Smart Guide to Yoga

Stephanie Levin-Gervasi

Description

Smart Advice on how yoga can enhance emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being

Smart Ways to relieve stress, strengthen your body, prevent and treat illness, and boost your stamina and energy

Smart Tips on what yoga style is right for you, with step-by-step instructions on the poses that best suit your lifestyle and goals
* Smart Strategies to release physical tension and mental stress with the slow, gentle movements, poses, and breathing techniques of hatha yoga
* Smart Insights into the six branches of yoga, each a different experience in movement and meditation
* Smart Advice on yoga as alternative medicine to heal heart disease, chronic pain, arthritis, and other illnesses
* Smart Tips on finding a class and teacher that best suit your needs and will help you develop your own yoga practice
* Quick reading and easy referencing with lots of photos, a comprehensive index, and loads of sidebars and sources


Smart Guides take readers seriously. They satisfy even the most curious person's desire to know the essentials about any of a wide range of topics--from vitamins to mutual funds to stress relief.

It's all about good reading and expert information. The choice is yours. Stephanie Levin-Gervasi is a writer specializing in health and family matters. She is the author of The Back Pain Sourcebook and has practiced yoga for more than twenty years. She lives in San Francisco.
Yoga and Its Branches.

The Different Systems of Hatha Yoga.

Pranayama: The Science of Breathing.

The Asana.

Finding a Class and Developing Your Yoga Practice.

The Body's Chakras.

Yoga for Women.

Yoga for Men.

Yoga and Health Concerns.

Yoga: The Peripatetic Practice.

Sujets

• Santé et bien-être
• Bien-être émotionnel
• Bien-être émotionnel
• Sport
• Sports fitness
• Yoga
• Health
• Fitness

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 02 mai 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780470349892
• Langue: English

Extrait

Smart Guide TM
to
Yoga
About Smart Guides
Welcome to Smart Guides. Each Smart Guide is created as a written conversation with a learned friend; a skilled and knowledgeable author guides you through the basics of the subject, selecting the most important points and skipping over anything that s not essential. Along the way, you ll also find smart inside tips and strategies that distinguish this from their books on the topic.
Within each chapter you ll find a number of recurring features to help you find your way through the information and put it to work for you. Here are the user-friendly elements you ll encounter and what they mean:

The keys
Each chapter opens by highlighting in overview style the most Important concepts in the pages that follow.
Smart Move
Here s where you will learn opinions and recommendations from experts and professionals in the field.
Street Smarts
This feature presents smart ways In which people have dealt with related issues and shares their secrets for success.
Smart Souerces
Each of these sidebars points the way to more and authoritative information on the topic, from organizations, government agencies, corporations, publications, Websites, and more.
Smart Definition
Terminology and key concepts essential to your mastering the subject matter are dearly explained in this feature.
F.Y.I
Related facts, statistics, and quick points of interest are noted here.
What Matters, What Doesn t
Part of learning something new involves distinguishing the most relevant. Information from conventional wisdom or myth. This feature helps focus your attention on what really matters.
The Bottom Line
The conclusion to each chapter, here is where the lessons learned in each section are summarized so you can revisit the most essential information of the text.
One of the main objectives of the Smart Guide to Yoga is not only to better prepare you to undertake a yoga practice, but to explain the myriad benefits yoga offers and the many ways that the science can be used to enrich one s life.
Smart Guide TM
to
Yoga
Stephanie Levin-Gervasi
Photographs by a, paul cartier
Smart Guide is a trademark of John Wiley Sons, Inc.
Copyright 1999 by Cader Company Inc. All rights reserved
Photographs copyright 1999 by a. paul cartier
Published by John Wiley Sons, Inc.
Published simultaneously in Canada
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center; 222 Rosewood Drive; Danvers, MA 01923; [phone]; fax [phone]. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley Sons, Inc.; 605 Third Avenue; New York, NY 10158-0012; [phone]; fax [phone]; E-Mail: PERMREQ @ WILEY.COM.
The information contained in this book is not intended to serve as a replacement for professional medical advice. Any use of the information in this book is at the reader s discretion. The author and the publisher specifically disclaim any and all liability arising directly or indirectly from the use or application of any information contained in this book. A health-care professional should be consulted regarding your specific situation.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Levin-Gervasi, Stephanie.
Smart guide to Yoga / Stephanie Levin-Gervasi.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-471-35648-4 (pbk.)
1. Yoga, Hatha. 2. Physical fitness. I. Title.
RA781.7.L478 1999
613.7 .046-dc21 99-31068
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is dedicated to my daughter, Camille, whose endless inspiration, curiosity, and joy capture the infinite spirit of the yogi .
Acknowledgments
I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the yoga teachers and individuals who offered knowledge and insight throughout the book. I especially want to acknowledge Integral Yoga in San Francisco, particularly the Reverend Kamala Lee, whose generosity and clarity have illuminated the heart of yoga for me.
I also would like to thank a. paul cartier, the photographer of the book s interior illustrations. A freelance photographer/imager for more than twenty years, he has sold work to health and travel magazines as well as photographed numerous special events. He is an avid cyclist and yoga practitioner.
Special gratitude also to the models in the photographs, Kriste Home and Joseph Vella. Kriste and Joseph are both certified Integral Yoga instructors. Joseph is a practitioner of Transcendental Meditation as well.
Contents

