Power Yoga: The Total Strength and Flexibility Workout


Beryl Bender Birch - 1995
    Beautiful photographs and clear instructions guide you through this effective and popular routine. Based on the classical and original yoga system called astanga, Power Yoga is a complete mind and body workout that develops concentration and reduces stress. With its focus on mindful breathing and body heat, Power Yoga goes beyond the relaxation benefits of traditional yoga to offer a route to health and fitness that athletes of all levels will embrace.

The Meditation Bible: The Definitive Guide to Meditations for Every Purpose


Madonna Gauding - 2005
    Easily find out how to meditate to calm and center; cultivate mindfulness of everyday activities; heal physical and emotional ailments; increase love and compassion; end addictions; work with dreams; and deepen your connection with the Divine. An entire section is devoted to walking meditations that will get you moving, and theres smart advice on developing a daily practice and on creating a sacred space.

A Life Worth Breathing: A Yoga Master's Handbook of Strength, Grace, and Healing


Max Strom - 2010
    We all know it, we all wish for it, but just how to do it—that eludes us. In his new book, A Life Worth Breathing, internationally renowned yoga teacher and spiritual philosopher Max Strom shows us the way. His groundbreaking book reaches past expected dogma in a language that is vital, inspired, and accessible. Strom leads us on a journey of self-discovery as we excavate our past in order to have a better understanding of our present. According to Max Strom, “We live in fear of terrorism but in actuality the most devastating terrorism comes from within us as we sabotage ourselves.” With practical techniques, A Life Worth Breathing offers us a path to transformation with visionary insights on forgiveness, gratitude and self-empowerment. The teachings are rooted in Yoga, Sufism and Eastern philosophy, but make no mistake, this is not just another yoga book of postures, it is a guidebook for living. A Life Worth Breathing teaches us that by healing our past emotional wounds, silencing the inner critic that cripples us, and cultivating a yoga and breathing practice, we can elevate ourselves from the mindset of a reactionary victim to a higher level of awareness and empowerment. With these life skills we can achieve our true destiny, that of a fully integrated soul living an authentic life of meaning, success and joy. A life worth living, a life worth breathing.

The Mirror of Yoga: Awakening the Intelligence of Body and Mind


Richard Freeman - 2010
    Yet, as diverse as they seem, they share a common aim: the discovery of the essence of existence that can be found at the core of our being, and the liberation that comes from that discovery. With this worthy goal in mind, Richard Freeman presents an enlightening overview of the many teachings, practices, and scriptures that serve as the basis for all the schools of yoga—hatha, bhakti, jnana, karma, tantra, and others. He shows how the myriad forms are ultimately related, and can even be perceived to make up a vast, interpenetrating matrix, symbolizing the unity, profundity, and beauty of the ancient tradition. Richard's wide-ranging discussion includes the Upanisads and Samkhya philosophies, the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, the eight limbs of astanga yoga, the process and purpose of hatha yoga, and much more. He also explores the role of the guru, chanting, meditation, and the yogic imperative of offering service to others. All of this is applied to the actual practice, giving the reader the tools to digest and apply the wealth of information to daily life. The Mirror of Yoga will be a welcome resource to all yogis who wish to better practice the profound philosophy underlying their practice. To learn more, visit MirrorofYoga.com.

Anatomy of Movement


Blandine Calais-Germain - 1993
    The emphasis is on basic human anatomy as it relates to external body movement. In clear and concise text illustrated with more than a thousand graphic drawings, the author takes the reader on a lively tour of the muscles, bones, ligaments and joints of the arms, legs and trunk. The focus throughout the book is on anatomy not for its own sake, but in its functional relationship to the actual movements of the body in physical disciplines. Features: *

Women's Health Lift to Get Lean: A Beginner’s Guide to Fitness & Strength Training in 3 Simple Steps


Holly Perkins - 2015
    Yet that message is still lost on many women who fear that weight lifting will make them bulky, turn their skin green, and give them Incredible Hulk muscles like their boyfriends'. Women have more options than step aerobics or running on a treadmill to shed pounds: They can weight-train in a very specific manner designed to make the most of a woman's unique physiology.Lift to Get Lean is the first beginner's guide to strength training from Women's Health that is written specifically for women by a woman. Holly Perkins is a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) who has been teaching the fat-burning secrets of weight training exclusively to women for more than 20 years. Perkins doesn't follow men's rules when it comes to building muscle. Her Lift to Get Lean delivers a three-step system: Technique, Movement Speed, and the Last 2 Reps Rule, which make all the difference in developing the kind of strong, lean, and sexy body women want. Perkins offers four different 90-day training programs that efficiently build functional strength along with leaner legs, stronger arms, and a sexier butt.

Hatha Yoga Pradipika


Swatmarama
    This text elucidates the entire science of hatha yoga (asana, pranayama, shatkarma, mudra and bandha) as it was conceived and practised not only for health and fitness but for awakening the vital energies: pranas, chakras and kundalini shakti.It points out that hatha yoga is not just a physical practice but a process of cellular transmutation from gross to subtle to divine. Thus hatha yoga was considered to be the foundation of all higher yogas. Line drawings and diagrams illustrate the text.

Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class


Bikram Choudhury - 1977
    For more than twenty years, Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class has been among the preeminent and most beloved of all yoga guides-and now it has been revised and updated by Bikram, with virtually all-new photographs and an updated section on yoga's medical benefits.With nearly two hundred vivid instructional photographs, Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class is the perfect guidebook for any student of yoga, either advanced or beginner-a reference that makes Hatha yoga fun, easy, and completely understandable.Illustrated throughout with 160 black-and-white photographs by Biswanath "Bisu" Ghosh

Human Technology: A Toolkit for Authentic Living


Ilchi Lee - 2005
    Meditation, breath-work, and Oriental healing arts are offered as self-reliant health management skills. A distinctive perspective on relationships and an inspirational guide to discover a passionate life purpose are featured. This book also includes a practical guide to optimize our life's master controller?the brain. In the name of comfort and security, we have created increasingly complex systems that demand our lives for their maintenance. Systems cannot answer life's most important questions?only you can. The ultimate goal of education, institutions, and expertise should be self-education. Only then will technology serve humanity rather than reign over us. Human Technology contains the principles and tools that can return us to self-mastery and the life well lived. Human Technology is a toolkit for living an authentic life.

