Yoga Teachers' Toolbox


Joseph Le Page
    These cards are designed to support your Yoga teaching and practice by showing how important elements of yoga physiology, psychology, and philosophy relate to the practice of the postures for healing and transformation. Among the tools you'll find inside: - Key poses organized into color-coded groups with complete instructions - Clear illustrations of the poses, with modifications and variations - A warm-up section laying the foundation for the postures - Clear descriptions and illustrations of Yoga physiology for each pose, including Koshas, Chakras, Prana Vayus, and Ayurveda - The main benefits and contraindications for each pose - Affirmations to integrate the essential qualities of the poses.

Yoga Therapy: A Guide to the Therapeutic Use of Yoga and Ayurveda for Health and Fitness


A.G. Mohan - 2004
    While that is generally true, yoga poses and breathing practices can also be prescribed for specific health problems—often in combination with dietary advice taken from Ayurveda, traditional Indian medicine. Yoga Therapy is an essential guide for yoga teachers, advanced practitioners, and anyone who wants to make therapeutic use of yoga. A. G. and Indra Mohan prescribe postures, breathing techniques, and basic Ayurvedic principles for a variety of common health problems, including asthma, back pain, constipation, hip pain, knee pain, menstrual problems, and scoliosis. Yoga Therapy is one of the few books that shows yoga teachers how to put together appropriate yoga sequences and breathing techniques for their students. Mohan details how to correctly move into, hold, and move out of poses, how to breathe during practice to achieve specific results, and how to customize a yoga practice by creating sequences of yoga poses for a particular person.

Yoga of the Subtle Body: A Guide to the Physical and Energetic Anatomy of Yoga


Tias Little - 2014
    Tias Little is a master teacher, and he brings his precise instruction to the wisdom teachings and philosophy of hatha yoga. He offers us a guided tour of the body's structure and physical anatomy, then uses this new structural awareness as grounds for exploring the subtle body. In a meaningful and pragmatic way, the book maps the connection between the body and the rich symbolism that pervades the yogic imagination, including the chakras, nadis, and koshas. We come to see how the (yoga) body cannot be seen apart from the psycho-spiritual forces that animate it. Further, Tias offers readers clear, illuminated instruction for yoga, pranayama, and meditation techniques that apply these body-mind principles. This book is essential reading for all serious students and teachers of yoga.Each chapter focuses on one of the eight key energetic/anatomy centers of the body: feet/base, pelvis, sacrum, belly, diaphragm, heart/lungs, throat, and crown. The book is organized literally from the ground up, and figuratively from physically basic to conceptual/subtle. Each chapter has a list of poses for activating and applying the lessons, guided meditations, and excerpts from yogic texts. These practical exercises allow readers to immediately integrate the chapter's lessons into their practice.

Pilates Anatomy


Rael Isacowitz - 2011
    Using the original mat work of Joseph Pilates, you'll see how key muscles are used, how variations and minor adjustments can influence effectiveness, and how breathing, alignment, posture, and movement are all fundamentally linked.Choosing from over 45 exercises, you can target a particular body region and delve deeper to stretch, strengthen, and finely coordinate specific muscles. You'll also find techniques for breathing, concentration, and self-awareness for a unique exercise experience that enhances your mind and your body.Whether you are just beginning to explore the beauty and benefits of Pilates or have been practicing for years, PilatesAnatomy is a one-of-a-kind resource that you'll refer to again and again.

How Yoga Works


Michael Roach - 2004
    The Sanskrit text is written in 210 brief, cryptic verses whose meaning has long ago sunk into darkness; the many, confusing modern attempts to explain them bear little resemblance to each other, which is just a sign of how difficult this priceless little book can be. Geshe Michael Roach is an honors graduate of Princeton University and the first westerner in the 600-year history of Sera Mey Tibetan Monastery to be awarded the degree of Geshe, or Master of Buddhism. He is known for his business bestseller, The Diamond Cutter: The Buddha on Managing Your Business & Your Life. Using a database of almost half a million pages of ancient Asian literature, Geshe Michael has produced a fresh, clear, and immediately usable translation of the Yoga Sutra in the form of a wonderful novel about a young Tibetan woman who uses the wisdom to transform the corrupt world around her into a paradise on earth. How Yoga Works has been acclaimed as a must-read for anyone who does yoga and who wants to know what the Yoga Sutra really says. It is an especially popular reading for yoga teacher training courses throughout the world, and as a personal daily guide for spiritual inspiration.

