Yoga For Dummies

Sharing the benefits of yoga in a way that everyone can enjoy
and understand

Practicing yoga has many health benefits, including improving
your overall fitness, flexibility, and strength. It has also been
known to reduce heart rate and blood pressure. And if you're
suffering from chronic lower back pain, yoga is a perfect choice
for you. Yoga For Dummies, 3rd Edition will show you how to
get up to speed on the fundamentals of Yoga, whether you're
participating in a class, teaching a class, or practicing it on
your own. This new edition features over 20% new and updated
content plus 12 companion videos featuring the hottest and most
popular poses. Inside, you will find:

• Do-it-yourself yoga programs for you to practice

• The latest techniques for breathing properly

• Photos on key poses that can improve front sides and
  backsides

• New coverage on yoga against the wall, the use of props in
  yoga, couples yoga, and more

If you suffer from anxiety, depression, or chronic pain, yoga
can be a wonderfully relaxing exercise for you. Whether you decide
to persist in a traditional do-it-yourself yoga practice or
experiment with the use of props in a new yoga routine, this book
can help. Children, pregnant women, mid-lifers, and seniors can all
enjoy the benefits of yoga simply explained in this comprehensive,
fun guide.

Autorentext

Larry Payne, PhD, is the founding president of the
International Association of Yoga Therapists and was named one of
America's most respected yoga teachers by the Los Angeles
Times. Georg Feuerstein, PhD, was internationally
respected for his contribution to Yoga research and the history of
consciousness.

Zusammenfassung
Sharing the benefits of yoga in a way that everyone can enjoy and understand Practicing yoga has many health benefits, including improving your overall fitness, flexibility, and strength. It has also been known to reduce heart rate and blood pressure. And if you're suffering from chronic lower back pain, yoga is a perfect choice for you. Yoga For Dummies, 3rd Edition will show you how to get up to speed on the fundamentals of Yoga, whether you're participating in a class, teaching a class, or practicing it on your own. This new edition features over 20% new and updated content plus 12 companion videos featuring the hottest and most popular poses. Inside, you will find:

• Do-it-yourself yoga programs for you to practice
• The latest techniques for breathing properly
• Photos on key poses that can improve front sides and backsides
• New coverage on yoga against the wall, the use of props in yoga, couples yoga, and more
  If you suffer from anxiety, depression, or chronic pain, yoga can be a wonderfully relaxing exercise for you. Whether you decide to persist in a traditional do-it-yourself yoga practice or experiment with the use of props in a new yoga routine, this book can help. Children, pregnant women, mid-lifers, and seniors can all enjoy the benefits of yoga simply explained in this comprehensive, fun guide.

Inhalt

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 Sit...