The complete illustrated guide to yoga - Howard Kent

This text guides the reader through all aspects of yoga. The classic yoga exercises are simply explained and clearly illustrated with full colour step-by-step photographs, taking the reader through each step and pattern of movement and breathing in logical order.

Part 1 History: origins of yoga; great teachers; objectives; classic schools. Part 2 Benefits: benefits of yoga; internal peace; healing process; mental and physical approach; commitment. Part 3 Anatomy and posture: yoga and the body; chakras; nadis; the body's natural design; correct sitting; the body and mind; pelvic flexibility - sitting on the heels, cross-legged sitting. Part 4 Breathing: importance of breathing; learning to breathe; breathing for energy and relaxation - changing your breathing rate, instant energy. Part 5 Preparation: planning a yoga programme - ensuring a balanced approach - balancing the body, tree; preparing for yoga practice - mountain, working on flexibility; all-over stretches -sitting stretches, standing stretches; stretching head, neck and shoulders - shoulder-shrugging, exercising the neck; stretching arms, trunk and legs - arm stretch, hip wiggle, flexible feet; relaxation - corpse. Part 6 The positions: beginning. ; stretching the spine - posterior stretch, cobra; performing the spinal twist - simple spinal twist, half twist; bending the spine - standing backward bend, touching your toes; sideways movement -sideways bend, triangle; cat and dog; bridge and boat; learning effective muscle control - fish, locust; maintaining balance -bow, pose of tranquility; inversion - plow, choking pose; shoulder stands - half-candle, full candle; sun worship; the mudras -aswini mudra, yoga mudra; the bandhas - uddiyana bandha, yonimudra and nadabanda. Part 7 Breathing techniques: special breathing techniques - shining head, bellows breath, lung-clearing exercise; alternate nostril breathing - closing the nostrils, alternate nostril breath; making sounds - black bee, "ujjaii"; breath retention - restraining the breath. Part 8 Meditation: the way to meditation; mind control - exercising the mind; visualization -practising visualization, overcoming insomnia; meditation -posture for meditation, lotus and half-lotus; the goal of meditation - aids to concentration. Part 9 Philosophy of yoga: how we treat ourselves; dealing with other people; karma yoga; the spiritual journey. Part 10 Yoga in daily life: everyday awareness; facing problems; controlling the senses - overcoming the heat, overcoming the cold; yoga and communication; you are what you eat; you are what you think - releasing suppressed anger. Part 11 Yoga for special needs: special needs; working with disabilities and injuries - stretching when lying down, exercising on wheels; yoga for pregnancy - gentle twist, pelvic floor exercises; yoga for children - being a lion; yoga for the elderly - cat and dog, working on the back. Part 12 Yoga and healing: healing - banishing the blues; managing illness - relaxing into sleep, managing headaches and migraines; yoga as preventive medicine; the stress factor - first aid for stress, relaxation stretch, restoring calm; flexible body and mind - the mental component of exercise; peace through reflection.