Yoga Within

A new approach to the ancient practice that examines standard yoga postures and the feelings they inspire in practitioners. 75 photos.

Are you ready to practice yoga with all the heart and soul that it originally had? Recently a roundtable of America's top yoga teachers agreed that those who fail to understand the true spirit of yoga, using it only for striving, was the greatest challenge faced by the practice today. What is the cost to women using yoga to try and achieve an ideal? What are the benefits of embracing heart-centered yoga and self-acceptance? How can you return yoga to its original spirit?

The book takes an integrated approach to pain rehabilitation and combines pain science, rehabilitation and yoga with evidence-based approaches from respected contributors. They demonstrate how to integrate the concepts, philosophies and practices of yoga and pain science in working with people in pain. An essential and often overlooked part of pain rehabilitation is listening to, working with, learning from, and validating the person in pain's lived experience. The book expounds on the movement to a more patient-valued, partnership-based biopsychosocial-spiritual model of healthcare where the patient is an active and empowered participant, as opposed to a model where the healthcare provider is 'fixing' the passive patient. It also explains how practitioners can address the entire human being in pain, and how to include the person as an expert for more effective and self-empowered care.

Practical understanding of yinyasa yoga that allows people to find true health by creating a deep spiritual connection.

Yoga has been shown to promote flexibility, deep relaxation, strength, balance, coordination, and a general sense of well being. But for many busy people, joining a yoga class may be an unrealistic goal. Illustrated with lively color photographs, YOGA IN BED—a concept developed by an overworked yoga instructor who had no time to practice on his own—offers gentle stretches and guided meditations that can fit into anyone's schedule. Author and teacher Edward Vilga's goal is to make the practice of yoga accessible and fun, and he's chosen and named poses, from “Breakfast Bend” to “Winding Down Twist,” that are within the range of most healthy individuals, and easy to do in the comfort and privacy of home.

This is the first research-based text intended to help teachers and practitioners implement mindfulness and yoga programs in schools. A complete review of the literature on mindfulness and yoga interventions is provided along with detailed steps on how to implement such programs. Training requirements, classroom set-up, trauma-sensitive practices, and existing quality programs are reviewed. Twelve core principles of mindfulness and yoga in schools are woven throughout for the utmost in continuity. As a whole, the book provides tools for enhancing classroom and school practices as well as personal well-being. It is distinguished by its emphasis on research, translation of research into practice, and insight into potential roadblocks when using mindfulness and yoga in schools. Mindfulness and Yoga in Schools provides: A thorough examination of the efficacy of mindfulness and yoga in reducing stress and conflict and enhancing student engagement to serve as a rationale for integrating such programs into schools How-to sections for training, classroom and lesson plan preparation, and implementing specific techniques and comprehensive programs Photographs, scripts, and figures to help implement your own programs A tool for assessing and cultivating teacher and student self-care Part I reviews the conceptual model for embodied self-regulation and the risks associated with a lack of self-regulation, an intervention model used in education, and tips for implementing mindfulness and yogic practices within this approach. Parts II and III review the philosophical underpinnings of mindfulness and yoga and critically review the mindfulness and yoga protocols and interventions implemented in schools. Part IV addresses mindful self-care for students and teachers, including a scale for establishing self-care goals and a scoring system.

Western psychotherapy and the personal growth process has gained considerably from the experience acquired within Eastern traditions. Living Within makes it apparent that there is a great deal more to learn that is of both practical and theoretical value.

Transform your yoga practice into a force for creating social change with this concise, eloquent manual of social justice tools and skills. Skill in Action asks you to explore the deeply transformational practice of yoga as a way to become an agent of social change and work toward a just world. Through yoga practices and philosophy, this book explores liberation for ourselves and others, while asking us to engage in our own agency—whether that manifests as activism, volunteer work, or changing our relationships with others and ourselves. To provide a strong foundation to begin this work, Michelle Cassandra Johnson clearly defines power and privilege, oppression, liberation, and suffering, and invites you to make changes in your life that promote equality and freedom for all. This revised and expanded edition offers journaling practices and prompts in each chapter; includes more material on how power and privilege inform the yoga industry; explains how to integrate justice into teaching the eight limbs of yoga; and offers ways to support people as they move through their resistance and discomfort in the face of injustice. This edition also offers a fuller look at how the yamas and niyamas—the ethical precepts of yoga—can be studied in order to create a more just world, and it offers more support for yoga teachers seeking to radicalize their yoga.

Build an integrated, deeply personal practice to cultivate transformation, self-trust, and awakening with insights and techniques from beloved teacher Sarah Powers. More than just physical poses on a mat, yoga can be a profound path of self-realization. Lit from Within encourages readers to pursue yoga in its fullness, examining conscious and unconscious habits, connecting to our inner landscapes, and freeing us to relate to ourselves and our world with a sacred outlook. Sarah Powers helps readers relate to five levels of our human experience--physical, energetic, emotional, mental, and interpersonal. Each section offers an opportunity for self-inquiry and practices to fuel our growth, including yin yoga, meditation, emotional intelligence exercises like creating connection with an inner critic, and interpersonal dynamics drawn from the Internal Family Systems approach. Learning to recognize, reflect on, and at times re-direct these different levels of experience adds a vital dimension to the practice. The book draws on Sarah's many years of practice and teaching, influenced by the rich tapestries of yin yoga, Buddhism, Taoism, and psychology. In these challenging times, Lit from Within offers a path to health, wholeness, and connection--from the inside out.

Watch Me Do Yoga is narrated by a child's voice as she goes through a series of yoga poses. We see her practicing with her dad, her mom, or the family dog—and sometimes alone on her mat. We see her in the garden, on the patio, in her bedroom, even sitting on a gigantic lotus. But no matter what the setting, she relates her yoga to the natural world. She stands like a tree or a mountain and imitates the actions of animals—a fish, a dog, a lion, and a tortoise. She celebrates her connection with the life around her and wants just a bit of attention in return. The upbeat text and appealing illustrations should encourage young children to practice yoga and their parents to practice with them.