Sadhana: The Daily Practice of Yoga (Volume 2) with Sudhakar Ken McRae.

Listeners to this 76-minute CD will find it a pleasure to practice with someone who is in complete command of his material and who teaches from both the head and the heart.

By Richard Rosen

(Peace of Mind Center for Yoga & Meditation, P.O. Box 6845, Charlottesville, VA 22906; 888-242-9642; CD, 76 min.; $16)

Sudhakar Ken McRae is the director of daily yoga sadhana at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, Massachusetts. The "core sequence" of this presentation includes an opening meditation and breathing exercise, a reclining twist, a series of leg stretches and hip openers, six simple standing postures followed by a standing posture flow sequence (vinyasa), two more standing postures, a baby backbend, two sitting twists, and relaxation.

When I reviewed the first volume in this practice series about two years ago, I thought it was terrific; this one is too. It's a pleasure to practice with someone who is in complete command of his material, who teaches from both the head and the heart.

McRae's instructions are clear and precise. He encourages self-awareness and good alignment, and explains and integrates the physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of the postures. The core sequence of the CD can be programmed in a variety of ways; six sample sequences, ranging in length from 35 to 45 minutes, are suggested in the accompanying booklet, along with some simple guidelines for creating your own sequence. Like the earlier volume, this program is highly recommended for all levels of students.