The Complete Idiot's Guide to Yoga

I. LET'S GET INTO YOGA.

1. Why Practice Yoga?

What Is Yoga? Yoga Is Occident Insurance. Yoga Is a Great Stress Buster. Yoga Promotes Whole-Body Fitness. Yoga Is Healing Power. My Yogi, Myself. Yoga Sets You Free.

2. Yoga Fitness Power: Beyond Stretching.

Yoga Means Connection.

Are You Off Balance? Mind Meet Body, Body Meet Mind. Coming Back to Center.

Tapping Into Your Yoga Power Source.

Bend Without Breaking. Balancing Acts. Strength from the Gut. Keeping the Faith.

Yoga vs. Other Exercise.

Awesome Aerobics. Rockin' Running. Super-Charged Stretching. Superior Swimming. Uplifting Weight Lifting.

Ecstasy: Yoga Union.

It's All in Your Mind! Maximize Your Performance.

3. How Comfortable Are You in Your Body?

A Self-Test for the Yoga-Challenged. What Your Body Is Telling You, and Whether It's Good News. The Shape You Are.

The Slim Ectomorph. The Curvaceous Endomorph. The Muscular Mesomorph.

Your Body and Yoga 101.

Your Personal Energy Cycle. The Muscle and Bone Connection. Eastern Body, Western Body. Do You Trust Your Body?

4. Yoga Mind Power: Go with the Flow.

A Fight-or-Flight World. Concentration, Relaxation, Meditation. From Full Mind to Mindfulness. Relax Past Your Boundaries. Find the Zone—and Move In! Go with the Flow Right Here, Right Now. Release Your Inner Delight.

II. LET'S GET SPIRITUAL: GROWING WITH THE TREE OF YOGA.

5. Going Back in Time: The Yoga Tradition.

People Practiced Yoga in 2500 B.C.E.. Yoga Studies All Religions. In Search of the Sacred (Svadhyaya). Planting the Seeds: Yoga Branches for All Growing Personalities.

Hatha Yoga: Know Your Body, Know Your Mind. Raja Yoga: Know Your Mind, Know the Universe. Kriya Yoga and Karma Yoga: Act It Out! Bhakti Yoga: Open Your Heart. Jnana Yoga: Sagacious You. Tantra, Mantra, and Kundalini Yoga.

Why Practicing Yoga Is So Twenty-First Century. East Meets West. Can You Do Yoga Without Being Spiritual?

6. Walking Yoga's Eightfold Path.

Yoga Don'ts: Just Say No (Yamas).

Do No Harm (Ahimsa). Tell No Lies (Satya). No More Stealing (Asteya). Cool It, Casanova (Brahmacharya). Don't Be Greedy (Aparigraha).

Yoga Do's: Just Say Yes (Niyamas).

Be Pure (Shauca). Be Content (Santosha). Be Disciplined (Tapas). Be Studious (Svadhyaya). Be Devoted (Ishvara-Pranidhana).

Are You Wearing Your Walking Shoes? More Yoga Pathways.

Body Control (Asanas). Breath Control (Pranayama). Detachment (Pratyahara). Concentration (Dharana). Meditation (Dhyana). Pure Consciousness (Samadhi).

7. Can You Breathe?

Prana, the Universal Life Force. Breath Control Equals Mental Control. Blow Your Mind.

Om Exhalation. Ujjayi: Drawing Breath. Bhastrika: Bellows Breath. Kapalabhati: Skull Shining. Shitali: Cooling Breath. Bhramari: Bee Breath. Nadi Shodhana: Alternate Nostril Breathing. Murccha Kumbhaka: Third-Eye Breathing. Kevali Kumbhaka: Hold Your Breath (But Not 'Til You Turn Blue!).

8. Hatha Yoga: May the Force Be with You.

What Do We Need? East Meets West! Know Thyself. Joining the Sun and the Moon. Training the Body to Free the Mind.

One Body … or Three? The Physical. The Emotional or Astral. The Causal (Where Everything Starts).

Physical Cleansing.

Sthala Basti (Ground Colon Cleansing): Elimination Illumination! Agnisara Dhauti (Fire Stomach Cleansing): Tummy Toner. Kapalabhati: Blow Off Some Steam. Neti: Bless You! Trataka: Seeing the Light.

Stabilizing the Body's Energies. Achieving Vitality.

III. STARTING YOUR YOGA PRACTICE.

9. Where Do You Practice Yoga?

Choosing a Yoga Class. Finding Your Personal Guru. Going Solo at Home.

Setting Up Your Practice Area. Yoga from Tapes and Videos. Yoga from Books. Yoga on the Net.

Passage to India.

10. How to Practice Yoga.

Loose Clothing and an Open Mind. Are You Kidding? My Body Won't Do That …. No Pain, Supreme Gain. Finding the Edge vs. Feeling the Burn. Don't Forget to Breathe.

11. When to Practice Yoga.

Sticking with It. Yoga Bytes at Home, School, and Work.

Yoga on the Home Front. School Days. Yoga Makes Work Less Work!

Yoga Renewal.

12. Crafting Your Personalized Yoga Practice.

Define Your Purpose. Sense Your Style. A Yoga Essay Test You Can't Fail. Let's Get Personal. Yoga Ground Rules.

Posture Perfect. Moving Mountains. Warrior Spirit. Listen to Your Body.

IV. ENERGIZE: POSTURES TO BUILD STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE.

13. What Do You Stand For?

Tadasana: Mountain Pose. Trikonasana: Triangle, the Happy Pose. Parshvakonasana: Side Angle Stretch. Virabhadrasana: Warrior Pose.

Warrior 1. Warrior 2. Warrior 3.