Introduction
1. Yoga and Its Branches
Yoga Defined
The Practice
Dispelling Common Myths about Yoga
Why Is Yoga Suddenly So Popular?
The Benefits of Yoga
The Language of Yoga
Sanskrit 101
Asana
Pranayama
Pratyahara
Who Is a Guru?
The Branches of Yoga
Raja Yoga
Karma Yoga
Jnana Yoga
Bhakti Yoga
Tan tra Yoga
Hatha Yoga
2. The Different Systems of Hatha Yoga
Hatha Yoga
Sri Krishnamacharya
Hatha Yoga Systems
Ananda
Ashtanga
Bikram
Integral
Iyengar
Kripalu
Kundalini
Sivananda
Viniyoga
Emerging Styles of Yoga
Restorative Yoga
How Restorative Yoga Works
Finding a Restorative Yoga Class
Phoenix Rising
Tri-Yoga
Power Yoga
The Asana
Pranayama
3. Pranayama: The Science of Breathing
Pranayama
Prana s Path
Can I Feel My Prana Flowing?
Do You Breathe Correctly?
Breath and Stress
The Breathing Cycle
The Basics of Breath
Yoga s Three-Part Breathing
Inhalation
Retention
Exhalation
Expelling Impurities
Beginning a Basic Pranayama Practice
Sukhasana (Easy Pose)
Mudras
Vishnu Mudra Position
Qualities of Pranayama
Breathing Exercises
1. Warming Up the Breath
2. Full-Breath Exercise
3. Single-Nostril Breathing Exercise
4. Nadi Sodhana (Alternate-Nostril Breathing Exercise)
5. Kapalabhati (The Skull Shining Breath)
6. Bhastrika (Bellows Breath)
4. The Asana
The Benefits of Asana
The Practice of Asana
The Sequence of Asana
Anatomy of an Asana
The Asana Illustrated
Standing Poses
1. Tadasana (The Mountain Pose)
2. Uttanasana (Standing Forward-Bending Pose)
3. Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)
4. Virabhadrasana (The Warrior Pose)
Sitting Poses
5. Sukhasana (Easy Pose)
6. Padmasana (Lotus Pose)
7. Bhaddha Konasana (Bound Eagle Pose; Butterfly Pose)
8. Vajrasana (Kneeling Pose)
9. Seated Chair Stretch
Forward Bending Poses
10. Paschinottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)
11. Janu-Shirshasana (Head-to-Knee Pose)
12. Upavista Konasana (Open Angle Pose)
Reclining or Supine Poses
13. Savasana (Corpse Pose; Relaxation Pose)
14. Supta-Padangusthasana (Reclining Single-Leg Raise)
15. Apanasana (Wind-Relieving Pose)
Backward Bending Poses
16. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)
17. Bhujangasana (Cobra)
18. Setu Bandhasana(Bridge Pose)
19. Matsyasana (Fish Pose)
20. Salabhasana (Locust Pose)
Inverted Poses
21. Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose)
22. Halasana (Plow Pose)
23. Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand)
24. Shirshasana (Head Stand)
Twisting Poses
25. Ardha Matsyendransana (Half Spinal Twist)
26. Bharadvajasana (Chair Spinal Twist)
Balancing Poses
27. Vrksasana (Tree Pose)
28. Natarajasana Variation (King Dancer Pose)
29. Mayurasana (The Peacock Pose)
30. Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (One-Legged Dove Pose)
Relaxation Pose
31. Mudhasana (Child s Pose)
Poses for Women (But Not Exclusively)
32. Pelvic Tilt
33. Bidalasana (The Cat Pose)
34. Malasana (Squatting Pose)
35. Wall Squat
Surya Namaskara (The Sun Salutation)
5. Finding a Class and Developing Your Yoga Practice
Where to Begin: A Bit of Self-Assessment
Know Your Purpose
Do You Have Special Concerns?
How Important to You Is the Yoga Environment?
Finding a Teacher
The Yoga Teacher Checklist
Resources for Finding a Teacher
Preparing for Yoga Class
Tips for the Yoga Student in Class
Assessing Your Class
Your Personal Practice
Why Practice If You Are Taking a Class?
Obstacles to Your Routine
What You ll Need to Practice Away from Class
In Practice, Bear in Mind
Spicing Up Your Practice Sessions
Yoga Accoutrements
The Props
6. The Body s Chakras
What Is a Chakra?
Western and Eastern Approaches
Western Medical Philosophy
Eastern Medical Philosophy
Chakra Points
The Seven Major Chakras
The First Chakra
The Second Chakra
The Third Chakra
The Fourth Chakra
The Fifth Chakra
The Sixth Chakra
The Seventh Chakra
The Belief in Chakras and Yoga
Chakra Clearing
Chakra-Clearing Visualization Technique
7. Meditation and Yoga
What Is Meditation?
Meditation and the Mind
Two Techniques to Calm the Mind
Concentrative Meditation Technique
Mindfulness Meditation Technique
Helpful Hints to Prepare for Meditation
Sitting for Meditation
Meditation Styles
Transcendental Meditation
Mantra, or Japa, Yoga
Chanting
Tratak
Symbols
Mandala
Mindfulness Meditation
Your Choice: Group or Solo?
Group Sittings
Solo Sittings
Time and Meditation
How Long Should I Meditate?
Fitting Meditation into Your Life
Meditation and Emotions
The Result: Life Awareness and Clarity
8. Yoga for Women
Yoga and Pregnancy
Prenatal Yoga s Benefits
When to Begin Prenatal Yoga
FIRST: Consult Your Doctor!
Prenatal Yoga Practices to Do
Prenatal Postures to Avoid
Inverted Poses to Avoid
Abdominal Poses and Breathing
Exercises to Avoid
Supine Poses to Avoid
Relaxation Poses to Avoid
In Your Final Weeks of Pregnancy
Menses and Yoga
Helpful Asana for PMS
Perimenopause and Menopause
Yoga to Address Anxiety
Yoga to Address Hot Flashes
Yoga to Address Hormonal F