Yoga as Medicine: The Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing

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Publisher's Weekly Review
Starred Review. Western-trained internist and Yoga Journal medical editor McCall has practiced Iyengar yoga for a decade. In 2002, he traveled to India, where most scientific research on yoga's medical benefits has been conducted. The results of that visit and McCall's subsequent study of yoga therapy and ayurveda (India's ancient medical system) are presented here, translated into Western medical terms. For example, McCall demystifies such concepts as samskaras (unconscious patterns that negatively affect behavior and health); scientists, McCall says, explain these patterns as repeated firings of neurons that change the brain's wiring. Although McCall's focus is on yoga therapy, he includes material that will be helpful to most students. For readers challenged by illness, he provides an overview of popular yoga styles and their suitability for various degrees of fitness; steps to finding a yoga therapist; and what to expect from a session. Twenty chapters feature noted yoga instructors describing their approaches to specific conditions—panic attacks, carpal tunnel syndrome, depression, infertility, cancer, etc. They offer advice, rather than fixed protocols, based on their tradition and experience. This might frustrate readers seeking a formula, but those willing to experiment have access to many diverse tools and practices. No doubt McCall's fine articulation of yoga's healing potential will appeal to a large audience of instructors, students, physicians and their patients. (July)
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Review by Theresa Reed on Amazon.com
I have been anticipating the release of this book ever since I saw an ad for it in Yoga Journal. It was touted as "indispensible" and for once, an ad delivered what it promised. Written by the medical editor of Yoga Journal, Timothy McCall M.D., "Yoga As Medicine" offers so much more than a regular book of asanas.

McCall starts by going into some detail about the science behind yoga - giving examples of how yoga can help heal the body. Although he is clear to state that yoga should not take the place of a doctor, he invites the reader to complement their current treatment with yoga. The author also gives good common sense strategies to doing yoga safely (I especially like the cautions about hands on adjustments - I have witnessed people being injured by overly assertive yoga instructors trying to "bend" people into a pose before the body was ready). I also enjoyed reading the chapter on choosing a style and a teacher. Here, McCall lists some of the most well known styles and gives some really good advice to help the reader choose a system that is suited for them.

The third part of the book is the real 'meat'- there are twenty chapters on specific health issues (ex: asthma, IBS, obesity, MS). For each chapter, an experienced yoga teacher (ex: Judith Hanson Lasater, Gary Kraftsow, Patricia Walden) gives their perspective on the issue and how they may have dealt with a student who had the condition. Real life examples are in the book but the author also states that these approaches may not necessarily be right for your condition (for instance, on page xii, he states that Lasater, who wrote the chapter on back pain, was using a case study with sciatica as her example - and may not recommend the featured routine for another student with back pain). Speaking of routines, each chapter also has a specific yoga routine for each condition with full illustrations as well as contraindications, modifications, suggestions, and an overview of the condition from a Western doctor's perspective. These details make the book comprehensive and well rounded.

Other nice features: an appendix on avoiding injury, details on anatomy, a plan for starting your home yoga practice, meditation techniques, and a sanskrit glossary. I also liked that he used not only famous yoga instructors, but a few lesser known but equally valuable teachers. McCall studies with Patricia Walden and there is a bit of a slant towards Iyengar style yoga, but other styles that have a therapuetic bent such as Viniyoga and Anusara are featured here too.

I heartily recommend this book not only to yoga instructors but to any practitioner, new or old! There is not another book like it and I'd rate it 10 stars if I could!

The Yoga Bible

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Editorial Review on Amazon.com
Featuring over 150 yogic postures from the main schools of yoga, including Iyengar and Astanga Vinyasa, this guide provides a comprehensive illustrated step-by-step book to achieving the postures and advice on altering them where necessary with easier postures highlighted for beginners. The book also includes more advanced positions for experienced yogists, which will inspired them in developing their practice.
In addition to postures, the book includes notes on various types of yoga practices as well as a summary of well-known traditional schools of yoga and how they vary. Also inside is advice from the author on breathing techniques and the benefits of yoga in healing, pregnancy, de-stressing and meditation.

