Yoga Myths

The essential guide to correcting yoga misconceptions and avoiding injuries in your practice from Judith Hanson Lasater, a yoga instructor, physical therapist, and bodywork expert. "Tuck your tailbone to protect your back." "Increase your breath." "Pull your abdominal muscles into your backbone." Following these movement cues is often believed to benefit your yoga practice and protect your body when entering and holding poses. However, what may seem like a helpful correction can actually lead to injury or physical harm. In Yoga Myths, Judith Hanson Lasater draws on almost fifty years of experience as a yoga instructor and physical therapist to address the most common mistakes in our yoga practice and provide clear instructions for correcting these errors. Focusing on the eleven "myths" most detrimental to our practice, Lasater provides a comprehensive discussion of what the myth is, why it can hurt us, and how we can avoid it through step-by-step instructions and guiding photos. This book will allow you to return to the inherent wisdom, natural goodness, and spiritual wholeness of yoga and avoid life altering injuries for as long as you practice.

Deepen Your Yoga Experience with the Origin Stories of 64 Common Asanas Explore the stories from Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain mythology that nurtured the idea of yoga and shaped the development of its most iconic asanas. Learn how svana-asana (dog pose) is connected to Shiva, bhujanga-asana (cobra pose) was inspired by shape-shifting beings who live below the earth, and much more. Many practitioners are unaware of yoga's underlying philosophy, symbols, and rituals because modern teachers often emphasize the physical over the mental and spiritual components. Yoga Mythology brings this overlooked wisdom to light by recounting the lore behind more than sixty asanas, drawing attention to an Indic worldview based on the concepts of eternity, rebirth, liberation, and empathy. With hundreds of photos and playful illustrations, this book makes it easy and enjoyable to connect with yogic principles and expand the mental and spiritual aspects of your practice.

Enhance your yoga practice with this all-new expanded edition of the ultimate guide to the stories behind the most beloved poses of all time. Many yoga practitioners explore the benefits of yoga through its poses, but did you know that the magic and mystery of yoga lie within the power of yogic mythology? Myths of the Asanas was the first book to collect and retell the ancient tales of yogic myth to a modern audience, and has since become a beloved resource for yoga practitioners and instructors the world over. This expanded edition contains nine unheard stories about some of the yoga world's most beloved poses. The myths behind yoga’s spiritual tradition have the power to help students of all levels realize their full potential. Understanding the subtle whimsy and power of the child while in child’s pose gives us permission to recall forgotten dreams and find the power to manifest them now. Learning of the disabilities of the great sage Astavakra while attempting his arm-balance pose encourages us to understand how powerful we are when we recognize the strength that lies beyond any perceived limitations. Marveling at the monkey-god Hanuman’s devotion to his best friend, Ram, keeps us in alignment with our integrity during the hanumanasana splits pose as we dig deeply to discover the source of spiritual strength within ourselves.

In Exposing Yoga Myths, Kim, Mel and Ariana combine their extensive experience as yoga and movement professionals with their shared love of science and research to tackle yoga myths that range from the silly to the dangerous - and which they would stop class to address. Using their fun, straightforward writing style to break down the latest information in the fields of physiology, neuroscience and biomechanics, they apply it to casual discussion of health and yoga asana, making sure that you know yoga facts from yoga fiction. Whether you're a beginner, regular practitioner or yoga educator, you're likely to hear one or more of these myths at some point. But with their help, you can speak up and expose the misinformation that prevents healthy development of a yoga practice and the human body, and help improve the ways in which this growing community thinks about, speaks about, and practices yoga.

The Science of Yoga draws on a hidden wealth of science, history, and surprising facts to cut through the fog that surrounds contemporary yoga and to show - for the first time - what is uplifting and beneficial and what is delusional, flaky, and dangerous. At heart, it illuminates the risks and rewards. The book takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of undiscovered yoga that goes from old libraries in Calcutta to the world capitals of medical research, from little-known archives to spotless laboratories, from sweaty yoga classes with master teachers to the cosy offices of yoga healers. In the process, it shatters myths, lays out unexpected benefits, and offers a compelling vision of how to improve the discipline.

