Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy


Sadhguru - 2016
    In fact, yoga is a sophisticated system of self-empowerment that is capable of harnessing and activating inner energies in such a way that your body and mind function at their optimal capacity. It is a means to create inner situations exactly the way you want them, turning you into the architect of your own joy.             A yogi lives life in this expansive state, and in this transformative book Sadhguru tells the story of his own awakening, from a boy with an unusual affinity for the natural world to a young daredevil who crossed the Indian continent on his motorcycle. He relates the moment of his enlightenment on a mountaintop in southern India, where time stood still and he emerged radically changed. Today, as the founder of Isha, an organization devoted to humanitarian causes, he lights the path for millions. The term guru, he notes, means “dispeller of darkness, someone who opens the door for you. . . . As a guru, I have no doctrine to teach, no philosophy to impart, no belief to propagate. And that is because the only solution for all the ills that plague humanity is self-transformation. Self-transformation means that nothing of the old remains. It is a dimensional shift in the way you perceive and experience life.” The wisdom distilled in this accessible, profound, and engaging book offers readers time-tested tools that are fresh, alive, and radiantly new. Inner Engineering presents a revolutionary way of thinking about our agency and our humanity and the opportunity to achieve nothing less than a life of joy. Praise for Sadhguru and Inner Engineering “Contrarian and consistent, ancient and contemporary, Inner Engineering is a loving invitation to live our best lives and a profound reassurance of why and how we can.”—Sir Ken Robinson, author of The Element, Finding Your Element, and Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative “I am inspired by Sadhguru’s capacity for joy, his exuberance for life, and the depth and breadth of his curiosity and knowledge. His book is filled with moments of wonder, awe, and intellectual challenge. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in self-transformation.”—Mark Hyman, M.D., director, Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, and New York Times bestselling author “Inner Engineering is a fascinating read of Sadhguru’s insights and his teachings. If you are ready, it is a tool to help awaken your own inner intelligence, the ultimate and supreme genius that mirrors the wisdom of the cosmos.”—Deepak ChopraFrom the Hardcover edition.

The Essence of T'ai Chi (Shambhala Pocket Classics)


Waysun Liao - 1995
    This book presents these principles through translations of three core classics of T'ai Chi that are often considered the "T'ai Chi Bible," accompanied by the author's insightful commentary. Master Liao demonstrates how to increase the body's inner energy (ch'i) and transform it into power, health, and well-being.

The Book of Ayurveda


Judith Morrison - 1995
    In an accessible, practical format, The Book of Ayurveda unlocks the secrets of health and longevity by exploring the influence of these vital energies on your physical and emotional wellbeing and offers a lifestyle guide designed to maximize health, longevity, and enjoyment of living.    According to Ayurveda, it is the imbalance of your vital energies that leads to the development of disease. The Book of Ayurveda offers suggestions on how to tailor your diet and daily routine to balance your energies and achieve physical equilibrium and harmony. Included is a chart indicating foods that can pacify or aggravate your constitution, conditions and diseases to which you are specifically prone, and holistic techniques—such as meditation, herbology, and massage—that can soothe and balance.

Journey of Awakening: A Meditator's Guidebook


Ram Dass - 1978
    Ram Dass is an American psychologist and spiritual teacher who has studied and practiced meditation for many years.  Here he shares his understanding and explores the many paths of meditation--from mantra, prayer, singing, visualizations, and "just sitting" to movement meditations such as tai chi--and suggests how you can find methods suitable for you.  He illuminates the stages and benefits of meditative practice, and provides wise and often humorous advice on overcoming difficulties along the way.

Alchemy of the Heart


Michael Brown - 2008
    During our early years, we are imprinted by the emotional condition of those responsible for us. Their emotional state overlays the essence of who we are, so that we learn to behave like them instead of growing up to be ourselves.In "Alchemy of the Heart," we are asked to become conscious of the ways we were imprinted and how these imprints drive our behavior. Our guide in achieving this is the heart and the language of felt-perception. Through this language, the heart enables us to re-parent ourselves and frees us to love unconditionally.This journey is about allowing ourselves to feel life--to be present and awake in each moment, so that we really experience everything. It is the chance to participate actively, responsibly, and creatively in our lives.

