Let the modern authority on yoga guide you on the most important journey you'll ever take. As people search for inner peace amid increasingly hectic lives, the practice of yoga continues to gain popularity. Yoga means to yoke, or to bring together, the various aspects of the self -- body, mind, and spirit -- and while the physical and mental benefits of yoga are truly astounding, to many people the idea of yoga is intimidating. In fact, nothing could be easier than starting a yoga practice, and Yoga Zone Introduction to Yoga is the perfect guide. In the first section, Yoga Master Alan Finger offers a brief history of the different types of yoga and how they are practiced in the West, including an explanation of the ISHTA yoga that Alan created and that is taught at Yoga Zone. You'll learn about the benefits of yoga and how to prepare for a practice with different breathing exercises. Next Alan outlines two series of beginner postures, accompanying each pose with detailed instructions on how to achieve it, along with tips and modifications for various fitness levels. All the exercises are fully illustrated and the text is instructional yet friendly, in the tradition of a Yoga Zone studio class. Following the postures, there's a special section on relaxation and meditation, cornerstones of any yoga practice. Packed with personality and full of valuable information, Yoga Zone Introduction to Yoga will introduce you to a life of unlimited possibilities and infinite joy.

Yoga Zone Introduction to Yoga: A Beginner's Guide to Health, Fitness, and Relaxation

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Finger, Alan

Bingham, Al

Exercise & Fitness

Clarkson/Potter

Yoga practice only begins on the mat. As people continue to turn to this ancient wellness tradition to stay strong, reduce stress, and find inner peace, the greatest challenge is to carry the valuable principles of yoga into everyday life. Picking up where his bestselling Yoga Zone Introduction to Yoga left off, yoga master Alan Finger expands on this wisdom in Yoga Zone Yoga for Life. Intermediate practice does not simply involve more difficult poses, it includes a deepening of understanding and self-knowledge. It also means using the tenets of yoga to alleviate daily tension and stress: employing a concentrated breathing exercise to calm nervous jitters before a presentation, for instance, or drawing awareness to muscular pain and natural breathing and posture tendencies during a trip to the grocery store. With asana sequences (poses) and breathing and meditation exercises from the highly personalized ISHTA school of yoga taught in Yoga Zone’s classes and Alan Finger’s studios, Yoga Zone Yoga for Life explores the core principles of yoga using accessible language. Explanations of the concepts of karma and dharma and the chakras, and their value in discovering the truest self, make this enlightening manual the perfect next step for anyone looking to delve deeper into their yoga practice. The Reducing Stress chapter gives comprehensive advice for using yoga to alleviate and prevent stress at home and in the workplace, while Finding Balance features targeted breathing exercises and suggestions for achieving inner tranquillity. Finally, Restoring the Body provides invaluable support for healing and strengthening after illness or injury. For anyone looking for clear guidance to help enhance their insight, Yoga Zone Yoga for Life is the only book necessary to continue the pursuit of a healthy, stress-free lifestyle.

Yoga Zone Yoga for Life: An Intermediate Guide to Health, Fitness, and Relaxation

According to the yogic tradition of India, the seven chakras, or energy centers, concentrate and distribute refined life-force energy throughout the body. Yoga master Alan Finger, well-known for his many Yoga Zone teaching videos, presents detailed yoga practices and meditation instructions for understanding the chakras and bringing them into balance. This book is for serious students who wish to cultivate subtle energies using ancient tantric methods. Illustrated with photos and anatomical drawings, with audio recordings of guided meditations to supplement your practice available for free online.

Chakra Yoga: Balancing Energy for Physical, Spiritual, and Mental Well-being

Repka, Katrina

Shambhala

A readable, accessible version of the ancient classic primer on the practice of yoga--interpreted by a contemporary Tantric yoga master. The Yoga Sutras is Patanjali’s classic text on how to experience oneness (samadhi) within yoga practice. Serious yoga students want to bring the wisdom of the Sutras to their practice but often find the text impenetrable and difficult to relate to. Here, yogi and Tantric master Alan Finger offers an interpretation of the Sutras that is clear and immediately relevant—and he shows contemporary practitioners that samadhi is something that they can experience here and now. Yoga is a process of spiritual evolution, and samadhi is as natural as breathing and available to all, because it is our true nature. Viewed through a Tantric framework, Finger shows us how the Sutras describe the yogic process that both leads us to the experience of samadhi and allows us to weave the wisdom and grace of that experience back into our everyday life.

Tantra of the Yoga Sutras: Essential Wisdom for Living with Awareness and Grace

Newton, Wendy

Discover the transformational power of yogic meditation--a practice that goes beyond mindfulness to help you access your innate "inner genius" and source of creative inspiration. Both mindfulness meditation and yoga practice have reached such a level of popularity that they have revolutionized how we think about tending to the health and well-being of ourselves, our families, our patients, students, and co-workers. But meditation done through a yogic framework goes beyond mindfulness. It not only gives you specific tools for improving health and creating emotional balance, but also offers you an experience beyond the sense-focused mind. It allows you to access atman, your unbound intelligence, or what the authors refer to as your innate "genius." Accessing atman allows you to go beyond the limits of mindfulness to reach a deep source of creativity and inspiration within you--and connects you to your true purpose and direction in life.

The Genius of Yoga: How Yogic Meditation Can Unlock Your Innate Brilliance

Ferko, Peter

Religion & Spirituality