The Complete Yoga Book

An encyclopedia of yoga practice and practical yoga as well as of the philosophy and background of yoga.

'When you step beyond thought and intellect and all reasoning, then you have made the first step towards God; and that is the beginning of life.' -Swami Vivekananda Through utter concentration of the mind and relaxation of the body, one can attain an Ultimate form of peace-the superconscious state. This embodiment of the spiritual quest that many, like Vivekananda, aim to walk towards, has been found in the ancient texts of India that explore the art of Yoga. This book encapsulates the four paths of yoga through the eyes of Swami Vivekananda in the nineteenth century. These include the three Yogas from the Bhagvad Gita, namely Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Jnana Yoga, as well as Raja Yoga, inspired by the Yoga Sutras woven by the Father of Modern Yoga, Maharshi Patanjali. The book aims to go beyond the physical postulations (asanas) of Yoga and touches upon its effects on the mind as well as the body; it takes up a holistic and philosophical approach leading to the attainment of moksha.

This fully-illustrated New York Times bestseller categorizes an astonishing 2,100 yoga poses through photographs and descriptions for optimal benefit including adaptations for all levels of expertise and ages. A thoughtful, inspiring, meticulously-crafted guide to the practice of yoga, 2,100 Asanas will explore hundreds of familiar poses along with modified versions designed to bring more healthful options to yogis of all experience and ability. Organized into eight sections for the major types of poses -- standing, seated, core, quadruped, inversions, prone, supine and backbends -- and each section gently progresses from easy to more challenging. Each pose is accompanied by the name of the pose in English and Sanskrit, the Drishti point (eye gaze), the chakras affected and primary benefits.

Turn your yoga routine on its head! Designed to take you from a beginner to an advanced yoga student, this helpful guide will help you to progress from downward dog to even the more intricate of handstand poses. Improve focus and ability as you tone your upper body and core. The Complete Guide to Yoga Inversions is the ultimate collection of the most common arm balance poses and yoga inversions that are found in a variety of styles of yoga including ashtanga, bikram, power, hatha and more. Challenge yourself with XX arm balances and yoga poses with detailed step-by-step instructions from fitness and yoga instructor Jennifer DeCurtins. Each pose includes a helpful photo along with modifications and progressions. Learn to do pivotal, foundational poses such headstand, handstand and crow. The Complete Guide to Yoga Inversions is the perfect guide to improve your ability.

Since 1960, more than 1 million people have used this classic guide to tap the incredible power of yoga. The attractive new edition, in a new size, will appeal to a wide audience of contemporary yoga students.

Senior Iyengar Yoga teacher Bobby Clennell brings decades of yoga study and teaching experience to The Woman’s Yoga Book. She offers a comprehensive program of asana (yoga poses) and pranayama (breathing exercises) designed to support menstrual health from menarche to menopause, along with nutritional and lifestyle information for those times off the yoga mat. Yoga sequences are given for each phase of the menstrual cycle: • premenstrual: poses to stabilize • menstruation: poses to restore • postmenstrual: poses to rebalance • on through to ovulation: poses to strengthen In addition, The Woman’s Yoga Book offers sequences for: • PMS, irritability, tension, and moodswings • migraine headaches • bloating and breast tenderness • insomnia • cramps and lower back pain • heavy bleeding • scanty periods • absence of menstruation • irregular periods A former professional animator, Bobby has used her skill in rendering over 700 illustrations that teach right along with her text. Best of all, she encourages women to embrace the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being that comes from practicing women’s yoga. Begin the journey—now!

Presents postures and total body sequences, offers breathing and meditation techniques, provides advice on finding the right style of yoga and shares a nutrition plan centered around clean, calming foods.

Sri T. Krishnamacharya (1888–1989) was the most influential figure in the last 100 years in the field of yoga. Many of today's best-known yoga teachers—including his brother-in-law B. K. S. Iyengar, his son T. K. V. Desikachar, and Pattabhi Jois, founder of Ashtanga yoga—studied with him and modeled their own yoga styles after his practice and teaching. Yet, despite his renowned status, Krishnamacharya's wisdom has never before been made completely available, just as he taught it. Now, in The Complete Book of Vinyasa Yoga, Srivatsa Ramaswami—Krishnamacharya's longest-standing student outside his own family—presents his master's teachings of yogasanas in unprecedented detail. Drawing upon his 33 years of direct study, beginning in 1955 and continuing nearly until his teacher's death, Ramaswami presents more than nine hundred poses and variations in logically structured sequences, precisely describing Krishnamacharya's complete Vinyasakrama system. Along with every movement of each yoga posture, he covers the proper breathing techniques for each pose—something no other book also derived from Krishnamacharya's teaching does. Nearly 1,000 full-color photographs are featured in this authoritative landmark presentation of the study practiced by the "grandfather of modern yoga."