The Psoas Book


Liz Koch - 1997
    Easy to read, The Psoas Book focuses on the psoas (so-as), the core muscle of the human body, and is an essential read for anyone interested in health, wellness, and movement.The Psoas Book is a great resource for the layperson and offers simple self-help approaches for eliminating low back, knee, pelvic, and hip tension. For the professional, it is a one-of-a-kind educational resource, and is a required read at numerous university dance and movement education programmes, massage schools as well as yoga, Pilates, and fitness training programmes. Purchased for over 30 years by laypersons and professionals alike, the new 30th anniversary revised edition of The Psoas Book is also a must read for anyone interested in sports, martial arts, somatic education, psychology, voice, nursing, birth, labour, and child development.

21 Things to Know Before Starting an Ashtanga Yoga Practice


Claudia Azula Altucher - 2011
    I am very grateful. When I first started practicing I wished I had a handbook that answered basic questions, encouraged me on how to go about those first classes, guided me on whether to travel to Mysore or not. Recently someone who has been attracted to this style of yoga asked me if I could provide such a guide because he said: "it all felt very intimidating from the perspective of a beginner". I completely related. That is how this book was born.

Tom Danielson's Core Advantage: Core Strength for Cycling's Winning Edge


Tom Danielson - 2012
    This comprehensive approach shows the 50 essential core workout exercises that will build strength and endurance in the key core muscles for cycling—no gym membership required.Professional cyclist Tom Danielson used to have a bad back. He shifted in the saddle, never comfortable, often riding in pain. Hearing that core strength could help his back, he started doing crunches, which made matters worse. He turned to personal trainer Allison Westfahl for a new approach. Danielson and Westfahl developed all-new core exercises to build core strength specifically for cycling, curing Danielson’s back problems. Better yet, Danielson found that stronger core muscles boosted his pedaling efficiency and climbing power.Using Danielson’s core exercises, cyclists of all abilities will enjoy faster, pain-free riding. Cyclists will perform simple exercises using their own body weight to build strength in the low back, hips, abs, chest, and shoulders without adding unwanted bulk and without weights, machines, or a gym membership. Each Core Advantage exercise complements the motions of riding a bike so cyclists strengthen the right muscles that stabilize and support the body, improving efficiency and reducing the fatigue that can lead to overuse injuries and pain in the back, neck, and shoulders.Beginner, intermediate, and advanced training plans will help bike racers, century riders, and weekend warriors to build core strength throughout the season. Each plan features warm-up stretches and 15 core exercises grouped into workouts for injury resistance, better posture, improved stability and bike handling, endurance, and power. Westfahl explains the goal for each exercise, which Danielson models in clear photographs.Riding a bike takes more than leg strength. Now Tom Danielson’s Core Advantage lays out the core strengthening routines that enable longer, faster rides.

The Roll Model: A Step-by-Step Guide to Erase Pain, Improve Mobility, and Live Better in Your Body


Jill Miller - 2014
    It prevents you from performing at your best because it robs you of concentration, power, and peace of mind. But most pain is preventable and treatable, and healing is within your grasp. Hundreds of thousands of people around the globe have taken life “by the balls” and circumvented a dismal future of painkillers, surgeries, and hopelessness by using Jill Miller’s groundbreaking Roll Model Method. The Roll Model gives you the tools to change the course of your life in less than 5 minutes a day. You are a fully equipped self-healing organism, and this book will guide you through easy-to-perform self-massage techniques that will erase pain and improve your performance in whatever activities you pursue. The Roll Model teaches you how to improve the quality of your life no matter your size, shape, or condition. Within these pages you will find: Inspiring stories of people just like you who have altered the course of their lives by using the Roll Model Method Accessible explanations of how and why this system works based on the science of your body and the physiological effects of rolling Step-by-step rolling techniques to help awaken your body’s resilience from head to toe so that you have more energy, less stress, and greater performanceWhether you’re living with constant discomfort, seeking to improve your mobility, or trying to avoid medication and surgery, this book provides empowering and effective solutions for becoming your own best Roll Model.

