Yoga Critical Alignment

Improve balance, flexibility, and overall well-being Yoga is a terrific way to stay fit and improve mental clarity, balance, agility, and flexibility. Written by the founding president of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, this book takes the guesswork out of starting or continuing yoga at 50 and beyond. You’ll learn how to adapt stances and breathing to your changing body to reap the benefits of this ancient practice and use it to calm your mind and body—one pose at a time. Discover step-by-step instructions for more than 45 poses Relieve stress Leverage your breathing Target weak spots, avoid injury, and deal with pain and chronic conditions Discover yoga apps and videos

Yoga and Scoliosis: A Journey to Health and Healingis a deeply soothing form of moving meditation and a physical activity and is a safe way to rebuild strength, stamina, and flexibility and to address the spinal curvature of scoliosis without surgery. The book presents an evidence-based look at how this approach works. Dr. Fishman has been treating individuals with scoliosis with yoga for many years and has collected x-rays of his work, before and after, demonstrating actual lessening of the degree of curvature from the practice of Iyengar yoga. Yoga and Scoliosis: A Journey to Health and Healingis a source of encouragement, knowledge, and healing for those who have scoliosis and need to treat it, but want to avoid braces and/or surgery. Itbriefly covers the history and treatment modalities of scoliosis and discusses the development of the spine in the embryo. Yoga and Scoliosisexplores the complexities of the concept of alignment in the body, with the main part of the book showing how to address scoliosis utilizing Iyengaryoga. Four chapters give instruction in yoga asanas for scoliosis, and another chapter discusses yoga practice in daily living. The book includes a Foreword by B. K. S. Iyengar, the founder of Iyengar Yoga.

Learn alignment cues that are skillful, safe, and best suited to you.

A full-color illustrated exploration of the body in motion during yoga practice • Examines anatomical patterns and body mechanics in specific asanas, such as forward bends, twists, external hip rotations, arm balances, and back bends, to inspire confidence in students, deepen practice, and prevent injury • Provides detailed images and photos overlaid with anatomical diagrams, allowing you to see clearly what is happening within each asana discussed • Explores how various yoga postures interrelate from the perspective of functional anatomy In this full-color illustrated guide, David Keil brings the anatomy of the body in yoga asanas to life. Writing in an accessible, conversational tone, he outlines how practitioners and yoga teachers alike can utilize a deeper understanding of their anatomy and its movement and function to deepen their yoga practice, increase confidence, prevent injury, and better understand their students and their challenges. Providing detailed images and photos overlaid with anatomical diagrams, allowing you to see clearly what is happening within each asana discussed, Keil shows how the muscles, joints, tendons, and structure of the body work together to support integrated movement. He discusses the basics of functional anatomy, exploring the workings of the foot and ankle, the knee, the hip joint, the pelvis and SI joint, the spine, the shoulder, and the hand, wrist, and elbow. He examines anatomical patterns and body mechanics in specific asanas, such as forward bends, twists, external hip rotations, arm balances, and back bends, such as, for example, how a wide-legged forward bend shifts the position of the femur and the pelvis, allowing students with tight hamstrings to accomplish a deep forward bend--something they struggle with when the legs are together. Keil also shows how various yoga postures interrelate from the perspective of functional anatomy. Revealing in detail how everything in the body is connected and how your anatomy functions holistically during yoga practice, this book helps you to understand the body better and connect and integrate yoga postures in a completely new way.

It's no secret that yoga increases muscular flexibility and strength, but you may not know that yoga is a proven treatment for back pain, knee pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other chronic pain conditions. Yoga also helps to ease the stress, anxiety, and depression that can create and reinforce pain, making you feel more comfortable in both your mind and your body. Written by a yoga instructor and former chronic pain sufferer, Yoga for Pain Relief is packed with gentle postures and practical strategies for ending pain. This complete mind-body tool kit for healing also includes deep relaxation practices drawn from the yogic tradition and psychological techniques for helping you make peace with your body and dissolve pain. As the ancient practice of yoga releases the hold that chronic pain has over your life, you will begin to feel more like yourself again.

Yoga: Critical Alignment is an innovative, illustrated guide to new practices that release the tension held in the body to create a new balanced alignment. In yoga, even seasoned practitioners have the habit of working the body from the surface layers of muscle. The muscles are linked to will power and discipline, and working hard on the mat can create unhealthy strain in the body. Author Gert van Leeuwen teaches his unique sequences of standing postures, inversions, forward bends, backbends, twists, and pranayama to get you to optimal alignment and ease. Each thoughtfully sequenced practice is meticulously illustrated so that you can keep this book at your side while you practice. Core topics include: • The role of the skeleton in movement chains and sequences • How to enhance the body's mobility and deepen body awareness • Cultivating a meditation and pranayama practice • Instructions and refinement: inversions, standing postures, forward bends, backbends, twists, seated postures • Planning lessons for a home practice or a studio environment

A breath-oriented approach for relaxation and well-being. Over 300 illustrations and photographs.

This book offers an accessible and lively look at yoga philosophy and psychology. Following the model of the eight limbs of yoga the authors engage the tradition from its foundational ethics to the highest states of consciousness. Based on 30 years of research and practice, it connects the insights of this ancient tradition to our lives and the challenges facing us today. This work will appeal to a broad audience including scholars, yoga teachers and practitioners. and general readers who have an interest in philosophy, meditation and psychology.