Utkatasana: Lightning Bolt Pose. Balance Poses. Vrikshasana: Tree Pose.

Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana: Standing Half Bound Lotus Pose. Garudasana: Eagle. Plank Pose. Vashishthasana: Arm Balance.

14. Bending Over Backbends.

Open Up and Laugh More. Bhujangasana: Cobra Pose. Dhanurasana: Bow Pose.

Half Bow. Rocking Bow.

Urdhvamukha Shvanasana: Upward Facing Dog. Matsyasana: Go Fish.

Half Fish Pose. Full Fish Pose.

Ustrasana: Camel. Cakrasana: Doin' Wheelies!

15. Come on, Body, Let's Do the Twist.

Maricyasana: Spinal Twist.

Bound Knee Spinal Twist. Lying Down Spinal Twist.

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana: Bridge Pose. Sarvangasana: Shoulderstand. Halasana: Plough Pose. Shirshasana: Headstand. Adho Mukha Vrksasana: Handstand.

16. A Continuous Flow.

Sweat with the Rhythm.

Breathe to the Beat. Body/Mind in Motion.

Uttanatavasan: Leg Lifts. Surya Namaskara: Sun Salutation. Chandra Namaskara: Moon Salutation. Create Your Own Flow.

Warm Wonder Vinyasa. Solar Flare Vinyasa. Mild and Mindful Vinyasa.

Moving With the Universe.

V. CALMING DOWN: POSTURES TO QUIET THE BODY AND MIND.

17. Are You Sitting Down?

Flooring It. Dandasana: Staff Pose. Baddha Konasana: Butterfly Pose. Virasana: Be a Hero! Gomukhasana: Holy Cow! Meditative Poses.

Sukhasana: Easy Pose. Vajrasana: Kneeling Pose. Padmasana: Lotus Pose. Baddha Padmasana: Bound Lotus Pose.

18. Take the Forward Path.

Mudhasana: Child's Pose. Uttanasana: Standing Head to Knees Pose. Parshvottanasana: Feet Apart Side Angle Pose. Janu Shirshasana: Sitting One Leg Pose. Ardha Baddha Padma Pashchimottanasana:Bound Half Lotus Pose. Yoga Mudra: Ego-Be-Gone! Naukasana: Boat Pose. Kurmasana: Tortoise Pose. Adho Mukha Shvanasana: Downward Facing Dog Pose.

19. Dead to the World.

How to Be a Corpse. One for All, and All for Om! When the Easiest Is the Hardest. Open Up and Let Go: The Body.

The Lower Body: Going Nowhere. The Upper Body: Still Rhythms. The Ultimate Facial: Losing Your Senses.

Open Up and Let Go: The Mind.

Me? Stop Thinking? Forget About It! Dream a Little Dream. Give Your Mind a Breather.

Quest for Peace.

VI. LIVING YOUR YOGA.

20. Chakras, Mudras, Mantras, and Mandalas.

Meet Your Chakras. Poses to Power Your Chakras.

Prana Arch. Open Pose.

The Healing Power of Chakras.

Chakra-at-a-Glance. Target Your Chakras with Yoga Poses.

Mudra Magic.

Namaste Mudra: A Little Respect. Om Mudra: Simply Divine. Jnana Mudra: Be a Wise Guy/Gal. Buddhi Mudra: How Enlightening!

Mantras: Beyond Om. Mandalas: Goin' 'Round in Circles.

21. You Are What You Eat.

Gunas Gracious! What's Your Nature?

Yogi Food. Pungent, Spicy Westerners. Stale Leftovers for Couch Potatoes.

Moderation in All Things (As If You Didn't Know!). C'mon, Vegetarian?

22. Rx: Yoga.

What Makes You Sick? Body Beyond the Body: The Five Sheaths of Existence. Yoga for Those Nagging Complaints.

Oh, My Aching Back …. Oh, My Aching Head …. Why Am I So Tired? Why Can't I Sleep? What's Up with My Digestion? This Cold Won't Go Away ….

When It's More Serious.

AIDS. Arthritis. Asthma, Allergies, and Respiratory Problems. Cancer. Cardiovascular Disease. Diabetes.

VII. YOGA FOR EVERYONE!

23. Yoga for Two.

Double Your Insight. Postures for Partners: Part 1.

Be a Mountain Range. Warrior 2 Pose for Two. Stretch and Pull. Lengthen Your Spine Together.

The “S” in Sex Stands for “Spirituality”. Postures for Partners: Part 2.

Massage Your Spines Together. Forward Bend Together. Forward Bend and Backbend Together. Boat Pose for Two.

24. For Women Only.

The Truth About Beauty. Kiss PMS Good-Bye. Going Full Cycle: Celebrating Menstruation. So, You're Having a Baby! New Mama Yoga. Easing Through Menopause.

25. Yoga for the Whole Family.

Mucho Macho.

Isn't Yoga for “Chicks”? Where's the Team? But How Do You Win? These Muscles Don't Stretch.

Spirituality: Not a Matter of Gender. Yokids.

Turn Off the TV and Play! The Lessons Yoga Teaches Kids.

Yoga for All Ages and Stages.

Baby Love. Toddler Time! Peppy Preschoolers. Yoga K-6. Teen Yogis. Family Yoga.

26. Yoga for Seniors.

Yoldies but Goodies! Meditation Power. Yoga Poses for Your Whole Self. Having the Time of Your Life. Coping with Loss and Grief.

APPENDIXES.

Appendix A. Yoga Sessions for the Time You Have.

Appendix B. Glossary.

Appendix C. Further Along the Yoga Path: Suggested Reading.

INDEX.