Thai Yoga Massage: A Dynamic Therapy for Physical Well-being and Spiritual Energy

by Kam Thye Chow, Kam T. Chow

An authentic guide to Thai yoga massage, a unique therapy that combines stretching, breath work, assisted yoga postures, and pressure point therapy. * Includes more than 80 illustrations, 30 charts, and a complete series of postures for a two-hour full-body massage. * Author Kam Thye Chow has taught massage in Thailand and throughout Europe and North America. Until recently Thai yoga massage was virtually unknown in the West. It has its roots in both the ancient healing traditions of Ayurveda and Thai Buddhism. In this unique practice, the therapist gives a full-body massage that combines palming and thumbing along the Thai energy lines and pressure points with gentle stretching, movement, and breath work reminiscent of tai chi. Using his or her own hands, feet, arms, and legs, the practitioner gently guides the recipient through a series of yoga postures, creating a harmonious and therapeutic "dance" that leads to greater physical awareness, grace, and spiritual energy. In this comprehensive guide for practitioners, Kam Thye Chow leads readers through every aspect of this dance--from its history and philosophy to a detailed presentation of a complete Thai yoga massage session. This important reference includes more than 80 illustrated postures, 30 charts and drawings, and a complete series of postures for a two-hour full-body massage that focuses attention on both the upper and lower body, which receive equal stress in the Western lifestyle. Information on contraindications, anatomy, and physiology integrates Western medical knowledge and theory with this ancient tradition. Massage therapists, physical therapists, nurses, and other medical professionals will find Thai Yoga Massage an important and innovative complement to their practice.

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The Complete Guide to Joseph H. Pilates' Techniques of Physical Conditioning

by Allan Menezes

Created by Joseph Pilates almost 80 years ago, this popular exercise regimen combines elements of yoga and bodywork to strengthen the core muscles of the abdomen while increasing flexibility in the legs, arms, and smaller muscle groups. Long embraced by dancers, Pilates has been adopted by professional athletes. This book covers Joseph Pilates's complete floor program. Introductory chapters outline the history and philosophy of Pilates, including the eight principles of the method. The book guides readers through basic, intermediate, and advanced routines, with detailed descriptions of each exercise and nearly 200 step-by-step photographs. A special chapter lists exercises for alleviating specific conditions such as back, ankle, and shoulder pain. Worksheets allow readers to monitor their progress.

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The Essence of Yoga: Reflections on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

by Bernard Bouanchaud, Rosemary Desneux (Translator)

Go straight to the heart of yogic teachings! Too often, Westerners perform the yoga positions without considering the form's underlying philosophy and spiritual dimension. For the first time, in this new and elegant translation from the Sanskrit, all the sutras appear in an accessible question-and-answer format, along with special queries that encourage self-reflection. The result is a treasure trove of insight.

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The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice

by T. K. V. Desikachar

The first yoga text to outline a step-by-step sequence for developing a complete practice according to viniyoga--yoga adapted to the needs of the individual. A contemporary classic by a world-renowned teacher. This new edition adds thirty-two poems by Krishnamacharya that capture the essence of his teachings. Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, who lived to be over 100 years old, was one of the greatest yogis of the modern era. Elements of Krishnamacharya's teaching have become well known around the world through the work of B. K. S. Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, and Indra Devi, who all studied with Krishnamacharya. Krishnamacharya's son T. K. V. Desikachar lived and studied with his father all his life and now teaches the full spectrum of Krishnamacharya's yoga. Desikachar has based his method on Krishnamacharya's fundamental concept of viniyoga, which maintains that practices must be continually adapted to the individual's changing needs to achieve the maximum therapeutic value. In The Heart of Yoga Desikachar offers a distillation of his father's system as well as his own practical approach, which he describes as "a program for the spine at every level--physical, mental, and spiritual." This is the first yoga text to outline a step-by-step sequence for developing a complete practice according to the age-old principles of yoga. Desikachar discusses all the elements of yoga--poses and counterposes, conscious breathing, meditation, and philosophy--and shows how the yoga student may develop a practice tailored to his or her current state of health, age, occupation, and lifestyle.