The Oxygen Advantage: The Simple, Scientifically Proven Breathing Techniques for a Healthier, Slimmer, Faster, and Fitter You


Patrick McKeown - 2015
    With a foreword by New York Times bestselling author Dr. Joseph Mercola. Achieve more with less effort: The secret to weight loss, fitness, and wellness lies in the most basic and most overlooked function of your body—how you breathe. One of the biggest obstacles to better health and fitness is a rarely identified problem: chronic over-breathing. We often take many more breaths than we need—without realizing it—contributing to poor health and fitness, including a host of disorders, from anxiety and asthma to insomnia and heart problems. In The Oxygen Advantage, the man who has trained over 5,000 people—including Olympic and professional athletes—in reduced breathing exercises now shares his scientifically validated techniques to help you breathe more efficiently. Patrick McKeown teaches you the fundamental relationship between oxygen and the body, then gets you started with a Body Oxygen Level Test (BOLT) to determine how efficiently your body uses oxygen. He then shows you how to increase your BOLT score by using light breathing exercises and learning how to simulate high altitude training, a technique used by Navy SEALs and professional athletes to help increase endurance, weight loss, and vital red blood cells to dramatically improve cardio-fitness. Following his program, even the most out-of-shape person (including those with chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma) can climb stairs, run for a bus, or play soccer without gasping for air, and everyone can achieve: Easy weight loss and weight maintenance Improved sleep and energy Increased concentration Reduced breathlessness during exercise Heightened athletic performance Improved cardiovascular health Elimination of asthmatic symptoms, and more. With The Oxygen Advantage, you can look better, feel better, and do more—it's as easy as breathing.

Mudras: Yoga in Your Hands


Gertrud Hirschi - 2000
    They can be practiced sitting, lying down, standing, or walking, at any time and place. Schooled in the traditional knowledge of this eastern art of healing, well-known Swiss yoga teacher, Gertrud Hirschi, shows how these easy techniques can recharge personal energy reserves and improve quality of life. These mysterious healing gestures can calm the stress, aggravations, and frustrations of everyday life. Readers will learn how to: Apply these simple exercises to prevent illness and support the healing of a great variety of physical and emotional problems.Use mudras to promote spiritual development.Additionally intensify the effect with breathing exercises, a affirmations, visualizations, herbs, nutrition, music, and colors.Also included are several full-body mudras and exercises to enhance any meditation and yoga practice.

Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual and Movement Therapists


Thomas W. Myers - 2001
    Many different therapists now use myofascial techniques to influence postural change and pain relief. This book demonstrates exactly how the muscles connect within the connect tissue to affect posture, compensatory strain, and pain patterns. The aim is to present scientifically sound and often complicated material in a way which can be easily learned, understood, and applied by those who do not necessarily have a scientific background. ANATOMY TRAINS is written and presented in a style that allows this new information on the myofascial system to be easily absorbed by a wide range of readers: from the student, athlete, or client to the most experienced therapist.Includes full-colour illustrations of 11 myofascial meridians and the rules for discovering other meridiansUses numerous two-colour charts and drawings to detail the muscular and fascial structures involved in the meridiansPresents information on assessment of structural and movement patterns and gives related applications to manual therapy and movement educationProvides a selection of techniques from the library of structural integrationIncludes an introduction to the fascial system as a whole, with new points-of-view and new research findings on the fascial system's responsesOffers a fun approach to learning essential structural anatomy, comparing the connective tissue system to a railway network

Younger Next Year for Women


Chris Crowley - 2004
    And because you’re already more attuned to your physical and emotional needs, and more inclined to commit to a healthier lifestyle, you're poised to live brilliantly for the thirty-plus years after menopause. All you need now is the program outlined in Younger Next Year for Women—which, for starters, will help you avoid literally 70 percent of the decay and eliminate 50 percent of the injuries and illnesses associated with getting older. How? Drawn from disciplines as varied as evolutionary biology, cell physiology, experimental psychology and anthropology, the science behind Younger Next Year is clear. Our bodies are programmed to do one of two things: either grow or decay. Sitting in front of a screen all day tells the body to decay. Taking a walk or doing yoga tells the body to grow. Loneliness and stress trigger decay; love and laughter trigger growth. Just as clear as the science is the goal: Become the active gatekeeper of your own body and gain the power to control those signals of growth and decay. Seven simple rules show the way, from #1 Exercise six days a week for the rest of your life, to #6 Care, to #7 Connect and commit. They’re called Harry’s Rules, named for the doctor and coauthor—Henry S. Lodge, M.D.—who formulated them, and who explains the precise science behind each one. But since it’s one thing to know something’s good for you and quite another to put it into practice, Dr. Lodge, the scientist, is joined by Chris Crowley—coauthor, exhorter and living example—whose brusque charm and infectious enthusiasm will actually have you living by the rules. So, congratulations. You’re now about to get younger.