Christina Brown qualified as a yoga instructor at the Sivananda Ashram in southern India in 1995. She has also trained in Iyengar Yoga at the Sydney Yoga Centre and in Deradun, India and in yoga therapy at the Yoga Therapy Centre in London. She currently teaches yoga in Sydney, Australia and holds a degree in complementary medicine from the Natural Care College in Sydney. She lives in Sydney, Australia.

Review by G. Brazitis on Amazon.com
The Yoga Bible: The Definitive Guide to Yoga Postures by Christina Brown is a nice little yoga book that fits snuggly into your bag and can be a source of inspiration for all yoga students but some of the poses would challenge the most advance yogi's.

Physically, this book has a small foot print but has over 400 pages of information and covers 170 Yoga Positions. The construction seems average at best. I doubt if this book would stand up to much wear and tear since the binding looks brittle. It is tough to keep open on the mat with out the pages closing quickly on you. It should be bigger!

The content of the books starts with Part One: Introductions (8 Yoga Limbs, Breathing, and Practice Suggestions), Part Two: The Practice (Postures, Pranayama, Mudras, Bandhas, and Kriyas), Part Three: Yoga with a Special Focus (Ailments, Meditation), Part Four: Finding Your Yoga (9 Branches of Yoga).

Part One: Introductions - Starts with the History of Yoga, Rewards, The Eight Limbs of Yoga, and Practice Guidelines. This section is clear, short, and concise. The guideline for practicing offers some very good suggestions for approaching your time on the mat.

Part Two: The Practice - The color photos are great and the detailed Information Box is extremely helpful with the following headings: Gaze, Build-Up Poses, Counter Poses, Lighten, and Effect. It would have been even better if they would have included Warnings and included page numbers next to the Build-Up and Counter Poses for quick reference. The models are exceptionally yogis with many years of practice so use some caution when trying these poses. It would have been an added benefit to show modifications with props. The sections on Pranayama, Mudras, Bandhas, and Kriyas are presented and explained very well allowing the student to enrich their practice.

Part Three: Yoga with a Special Focus - Deals with suggestion posture for specific ailments. This chapter would have been better to have included some Yoga Sessions or Practices designed for beginners and then some more advanced students. The Meditation discussion is nice but could have done better by exploring it some more.

Part Four: Finding Your Yoga - Explores the different forms of yoga presenting a brief explanation of each style. This is helpful in understanding the differences between the different schools of yoga.

Bottom line, The Yoga Bible would make a nice addition to your yoga library.

Yoga Anatomy

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MyHinduPage.org Review. This a great book for hatha yoga instructors as well as students. It mainly shows the muscles. When learned under a true yoga asana master, hatha yoga is learned with the understanding of how each pose effects the body and psyche. Clear understanding of muscle groups as well as the endocrine system is important for anyone who wants to teach yoga. This book is a good start for understanding some of the hidden workings of yoga poses.

Review on Amazon.com by Stephanie
Yoga Anatomy is a book that gives the reader a look inside the human body as it is put in various yoga positions.

Chapter 1 covers the dynamics of breathing and actually covers some breathing physiology as well. Chapter 2 talks about the spine and gives some pretty detailed spinal information. Chapter 3 is short and covers the asanas.

The rest of the book, Chapters 4 through 9, make up the "meat" of the book and contains most of the anatomy information most readers probably bought the book for- what muscles are used in what poses. The way the book gives you the information is quite handy- it has a section on standing poses, sitting poses, kneeling poses, on-your-stomach poses, on-your-back poses, and arm supported poses. Sooo, all you have to do is pick a position/pose, and there you'll find pictures of what muscles are involved (and let me say, they show you some great angles of the poses to make sure the reader can see ALL the muscles that are involved). In addition to learing what muscles are involved, the book also tells you what joint actions are involved, as well as what body parts are working AND which ones are lengthening- neat!

A great reference book, its simply perfect for the yoga enthusiast that has become acquainted over time with muscles they never knew they had- but will now after reading this book! Also recommend The 5-Minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution if plantar fasciitis pain keeps you from doing your yoga.