a lot to learn there, and it isn't so hokey. It has really opened my mind to a new way of thinking about the human body. The most major thing I learned was about our daily body rhythms like when it is good to exercise, wake up, sleep, think, etc. I also love the Sun Salute information (who knew you could stretch your entire body and massage your internal organs at the same time?!), and breathing (what he calls the Darth Vadar Breathing, which was totally new to me). What he says makes sense. It works. If you want to perform better in your life, and you are open-minded, this book is for you. Read it from front to back-it is packed with information! It has impacted all areas of my life. Worth every penny!