Move Your DNA Restore Your Health Through Natural Movement


Katy Bowman - 2014
    It examines the differences between the movements in a typical hunter - gatherer's life and the movements in our own. It shows the many problems with using exercise like movement vitamins instead of addressing the deeper issue of a poor movement diet. Bet of all, Move Your DNA contains the corrective exercises, habit modifications, and simple lifestyle changes we need to make in order to free ourselves from disease and discover our naturally healthy, reflex driven selves. From couch potatoes to professional athletes, new parents to seniors, readers will love Katy's humorous, passionate, and above all science based guide to restoring your body and reclaiming your life.

The Kundalini Yoga Experience: Bringing Body, Mind, and Spirit Together


Dharma Singh Khalsa - 2002
    But yoga isn’t only about increasing flexibility and holding onto that youthful glow. As yoga becomes more popular, much of its original spirit is disappearing. While every yoga class includes a period of meditation, the majority of classes focus on learning postures to tone and strengthen the body. The Kundalini Yoga Experience teaches practices that equally target the body, the mind, and the spirit to improve every aspect of your health and tap into your own unique stores of healing energy. Professional Kundalini instructors Guru Dharma Khalsa and Darryl O’Keefe offer a balanced step-by-step program based on breathing, poses, and meditation to help you become the best person you can be—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Beautifully illustrated with more than fifty full-color photos and line art, The Kundalini Yoga Experience reveals the purest form of yoga—one that combines physical fitness with emotional health and spiritual satisfaction.

Anatomy of Yoga: An Instructor's Inside Guide to Improving Your Poses


Abigail Ellsworth - 2010
    Each pose is shown in a full-color photograph opposite a detailed and annotated anatomical drawing that identifies the active and stabilizing muscles being used. By identifying affected muscles, practitioners can maximize the benefits of each pose and even design a personalized yoga routine that focuses on their specific problem areas. Anatomy of Yoga explains the basics of yoga, breathing and the spine, concentrating on the body's core musculature. It covers:Yoga warm-up Standing poses Forward bends Back bends Seated and twisted poses Poses that balance arms Inversions Restorative poses Sequences, such as sun salutationThere are numerous asides, including "best for" information boxes that describe the muscles that work the most during each pose. Tip boxes give hints on safety and form and outline the target muscles for and benefits of each pose. The author also suggests creative ways to modify the intensity of an exercise. Anatomy of Yoga is an expert guide that is extremely useful for anyone interested in enhancing a personal yoga fitness routine. It will also interest yoga instructors who want a visual aid that clearly illustrates the benefits of each exercise.

The Language Of Yoga: Complete A To Y Guide To Āsana Names, Sanskrit Terms, And Chants


Nicolai Bachman - 2005
    This edition contains more than 200 illustrated yoga postures with both English and Sanskrit names. Additional yoga-related Sanskrit terms and over a dozen common chants and sutras round out the content. Audio pronunciation guides help readers gain the knowledge, confidence, and precision of mastering the Sanskrit names and chants correctly. Written by a respected Sanskrit scholar, The Language of Yoga is a perfect tool to help edify and empower yoga students (and teachers) on their path to deepening their yoga practice.

Yoga: The Iyengar Way


Silva Mehta - 1990
    K. S. Iyengar. Featuring one hundred key postures with detailed step-by-step instructions and photographs--from Silva Mehta, a disciple of Iyengar and cofounder of the the Iyengar Yoga Institute in Maida Vale, London; and Mira Mehta, founder of and teacher at The Yogic Path in London, who studied with Iyengar from childhood.

Cool Yoga Tricks


Miriam Austin - 2003
    Although it seems like everyone from Madonna to your eighty-three-year-old Uncle Teddy is practicing yoga, most of us are unable to do even the simplest classic yoga poses without undue stress and strain. Now in this clear, understandable, easy-to-follow book, Miriam Austin offers alternative yoga routines that help you reap the greatest rewards from your yoga practice, and she reveals shortcuts to help you perform yoga like a pro.Using everyday items, such as chairs, walls, and blankets, Miriam Austin shows how those of us with normal flexibility limitations can experience the very real benefits of yoga--without dislocating our joints, overstretching our muscles, or giving up in frustration. She makes the basics simple, doable, and down-to-earth.Dog Tricks--lengthen your spine more fully with these Downward Facing Dog tricks, designed to relax your neck, shoulders, and back--and make your Dog Pose much more lovable.Befriending Backbends--increase your preztebility with a little help from your friends--and from some garden-variety folding chairs.Tweaking Your Twists--learn the techniques that will stretch your spine and give you more life energy.Super Stretches--feel as limber as your average bowling ball? Gently coax your muscles to new lengths by practicing the routines in this chapter.