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The New Yoga for People Over 50: A Comprehensive Guide for Midlife and Older Beginners

by Suza Francina

Iyengar yoga expert Suza Francina describes and illustrates how older beginners can adapt the practice of yoga to their special needs. Through photos of older teachers and students, this comprehensive guide demonstrates how to progress from gentle floor and chair stretching exercises to vital weight-bearing, standing and inverted postures.

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The Secret of the Yamas : A Spiritual Guide to Yoga

by John McAfee

A spiritual guide to the practice of yoga. It provides a relationship between the physical postures (Asanas)and the whole of yoga as outlined by Patanjali, the founder of yoga, over 2000 years agao. It explains the conditions of behavior necessary to fully integrate yoga practice with our minds and with our hearts.

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The Spirit of Yoga

by Kathy Phillips (Author)

Yoga is thousands of years old, but because of its current popularity, some people wrongly dismiss it as just another exercise fad made fashionable by celebrities. In fact, as author Kathy Phillips demonstrates in this large, beautifully illustrated book, yoga is a gentle but powerful means of achieving strength, flexibility, serenity, and a healthy balance between body and mind. Originating on the Indian subcontinent at the dawn of civilization, yoga is now accepted worldwide as an effective way to deal with physical and emotional stress. The Spirit of Yoga is a sensible introduction for beginners, and a source of inspiration for current practitioners who would like to learn more. It explains differences among the various yoga disciplines, enabling readers to make a considered choice that best fits their needs. The author uses her experience as a yoga teacher to describe exercises and postures—also shown in color photos—that can promote physical health and body flexibility while inducing emotional tranquility. Yoga positions are suggested as effective remedies for physical ailments and for discomforts produced by everyday stress. The author's witty approach to her subject demystifies today's yoga hype while offering readers sound guidance and emphasizing the entirely real benefits they can derive from this honorable discipline. The book's foreword is by the international fashion model Christy Turlington. Hundreds of color photos and illustrations.

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The Woman's Book of Yoga and Health: A Lifelong Guide to Wellness

By Linda Sparrowe, Patricia Walden, David Martinez (Photographer), Judith Hanson Lasater

Sparrowe, former editor of Yoga Journal, has teamed up with one of the most preeminent yoga instructors in the country, Walden, to put together a comprehensive guide to yoga for women. The book contains numerous yoga sequences and photos and is designed to be a lifelong reference guide for female practitioners. Basic sequences for women are covered as well as recommended sequences for pregnancy and menstruation. The chapters for later stages of life are particularly helpful, with sequences addressing such issues as erratic mood swings and hot flashes. Sparrowe and Walden are frank about their own experiences with aging and also draw on the experiences of other seasoned yoga practitioners to provide honest, practical advice. The book covers many other health issues, with relevance to both men and women, such as eating disorders, back problems, depression, and immune system disorders.

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The Yoga Matrix: The Body As a Gateway to Freedom

by Richard Freeman

Within the YOGA SUTRA, an ancient text on the practice of yoga, only two verses mention "asanas" -- the postures we commonly associate with yoga in the West. Patanjali, the legendary sage and author of this 2,250-year-old work, was concerned not solely with physical, or even mental, development, but also with spiritual development. In fact the original purpose of yoga was -- and remains -- to function as a complete spiritual path where the body serves as a gateway to enlightenment. On THE YOGA MATRIX, the renowned instructor Richard Freeman immerses us in the rich teachings and sutras that inform the many schools of yoga, and reveals how the body can serve as the ultimate laboratory, temple, and place of pilgrimage for spiritual inquiry. Looking back 5,000 years, Freeman uncovers the living roots of yoga philosophy, and observes how they have grown into many schools, techniques, and philosophies that are united by a vast, interpenetrating "matrix" which holds the key to understanding yoga's full depth and greater purpose.