The Reiki Bible: The Definitive Guide to Healing with Energy


Eleanor McKenzie - 2009
    For this reason, it has quickly spread across the globe as people use it to cure ills, soothe emotions, and live the life they want. The Reiki Bible provides a comprehensive, stunningly designed guide to this ancient spiritual system. It covers Reiki’s origins and development; the energy and body systems; and the three levels of Reiki. All the hand positions appear in easy-to-follow captioned photographs, and there’s advice on using Reiki for friends and family; at all life stages; for health and well-being; for alleviating common conditions; and in tandem with other therapies.

Autobiography of a Yogi


Paramahansa Yogananda - 1946
    With engaging candor, eloquence, and wit, Paramahansa Yogananda narrates the inspiring chronicle of his life: the experiences of his remarkable childhood, encounters with many saints and sages during his youthful search throughout India for an illumined teacher, ten years of training in the hermitage of a revered yoga master, and the thirty years that he lived and taught in America. Also recorded here are his meetings with Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Luther Burbank, the Catholic stigmatist Therese Neumann, and other celebrated spiritual personalities of East and West. Autobiography of a Yogi is at once a beautifully written account of an exceptional life and a profound introduction to the ancient science of Yoga and its time-honored tradition of meditation. The author clearly explains the subtle but definite laws behind both the ordinary events of everyday life and the extraordinary events commonly termed miracles. His absorbing life story thus becomes the background for a penetrating and unforgettable look at the ultimate mysteries of human existence. Considered a modern spiritual classic, the book has been translated into more than twenty languages and is widely used as a text and reference work in colleges and universities. A perennial bestseller since it was first published sixty years ago, Autobiography of a Yogi has found its way into the hearts of millions of readers around the world.

Yoga Nidra: A Meditative Practice for Deep Relaxation and Healing


Richard Miller - 2005
    How is this so? Master teacher Richard Miller explains that this experience is a manifestation of yoga nidra, the meditative state of mind-body union at the heart of all yoga practice.A powerful integration of learning, Yoga Nidra is an ancient tantric yoga path that leads to inner freedom. Through accessible language appropriate for any level of practice, Miller takes us step-by-step through the traditional techniques of relaxation and meditation to help us move toward the realization of "unqualified presence"—the ultimate aim of yoga—a goal unreachable through posture practice alone. Through his expert guidance, students will experience:Deep relaxation for relief from day-to-day stress• The development of "one-pointedness"—a key to spiritual awakening• Healing from painful emotions, such as fear, grief, and anger• More effective and energizing sleep, and much moreSuitable for both beginners and advanced practitioners—but new to most Westerners—Yoga Nidra provides an unmatched way to experience the culmination of the art of yoga, and the deeper physical, emotional, and spiritual rewards that are its promise.Includes digital access to audio tracks.

A Way from Darkness: My Story of Addiction, Recovery, and Yoga


Taylor Hunt - 2016
    His parents’ divorce set the stage for a downward spiral of self-destruction. The pressure he felt to keep his family together coupled with a deep desire to “fit in” fueled his experimentation with drugs and alcohol. His descent from upper-middle class teen with a promising future to the depths of heroin addiction left him bankrupt in every imaginable sense of the word. Soon, he was fully immersed in the dark underbelly of society and on the brink of death. Finding his way out of the abyss after ten years was neither quick nor easy. A twelve-step program of recovery and the practice of yoga provided the guiding lights toward a new path. Taylor does much more than share his story in A Way from Darkness; he invites the reader to find healing through community, Ashtanga yoga, and ultimately, acceptance.

1,001 Pearls of Yoga Wisdom: Take Your Practice Beyond the Mat


Liz Lark - 2008
    Drawing from such classical texts as the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads, as well as modern Indian and Western teachers, this treasure trove of yoga knowledge defines key terms and highlights important themes. It's also a helpful supplement to yoga classes, offering asanas, meditations, breathingexercises, mantras, and mudras for every occasion and skill level. Just the right size to pop into a yoga bag, here's a guide to the practical and philosophical aspects of yoga that complements any spiritual practice.

Hell-Bent: Obsession, Pain, and the Search for Something Like Transcendence in Competitive Yoga


Benjamin Lorr - 2012
    Benjamin Lorr walked into his first yoga studio on a whim, overweight and curious, and quickly found the yoga reinventing his life. He was studying Bikram Yoga (or "hot yoga") when a run-in with a master and competitive yoga champion led him into an obsessive subculture a group of yogis for whom eight hours of practice a day in 110- degree heat was just the beginning.So begins a journey. Populated by athletic prodigies, wide-eyed celebrities, legitimate medical miracles, and predatory hucksters, it's a nation-spanning trip from the jam-packed studios of New York to the athletic performance labs of the University of Oregon to the stage at the National Yoga Asana Championship, where Lorr competes for glory.The culmination of two years of research, and featuring hundreds of interviews with yogis, scientists, doctors, and scholars, "Hell-Bent" is a wild exploration. A look at the science behind a controversial practice, a story of greed, narcissism, and corruption, and a mind-bending tale of personal transformation, it is a book that will not only challenge your conception of yoga, but will change the way you view the fragile, inspirational limits of the human body itself."