Hjem

Foreword xv Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Foolish Assumptions 2 Icons Used in This Book 3 Beyond the Book 3 Where to Go from Here 4
Part I: Getting Started with Yoga 5
Chapter 1: Yoga
101: Building a Foundation 7 Understanding the True Character of Yoga 7 Finding unity 8 Finding yourself: Are you a yogi (or a yogini)? 9 Considering Your Options: The Eight Main Branches of Yoga 9 Taking a Closer Look at Hatha Yoga 12 Finding Your Niche: Four Basic Approaches to Yoga 16 Yoga as fitness training 16 Yoga as therapy 17 Yoga as a lifestyle 17 Yoga as a spiritual discipline 18 What most approaches to Yoga have in common 19 Pointing the Way to Happiness: Health, Healing, and Yoga 19 Balancing Your Life with Yoga 21 Locating Your Starting Place in the World of Yoga 22
Chapter 2: Ready, Set, Yoga! 23 Finding Suitable Yoga Instruction 24 Checking out classes and teachers 24 Making sure the course fits your experience level 26 Taking other important considerations into account 27 Preparing for Group Practice 28 Deciding what to wear 28 Packing your Yoga class kit 28 Putting safety first 29 Paging Miss Manners 30 Going for It on Your Own 31 Fulfilling Your Promise to Yourself: Making Time for Yoga Practice 32
Chapter 3: Preparing for a Fruitful Yoga Practice 33 Cultivating the Right Attitude 33 Leave pretzels for snack time 34 Practice at your own pace 34 Send the scorekeeper home 35 Picture yourself in the posture 36 Enjoying a Peaceful Yoga Practice 36 Busting the perfect posture myth 36 Listening to your body 37 Moving slowly but surely 38 Practicing function over form with Forgiving Limbs 39
Chapter 4: Relaxed Like a Noodle: The Fine Art of Letting Go of Stress 41 The Nature of Stress 41 Correcting wrong attitudes 42 Changing poor habits 43 Releasing bodily tension 45 Relaxation Techniques That Work 45 Deep relaxation: The corpse posture 46 Afternoon delight 48 Magic triangles: Relaxing through visualization 49 Relaxation before sleep 50 Insomnia buster 51 Yoga Nidra: Catch Up on Your Sleep Quotient with Yogic Sleep 51 Formulating your intention 52 Performing Yoga Nidra 53
Chapter 5: Breath and Movement Simplified 55 Breathing Your Way to Good Health 55 Taking high-quality breaths 56 Relaxing with a couple of deep breaths 57 Practicing safe yogic breathing 58 Reaping the benefits of yogic breathing 59 Breathing through your nose (most of the time) 59 Mastering the Mechanics of Yogic Breathing 61 Understanding how your emotions affect your diaphragm 62 Appreciating the complete yogic breath 62 Starting out with focus breathing 65 Realizing the power of a pause 66 Seeing How Breath and Postural Movement Work Together 66 Breathing in four directions 67 Recognizing the distinct roles of movement and holding in Yoga postures 67 Achieving a deeper stretch with The Yoga Miracle 68 Answering common breath and movement questions 69 Infusing Sound into Yogic Breathing 71 Breath Control the Traditional Way 72 Alternate nostril breathing 73 The cooling breath 74 Shitkari: Inhalation through the mouth 75 Kapala-bhati: Frontal sinus cleansing 76
Part II: Moving into Position: Basic Yoga Postures 77
Chapter 6: Please Be Seated 79 Understanding the Philosophy of Sitting 80 Adding Varity to Your Sitting Postures 81 Chair-sitting posture 82 The easy posture: Sukhasana 83 The thunderbolt posture: Vajrasana 84 The auspicious posture: Svastikasana 84 The perfect posture: Siddhasana 86
Chapter 7: Standing Tall 89 Standing Strong 89 Exercising Your Standing Options 91 Mountain posture: Tadasana 91 Standing forward bend: Uttanasana 92 Half standing forward bend: Ardha uttanasana 94 Asymmetrical forward bend: Parshva uttanasana 95 Triangle posture: Utthita trikonasana 96 Reverse triangle posture: Parivritta trikonasana variation 98 Warrior I: Vira bhadrasana I 99 Warrior II: Vira bhadrasana II 100 Standing spread-legged forward bend: Prasarita pada uttanasana 101 Half chair posture: Ardha utkatasana 102 Downward-facing dog: Adhomukha shvanasana 104
