The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga is a 1959 publication by Swami Vishnu-devananda

Swami Vishnu-devananda

Swami Vishnudevananda was a disciple of Swami Sivananda, and founder of the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres and Ashrams...

, the founder of the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres and Ashrams

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres

The International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres is a non-profit organization named after Swami Sivananda and founded by his disciple Swami Vishnu-devananda...

. It is considered a seminal western introduction to yoga

Yoga

Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...

 and its practices, describing the yoga of Patanjali

Patañjali

Patañjali is the compiler of the Yoga Sūtras, an important collection of aphorisms on Yoga practice. According to tradition, the same Patañjali was also the author of the Mahābhāṣya, a commentary on Kātyāyana's vārttikas on Pāṇini's Aṣṭādhyāyī as well as an unspecified work of medicine .In...

 and the classical Hatha Yoga Pradipika

Hatha Yoga Pradipika

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika is a classic Sanskrit manual on hatha yoga, written by Svami Svatmarama, a disciple of Swami Gorakhnath. Said to be the oldest surviving text on the hatha yoga, it is one of the three classic texts of hatha yoga, the other two being the Gheranda Samhita and the Shiva...

. It provides a training programme for tapping yoga's power, seeking to relax and rejuvenate the mind, improve concentration, prevent illness and to increase physical strength and flexibility.