Yoga: A Practical Approach to Achieving Optimum Health for Mind, Body and Spirit (Complete Illustrated Guide)

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.

A former journalist turned film producer, Howard Kent’s life was changed when he made the Yoga for Health TV series in 1970. As a result of this he set up the Yoga for Health Foundation, a charity with an internationally acclaimed residential headquarters in Bedfordshire. With some 5,000 members, the Foundation is now represented in 23 countries around the world. He has written nine books on yoga, sales of which exceed half a million.