Chapter 8: Steady as a Tree: Mastering Balance 107 Getting to the Roots of the Posture 107 Balancing Postures for Graceful Strength 108 Warrior at the wall: Vira bhadrasana III variation 109 Balancing cat 110 The tree posture: Vrikshasana 111 The karate kid 112 Standing heel-to-buttock 113 Scorpion 114
Chapter 9: Absolutely Abs 115 Taking Care of the Abdomen: Your Business Center 116 Exercising Those Abs 117 Exploring push-downs 117 Trying yogi sit-ups 118 Strengthening with yogi sit-backs 119 Creating variety with extended leg slide-ups 120 Arching with the suck ''em up posture 121 Exhaling "soundly" 122
Chapter 10: Looking at the World Upside Down: Safe Inversion Postures 123 Getting a Leg Up on Leg Inversions 124 Legs up on a chair 124 Legs up on the wall 125 The happy baby 126 Standing spread-legged forward bend at the wall 127 Trying a Trio of Shoulder Stands 128 Half shoulder stand at the wall 129 Reverse half shoulder stand at the wall 130 Half shoulder stand: Viparita karani 131
Chapter 11: Easy ''round the Bends: Classic Bending Floor Postures 133 Gaining a Strong Backbone (and Some Insight) 133 Bending over Backward 135 Cobra I: Salamba bhujangasana 136 Cobra II: Bhujangasana 137 Cobra III 138 Locust I: Shalabhasana 139 Locust II 140 Locust III: Superman posture 141 Bending from Side to Side 141 Seated side bend 142 All-fours side bend 143 Folded side bend 144 Bending Forward 144 Seated forward bend: Pashcimottanasana 145 Head-to-knee posture: Janushirshasana 146 The great seal: Mahamudra 148 Wide-legged forward bend: Upavishta konasana 149
Chapter 12: Several Twists on the Yoga Twist 151 Trying Simple Upright Twists 152 Easy chair twist 152 Easy sitting twist 152 The sage twist 154 Twisting while Reclining 155 Bent leg supine twist 155 The Swiss army knife 156 Extended legs supine twist: Jathara parivritti 157
Chapter 13: Dynamic Posture: The Rejuvenation Sequence and Sun Salutation 159 Warming up for the Sun: Rejuvenating in 9 Steps 160 Gliding Through the 7-Step Kneeling Salutation 162 Advancing to the 12-Step Sun Salutation 164
Chapter 14: A Recommended Beginners'' Routine for Men and Women 167 Starting Slowly and Wisely 167 Trying out a Fun Beginner Routine 168 Corpse posture 168 Lying arm raise 169 Knee-to-chest posture 169 Downward-facing dog 170 Child''s posture 171 Warrior I 171 Standing forward bend 172 Reverse triangle posture variation 173 Standing wide-legged forward bend 174 The karate kid 175 Corpse posture redux 176 Reaching Beyond the Beginning 176
Part III: Creating and Customizing Your Yoga Routine 177
Chapter 15: Designing Your Own Yoga Program 179 Applying the Rules of Sequencing 180 Getting Started with Warm-ups 181 Reclining warm-up postures 184 Standing warm-up postures 188 Seated warm-up postures 192 Selecting Your Main Postures and Compensation Poses 193 Getting stronger with standard asanas 193 Bringing balance with compensation postures 195 Including Plenty of Rest and Relaxation 198 Knowing when to rest and when to resume 198 Mastering rest postures 198 Cooking Up a Creative Yoga Routine with the Classic Formula 200 Enjoying a postural feast: The 30- to 60-minute general conditioning routine 202 Making the most of a little: A 15-minute routine 212 Satisfying an appetite for a quick pick-me-up: A 5-minute routine 213
Chapter 16: Partnering Up for Yoga 215 Defining Partner Yoga 215 Enjoying the Benefits of Partner Yoga 216 Exploring Twelve Ways to Pose with a Partner 217 Partner suspension bridge 217 Partner teeter-totter 218 Hugasana 219 Partner warrior II 220 Partner table pose 221 Double triangle 222 Partner tree pose 223 Yoga Miracle pose 224 Seated straddle pose 225 The partner diamond 226 Partner seated twist 227 Easy partner camel 228
Chapter 17: It''s Never Too Soon: Pre- and Postnatal Yoga 231 Partnering Yoga with Pregnancy 231 Enjoying Yoga support as you -- and the baby -- grow 232 Exercising caution during pregnancy 233 Finding Perfect Pregnancy Postures 234 Side-lying posture 234 The cat and cow 234 The cobbler''s posture: Badda konasana 236 A safe, quick prenatal routine 237 Continuing Yogic Exercise after Pregnancy (Postpartum) 241
Chapter 18: Yoga for Kids and Teens 243 Kid Stuff: Making Yoga Fun for Youngsters 244 Engaging the imagination: App