Discover the traditional stories and wisdom behind your favourite yoga poses in this stunningly illustrated book of Indian mythology for yogis of all levels. A beautifully written introduction to Indian mythology, join storyteller, scholar and teacher, Dr Raj Balkaran, and explore the unforgettable tales behind 50 key yoga poses, such as: Vīrabhadrāsana II, the original warrior pose Tāḍāsana, mountain pose Bhujaṅgāsana, cobra pose Garuḍāsana, eagle pose Padmāsana, lotus pose Vīrāsana, hero pose Śavāsana, corpse pose Meet iconic Gods and Goddesses, from Gaṇeśa, the elephant-headed god of wisdom, to Śiva, Lord of Yogis, and Kali, goddess of mind, body, soul and death. Explore the rivalry between the sages Vasiṣṭha and Viśvāmitra, and their cosmic feud over a wish-fulfilling cow. Plunge into the depths of one of the richest myths in Hinduism: the battle between the demons and the gods who churn the cosmic oceans in search for the elixir of immortality. And learn how Śiva got his blue throat! Learn, through the mythology of the poses, more about the roots of this ancient practice and how you can use their teachings to better appreciate and respect yoga’s true origins. Enhance your practice by reading one story before or at the end of class, and incorporating the poses and their teaching into your life, as well as your yoga practice, and transform the way you view and practice this timeless art.

The practice of yoga is a 5,000-year-old tradition originating in India. It's a practice where students focus on a range of spiritual practices, including: philosophy, meditation, breathing, lifestyle and exercise. Its beginnings are believed by some to date as far back as the Stone Age. Following its introduction to the west in the late 1800's, yoga has seen a constant rise in popularity. Today, we have an estimated 70 million yoga teachers across North America! So, why do we have so many yoga misconceptions and how did they start? There are several theories about how they began, but as is true with many misunderstood practices, speculation and stereotypes are at the root of these rumors. One of the most long-standing yoga misconceptions is that it's a practice solely for women. This is far from accurate. In fact, in the early 1800's, yoga was common practice for the ruling Prince of India, and it was taught to young boys as a "workout", making this falsehood especially puzzling! Teaching a yoga class or own a studio? Expect to see all shapes and sizes. Today's yoga focuses on finding strength in balance, and there's nothing gender-specific about that Have you ever heard that you need to be flexible to practice yoga? That's another myth! Yoga is for every body. We're not all super flexible and that's okay, but that's something yoga is great at: increasing strength and flexibility. Like anything else in life, improvement comes with practice. Keep at it, and little by little you'll see a drastic improvement in your strength and flexibility. Even if you don't start out very bendy at the beginning, remember it's called a practice because it's a work in progress. Flexibility is certainly not a requirement to start practicing yoga, but it is sure to improve the more you work at it. Discover what you need to learn and unlearn for a safe and healthy yoga practice by Cynthia Armstrong

What is the meaning of Shiva dancing on a dwarf named Avidya? Why does Vishnu sleep upon an endless snake? To what did the Buddha awaken? What do we mean by soul? The practice of Yoga has become quite common and popular in the West; however, the stories of Yoga are still strange to Western ears. What do these ancient symbols mean, what are they trying to teach us, and how should we incorporate the knowledge skillfully into our Western lifestyle? By looking at the myths of Yoga along with the stories that have influenced Western culture, we are presented with opportunities to select the best of both worlds, and create new maps to help guide us through the uncertainties of modern living. Stories are fun! Important stories guide us and educate us; they create mental models which work at an unconscious level to help us navigate through our modern society and govern our reactions to the ups-and-downs of life; they provide meaning and purpose for our life; and our stories entertain and entrance us. In this book, Bernie Clark looks at the spiritual stories found in the West that create a base map for our lives and then looks at the stories found in the East to see how they could improve our base maps. The stories offered are mix of light-hearted and enjoyable, and deep and profound. The importance of stories East and West are illustrated through the model proposed by the great 20th century mythologist, Joseph Campbell: myths, or stories, serve four great functions - the mystical, the cosmological, the sociological and the psychological function. The stories chosen illustrate these four functions of mythology and show how we can take these stories into ourselves to create a deeper experience of life. "You may find that, with a proper introduction, mythology will catch you." Joseph Campbell: The Power of Myth