Yoga And Your Heart

Truth is not something we have to seek out. It is not something that is absent and far away, requiring great effort to find. Truth is present within you as the Life that is you. In Yoga of Heart, Los Angeles-based yoga instructor Mark Whitwell takes us back to the time when yoga was first developed--to the shamanic past of the Upanishads, when yoga was practiced as a means of acknowledging, enjoying, and participating in the very source of Life. Whitwell explores the deeper tantric dimensions of hatha yoga--how yoga's purpose is to link the mind to the wonder of our own condition. He shows how hatha yoga is participation in life's polarities already in union--through the male surrender to the female principle. Yoga of Heart shows how we can forge that union of polarities within our body: above and below, front and back, left and right, male and female. Yoga of Heart focuses especially on clearing the energy centers and meridians, fostering dynamic health and allowing practitioners to create a deeper intimacy with both their partners and the energetic life forces in the universe.

This practical book explains in detail the systems of the human body and the techniques of yoga. The authors show in a step-by-step fashion how it is possible to use yoga to combat the tensions of a fast paced life and achieve physical and mental tranquility. A special chapter on Yoga and Heart, breaks new ground in using the ancient art of yoga to combat coronary ailments : the most notorious killer in our times.

Heart disease kills more people than any other disease in the world. It is a lifestyle disease -the causes of the disease are known and most of heart attacks can be prevented by lifestyle changes. Yoga based lifestyle has been used very successfully to prevent and reverse coronary heart disease. Dr. Chhajer presents the details of the lifestyle and Yoga based techniques that can be followed by the heart patients to reverse this common and fatal disease. Postures, Asanas, Pranayama and Meditation has been used by Saaol to successfully treat more than 60000 heart patients in India and abroad - has been explained lucidly in this book. The author also explains about heart disease, the diet, walking and the medical part of the non-invasive way of treating heart disease. This is the best way to avoid Bypass Surgery or Angioplasty and Heart attacks. This book will be a boon for heart patients, physicians, Yoga experts and common people who want to adopt Yoga to prevent heart disease. This book is accompanied by a Yoga DVD.

In a time where the meaning of yoga in the Western world has become yet another way to exercise and the push to make yoga a business has materialized, instructors today must reconnect with the hearts of their students, revisit their purpose for teaching yoga and review their interpretation of this ancient practice. How do yoga instructors awaken the hearts of their students? By connecting yoga's physical postures with spiritual significance through theme. By asking the question: "What makes your heart sing?" this book will guide instructors to create "heart-opening" theme-based classes by using a model that includes lesson plans designed to target four types of learning preferences. As instructors develop their class lesson plans and themes, meaningful connections will be made with the entire class and soon, hearts will sing!

***WINNER, 2010 Spirituality & Practice Best Spiritual Book Award – Yoga In Heart Yoga, renowned spiritual writer and Sacred Activist Andrew Harvey and longtime yoga teacher Karuna Erickson present a vision of hatha yoga practice that links ancient spiritual traditions to contemporary life. Including excerpts of poetic sacred writing from mystical sages through the ages, the book reminds readers that the purpose of yoga is not to improve one's physical health or even to achieve peace of mind (although these results may be achieved along the way), but to reach a state of unity with the divine, the goal of mystics from all traditions. With detailed descriptions and photographs of fifty yoga poses and their alchemical effects on the body and consciousness, Heart Yoga presents yoga as a simple meditative practice that enables the practitioner to dwell in the heart and experience the bliss of union with the sacred power underlying all of life. The book explains how to prepare for Heart Yoga and describes the “Five Great Joys” that are part of the path. Included are the authors' own compelling stories of their individual journeys along the path of yoga: stories of suffering, transcendence, and joy that both inspire and enlighten.

There is so much more to yoga than physical exercises and a concentration on the breath. Yoga means union, and Christensen, who has been studying and teaching yoga for more than 40 years, uses the term to refer to the joining of physical and spiritual bodies, the ultimate goal of a serious yoga practice. It's not enough to strengthen the body, students must also strengthen their ethics and their mystical awareness. It is these subtle yet profoundly empowering realms that Christensen so eloquently and encouragingly introduces to her readers. She offers in-depth definitions of 10 ethical principles, beginning with nonviolence, and then explains how each commitment, whether it's to truthfulness, tolerance, or purity, enriches daily life. In classic yogic style, she touches on every facet of existence from love and relationships to expectations and disappointments in her commonsensible yet inspired commentary, combining her gifts for keen observation, metaphor and analogy, practical advice, and great spiritual insight. Yoga taught on this level offers the very best self-help anyone could ask for. - Donna Seaman; 224p-

This guide book, first of its kind, designed specifically for seniors, offers the inspiration and instruction to begin a healthier life, and to discover strength and harmony through gentle physical and psychological challenges. Yoga, a 4,000 year-old system of physical and spiritual refinement has the ability to revitalize the body through integration of breath and movement. For seniors who are young at heart and want to achieve a general well-being, Flow Yoga is a perfect exercise program, building strength, flexibility, and stamina.