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The Yoga Tradition: History, Religion, Philosophy and Practice

by Georg, Phd Feuerstein, Ken Wilber

From the foremost living authority on Yoga comes the most comprehensive and reliable treatment of the subject available today. This is a work of impeccable scholarship by a person who has dedicated his life to the understanding and practice of yoga. The book offers a complete overview of every Yogic tradition, from the familiar to the lesser-known forms. It also covers all aspects of Hindu, Buddhist and Jaina Yoga, including history, philosophy, literature, psychology and practice. In addition, included are * translations of twenty Yoga treatises * the first translation of the Goraksha Paddhati

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Vivekananda: The Yogas and Other Works

by Swami Vivekananda, Swami Nikhilananda (Editor)

Vivekananda: The Yogas and Other Works reveals the many facets of a spiritual giant of our times. It will serve as a guide for all spiritual seekers in their search for the Highest Good. This handsome edition includes the unabridged texts of Swami Vivekananda's' Jnana-Yoga, Raja-Yoga, Karma-Yoga, Bhakti-Yoga, and Inspired Talks, together with additional lectures, poems, and letters. A biography of Vivekananda (179 pages) written by Swami Nikhilananda forms the introductory chapter. A glossary and an index are included along with 43 photographs.

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Walking Yoga

by Ila Sarley, Garrett Sarley

From the leaders of the renowned Omega Institute, a new spin on an ancient technique—a sustainable program of health and wellness that combines yoga and walking into an invigorating (and contemplative) exercise. For the many yoga practitioners who crave aerobic exercise, walking is an extremely attractive option. And similarly, those who already walk for fitness are naturally drawn to yoga as a means of increasing flexibility and reducing injury. By combining what are widely recognized as two of the most healthy activities any person can do, Walking Yoga shows its readers how to tone, strengthen, and cleanse all the major systems of the body. Quite simply, Walking Yoga provides the necessary skills and physical awareness to practice the Yoga of Walking. Throughout the book, the authors focus on three primary principles of yoga—skillfulness in action, equilibrium, and absorption—and use them to literally transform walking into a type of yoga, helping the reader achieve physical health, mental peace, and spiritual enrichment. Through photos and illustrations, readers learn a series of yoga postures that will enhance walking, and gain an understanding of the role of breath in relationship to walking, health and spirit. Walking Yoga is the first book to show how the combination of yoga and walking can rejuvenate both body and soul, with dramatic results.

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Yin Yoga

by Paul Grilley

How to balance Yoga practice. As Yoga matures in the U.S., this is a new approach to balance physical and mental health, for serious students and beginners. All yoga forms emphasizing either muscle (Yang) or connective (Yin) tissue. Today, all popular Yoga forms are Yang--muscular. Yin Yoga is unknown, but vital, as a balanced Yoga practice has many benefits, including better preparation for meditation. Yin Yoga focuses upon connective tissue, which does not stretch or respond to brief stresses as muscle will, so Yin postures are held a long time, with the muscles relaxed. Acupuncture meridians are also in connective tissues and Yin Yoga is specifically designed to stimulate them. Divided into two sections, the second part of the book deals with chakras, breathing exercises and meditation, and is • fully illustrated • with clear, concise descriptions of Yoga postures

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Yoga

by Linda Sparrowe, David Martinez (Illustrator)

Yoga’s 5,000-year tradition is rich and varied, and has always evolved to meet the needs of the culture it serves. Ever increasing numbers of people come to the practice and encounter its many benefits: the union of opposites; an understanding of the effect of the outside world on the body; a significant reduction in stress; a path to liberation; and the discovery of one’s true self. Above all else, yoga has been and continues to be about the process of transformation. Linda Sparrowe discusses yoga’s roots in the sacred texts and provides a look at the 20th-century yogis who brought it to the West — Swami Sivananda Saraswati, Indra Devi, and B. K. S. Iyengar, to name a few. Four hundred artful posture-illustrating photographs of the most famous yoga practitioners, including Rodney Yee, Patricia Walden, Sharon Gannon, David Life, and Richard Freeman, pull the reader ever closer to this powerful practice.

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Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic

by John Darren Main, Darren John Main, Stephen Cope

In Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic, Darren Main re-explores the time-tested practice and philosophy of yoga. By using modern examples from more than a decade of experience with this ancient practice, he brings the principles of yoga into clear focus and makes them user-friendly for yogis living in the postmodern era. Just as the physical practice of Hatha yoga needed to be adapted for a modern western lifestyle before it could catch on, the psychological and spiritual principles of yoga need some reinterpretation as well. These techniques for self-realization were employed by people living cloistered and solitary lives, and can seem quite distant from our postmodern urban lifestyles. Darren Main believes that an integration of these tools with our cosmopolitan, urban lives is very possible. Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic offers an unstuffy interpretation of this ancient practice and a fresh look at how these timeless principles can help us find peace in our world.

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