21st Century Yoga: Culture, Politics, and Practice


Carol HortonBe Scofield - 2012
    Yoga is taught everywhere from spas to prisons, and foreverything from weight loss to spiritual transcendence. With its chameleon-like ability to adapt equally well to advertising, athletics, and ashrams, contemporary yoga is a fascinating phenomenon that invites investigation.Written by experienced practitioners who are also teachers, therapists, activists, scholars, studio owners, and interfaith ministers, 21st Century Yoga is one of the first books to provide a multi-faceted examination of yoga as it actually exists in contemporary North America. Key themes addressed in the essays include:- The significance of the body in yoga culture- Yoga’s capacities and limitations as a healing modality- Mind/body splits in the yoga and Zen communities- Healing anorexia through yoga- Holistic recovery through yoga and the 12 Steps- Social engagement and interdependence- Imagination, rationality, and consciousness- Contemporary spirituality- Yoga and the practice of writing

Running Well: Run Smarter, Run Faster, Avoid Injury... And Enjoy It More!


Sam Murphy - 2008
    'Running Well' shows runners how to minimise the risks of injury and other problems by showing the difference between training and straining, avoiding overtraining, varying speed and distance, keeping the running muscles strong and supple and honing technique.

Art of Attention: Book One


Elena Brower - 2012
     This book is both a systematic study guide and a work of art. Detailing five of Elena’s yoga classes available on YogaGlo, this book invites you to craft your own profound practices, and make your yoga your own. Explore sequencing, theming, and your interior experience; then create your own well-wrought practices.

Kundalini: Divine Energy, Divine Life


Cyndi Dale - 2011
    Complex and powerful, this mysterious energy is often linked to sacred sex and our spiritual mission. Kundalini is one of the most discussed, but least understood, forms of divine energy. So what is it, really?Renowned intuitive healer Cyndi Dale presents concise yet comprehensive guidance to help you truly understand kundalini energy and how to use it to transform your life spiritually and physically. Recognizing and integrating this sacred energy is essential to achieving vibrant health, having better and more meaningful relationships, and finding your life's authentic purpose. Featuring the latest scientific research, this guide also explores mystical practices such as breathwork, tantra, and mantras, and offers illuminating first-hand accounts from Cyndi's healing and teaching practice.Praise: An informative read for anybody who has been curious about one of yoga's lesser-known forms.--IASPA Magazine

Happiness the Mindful Way


Ken A. Verni - 2015
    Discover how breathing techniques, body scanning, and simple meditation can help you be in the present moment, lessen anxiety, and distance yourself from damaging emotions. The range of methods presented makes it easy to tailor a program to fit your needs.From coping with anxiety to breaking bad habits to making a speech in front of a crowd, Happiness: The Mindful Way offers foolproof methods and expert advice for gaining resilience, confidence, and communication skills, and becoming more successful in the pursuit of your goals.

Hatha Yoga: Or the Yogi Philosophy of Physical Well-Being


Ramacharaka - 1904
    appetite; Prana absorption from food; About food; Irrigation of the body; Ashes of the system; Yogi breathing; Effect of correct breathing; Breathing exercises; Nostril breathing vs. mouth breathing; Little lives of the body; Control of the involuntary system; Pranic energy; Science of relaxation; Use of physical exercise; Yogi bath; Solar energy; Fresh air; Nature's sweet restorer, sleep; Regeneration; Mental attitude; Led by Spirit. This book has practical and excellent suggestions for promoting health in the body.