Meditations From The Mat

365 daily reflections offering a way to integrate the mindfulness that yoga teaches into everyday life, from the acclaimed yoga teacher, Rolf Gates. As more and more people in the West pursue yoga in its various forms, whether at traditional centers, in the high-powered atmosphere of sports clubs, or on their own, they begin to realize that far from being just another exercise routine, yoga is a discipline of the body and the mind. Whether used in the morning to set the tone for the day, during yoga exercise itself, or at the end of the day, during evening reflection, the daily reflections in Meditations from the Mat will support and enhance anyone’s yoga journey.

Take the mindfulness of yoga off the mat and integrate it into every aspect of life with 365 inspirational daily reflections from acclaimed yoga teacher Rolf Gates. Gates draws on twenty years of teaching experience to help readers—from experienced yogis to novices seeking a little tranquility—fundamentally reconsider their relationships with their minds, bodies, and the universe around them through self-reflection. Over the course of seven chapters, he explores Effortlessness, Nonviolence, The Spirit of Practice, Mindfulness, Compassion and Loving-kindness, Equanimity and Joy, and Intention and Being, giving readers the tools they need to effect positive changes in their lives.

Deeply personal essays and daily prompts for self-reflection while healing from addiction and walking the road of recovery from the author of Meditations from the Mat and Meditations on Intention and Being. You are a process that has called forth a teaching for this day. This teaching will not be new to you; rather it will be reminding you of what you already know. Reminding you of who you already are. Rolf Gates, author of Meditations from the Mat, has walked the walk of the 12-step method of recovery while traveling down the Buddhist eightfold way and practicing the Eight Limbs of Classical Yoga. His integrated approach has been the key to his understanding of sobriety for over 25 years. In his series of 365 essays, Gates explores the lessons and experiences from his own practice and study, classical teachings, and his career as a teacher and coach. Each eloquent and brief essay is accompanied by a self-reflection prompt to help guide you on your journey of introspection and change. As the co-founder of the Yoga + Recovery Conference at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health and Esalen Institute, Gates has made a significant contribution to understanding the role that yoga can play in recovery from addiction. With his personalized approach to both the modern and classic teachings and by embedding it within the space of the human heart and everyday life, Gates is a solid guide to finding and living the freedom that lives within each of us.

An inspiring collection of essays that reveal the healing power of yoga, Survivors on the Yoga Mat is an ideal companion for trauma survivors and yoga teachers alike. Weaving together stories from her classes, travels, and workshops, author Becky Thompson shows the brave and unique ways that survivors approach yoga: the creative ways that they practice, the challenges they face, and the transformative experiences they discover. Thompson skillfully draws connections between yoga and social-justice activism, demonstrating how a trauma-sensitive approach to yoga makes room for all of us—across race, class, gender, religion and nationality. Survivors on the Yoga Mat offers stories, reflections, and meditations for people who are healing from a wide range of traumas—sexual abuse, accidents, child abuse, war, illnesses, incarceration, and other injuries. The book consists of 90 true stories—alternately funny, surprising, and irreverent—that together provide a roadmap for survivors on their journey to wholeness. Organized into six sections, the book explores the challenges of beginning a yoga practice; the unique strengths of trauma survivors; the circuitous path of healing; yoga's value as a lifelong practice; the special role of teachers; and the potential of yoga as an avenue for activism. Also included is a description of Pantajali's Eight Limbs of Yoga, a list of resources, an appendix explaining the different styles of yoga, and a beautiful photo glossary with over 100 photos of the yoga postures mentioned in the book.

Embrace mindfulness and alleviate anxiety by integrating the philosophy of yoga into your daily life with this fun and approachable illustrated book for anyone who needs to restore some balance—even if you can’t touch your toes! Center yourself—and your life—on and off the mat with Wit and Wisdom from the Yoga Mat. Everyone can benefit from a little more balance in their lives, and yoga’s blend of mindfulness practices and restorative poses creates the perfect antidote to our increasingly high-stress lives. This inspiring collection of quotes, aphorisms, poses, and even breathing exercises will help everyone—yogi or newbie—benefit from the physical, mental, and emotional perks of regular yoga practice, without breaking a sweat. Filled with the wit and wisdom of esteemed yogi Rachel Scott, this approachable book will help clear your mind, while brightening your day.

Meditation is like a love affair with your innermost self. At times it can be ecstatic and entrancing, other times simple and still—and sometimes you might not even feel its profound effects until later. Now with Meditation for the Love of It, Sally Kempton shares practical secrets to help us turn meditation into an unconditional embrace of the fullness of our experience—on and off the meditation cushion. With the gentle wisdom and compassion of one who understands the nuances of practice, she opens us to the joy of exploring the deep and mysterious inner landscape of the heart, mind, and body. Drawing on her 40 years as a teacher and a fellow meditator, Sally teaches us how we can connect to our inner longings and creative shakti energy to allow the transformative gifts and blessings of meditation to unfold. With playfulness and devotion—two key attitudes in sustaining a daily practice—she shares indispensable guidance for this voyage of self-discovery, including: How to tune in to your own “meditation channel,” a bandwidth of tranquillity, energy, and joy Why you don’t need a quiet mind to meditate How the force known as Kundalini can fuel your practice Connecting to your ever-present Inner Beloved to let go of conditioned ideas about yourself and make space for the True Self to come forth Ripening your practice beyond technique into the “sweet mysterious expanse of spontaneous meditation” More than 20 practices for bringing the peace and insight of meditation into your daily life “Remember: what you seek in meditation is your own Beloved, your own inner intelligence, your own Awareness, and your own Truth,” teaches Sally. Meditation for the Love of It points us back to our own intimate heart of hearts, our own deepest experience, and the bliss of existence itself.

"Unlike books on yoga that provide instruction on technique, Going Om is a unique collection of personal narratives from celebrated authors. All of the essays are original material, written for this collection. This anthology values the quality of writing over the authors' flexibility. Ira Sukrungruang shares his heartbreaking struggle as a 375 pound yoga student discovering self-worth on his mat; Gloria Munoz explores the practice of stillness with lyrical elegance in the midst of her busy mind; Neal Pollack's signature sarcasm leads to surprising turns at yoga class with his dad; Elizabeth Kadetsky uses yogic wisdom while coping with her mother's devastating Alzheimer's. Going Om will find an eager audience with the 20 million Americans practicing yoga. The editor, Melissa Carroll, is a yoga instructor who teaches more than 200 students every week. As a writer and university creative writing professor with extensive public speaking and print experience, only Carroll could curate these true tales of life from the mat"--

If you think that you have to retreat to a cave in the Himalayas to find the enlightenment that yoga promises, think again. In this second edition of Living Your Yoga, Judith Hanson Lasater stretches the meaning of yoga beyond its familiar poses and breathing techniques to include the events of daily life—all of them—as ways to practice. This edition includes three new chapters (Relaxation, Empathy, and Worship), a full index, and new interior and cover designs.Using the time-honored wisdom of the Yoga Sutra and the Bhagavad Gita to steer the course, she serves up off-the-mat practices to guide you in deepening your relationships with yourself, your family and friends, and the world around you.Inspiring and practical, she blends her heartfelt knowledge of an ancient tradition with her life experiences as a daughter, sister, partner, mother, friend, and yoga practitioner and teacher. The result: a new yoga that beckons you to find the spiritual in everyday life.