Description Table of Contents Author Excerpts Quotes Yoga is more popular now than ever. The benefits are recognized worldwide, and athletes and therapists rely on the practice. Yet its appeal is as varied as those who practice it. Regardless of your activity level and fitness background, yoga is truly for you. Yoga Therapy: A Personalized Approach for Your Active Lifestyle will help you see your daily activities in a new light by giving you a new understanding of movement. Whether playing sports or exercising for fitness, you’ll recognize your movement and identify the poses to make them more efficient. With detailed instructions and photos, you’ll be guided through the exercises, breathing, and visualization techniques to improve your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Comprehensive and accessible, Yoga Therapy demonstrates the most effective poses for mobility, strength, recovery, and balance as well as techniques to aid relaxation and help with stress management. No matter your age, experience, or desired goal, Yoga Therapy will empower you to create personalized approaches that are as unique as you are and learn how to adapt your practice to your changing needs and goals throughout life. Part I: Fundamentals of Yoga Therapy Chapter 1: What Is Yoga Therapy? Chapter 2: Training Movements Chapter 3: Connecting Brain to Body Chapter 4: Developing Focus Part II: Foundations of Practice Chapter 5: Basic Practices and Props Chapter 6: Breathing and Relaxation Chapter 7: Preventing Injury Part III: Poses for Lifelong Fitness Chapter 8: Intentions and Connections Chapter 9: Spinal Movement Poses Chapter 10: Stability Poses Chapter 11: Maintaining Fitness and Activity Levels Kristen Butera, a professional yoga teacher and yoga therapist, is the co-owner of the YogaLife Institute in Wayne, Pennsylvania. She is the editor of the regional magazine Yoga Living. Kristen started studying yoga in the year 2000 and has since accumulated more than 3,500 hours of professional education in a variety of yoga styles and movement modalities. She specializes in training yoga teachers and yoga therapists and is the co-creator of the 250- and 500-hour Teacher Training programs and 820-hour Comprehensive Yoga Therapy training programs at the YogaLife Institute. Kristen is known for creating dynamic and interactive learning environments that empower students of all ages and levels to explore a variety of potential practices and apply yoga lifestyle principles toward living a richer, fuller life. Staffan Elgelid, PhD, is a physical therapist, Feldenkrais practitioner, and yoga therapist with RYT-500 and C-IAYT certifications. Elgelid has presented internationally on a variety of topics and created programs on core strengthening, including the SmartCore Training DVD. He is an associate professor of physical therapy at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York, where he teaches soft tissue work and health and wellness. Elgelid is a faculty member for the Comprehensive Yoga Therapy training program at the YogaLife Institute. He has written several articles on yoga therapy for the International Journal on Yoga Therapy and Yoga Living magazine. He has extensive experience as a presenter and moderator at professional conferences and continuing education workshops. Elgelid is coeditor of Yoga Therapy: Theory and Practice, written for clinicians and scholars looking to integrate yoga into the medical and mental health fields. "If you are looking for a recipe for that specific ache or ailment, this isn't the book for you. If you are looking to enliven and keep fresh your long-term yoga practice, then dive deep into this unique trove of insights. The authors draw from their varied experiences and expertise to share many ways of sustaining a robust yoga program that addresses your whole person. Many of the strategies won't be found in other "yoga" books, but are consistent with with what yoga has to offer in our modern lifestyle. The strategies are also beautifully simple in design, but powerful in effect. An alternative title could well have been "Yoga to Avoid Therapy in Your Active Lifestyle." Matthew J. Taylor, PT, PhD, C-IAYT Author and researcher Past president of the International Association of Yoga Therapists Director of Smart Safe Yoga Explore the core in new and interesting ways Understand the power of breath Use movement to focus on spinal articulation