The Woman's Book of Yoga and Health A Lifelong Guide to Wellness

by Sparrowe, Linda; Walden, Patricia; Lasater, Judith Hanson

• ISBN13: 9781570624704
• ISBN10: 1570624704
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-12-03
• Publisher: Shambhala

Summary

The Woman's Book of Yoga and Healthis the first comprehensive book about women's health issues and how to treat them with yoga. The authors offer a complete yoga program for general health as well as pose sequences that address specific health problems-all in the Iyengar tradition, which targets health needs more than other forms of yoga. For example, in the first part of the book, Patricia Walden has organized three chapters showing yoga poses with clear instructions that tell how to get into each pose and describe its benefits: chapter one is the Essential Sequence for all women, and includes modifications for people who cannot or should not do all the poses; chapter two is the Restorative Sequence for stress relief and relaxation; chapter three contains advanced poses that energize and tone. The second part is presented in four sections that broadly represent the stages of a woman's life: teen years and early twenties, later twenties and thirties, midlife, and wisdom years. Each section contains chapters offering specific information about a particular health issue from author Linda Sparrowe, as well as sequences of yoga poses from Patricia Walden that address the problem. For example, the back care chapter includes information about common back problems and their causes (scoliosis, arthritis, lordosis, sciatica, kyphosis, among others) with an emphasis on: emotional and psychological roots of some back problems; physiological information about the spine and back muscles; general information about how yoga addresses different areas of the back; and finally, Patricia Walden's sequences of poses that target different back problems with the goal of not only relieving back pain but of strengthening, and healing old injuries and misalignments. Sections of the book include: Teens and Early 20s: Eating disorders, menstrual health, immune support 20s and 30s: Back care, pregnancy, headaches Midlife: Depression, menopause, digestion Wisdom Years: Osteoporosis, postmenopause, the heart The final section of the book includes listings of yoga centers, instructional videos, yoga equipment, and where to go for more information about yoga.

Author Biography

Linda Sparrowe has written numerous articles on women’s health, herbs, and complementary medicine, as well as on yoga and pilates. She is the former managing editor of <i>Yoga Journal </i>and is now a contributing editor and author of <i>Yoga Journal’</i>s upcoming book featuring the beauty of yoga poses. She is also the editorial director of the<i> Herb Quarterly.</i>

Table of Contents

Foreword	vii
Judith Hanson Lasater
Introduction	ix
How to Use This Book	xiii
PART ONE Essential Yoga Sequences	1	(54)
The Woman's Essential Sequence	3	(22)
The Woman's Energizing Sequence	25	(18)
The Woman's Restorative Sequence	43	(12)
PART TWO The Time of Awakening	55	(78)
Befriending Your Body	59	(29)
Honoring Your Menstrual Cycle	88	(30)
Supporting Your Immune System	118	(15)
PART THREE Coming into Fullness	133	(74)
Preparing for Labor, Birth, and Postpartum	137	(31)
Caring for Your Back	168	(22)
Relieving Headaches	190	(17)
PART FOUR Speaking the Truth	207	(88)
Working with Depression	211	(22)
Easing into Menopause	233	(40)
Improving Digestion	273	(22)
PART FIVE Wisdom from the Heart	295	(58)
Minimizing Postmenopausal Symptoms	299	(23)
Relieving Osteoporosis	322	(18)
Strengthening Your Heart	340	(13)
Resources	353	(5)
Acknowledgments	358	(3)
Index	361