Cory Martin - Yoga for Beginners: 35 Simple Yoga Poses to Calm Your Mind and Strengthen Your Body

Copyright 2015 by Rockridge Press, Berkeley, California

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Illustrations Tom Bingham

ISBN: Print 978-1-62315-646-6 | eBook 978-1-62315-647-3

Basics

Practice

The Essential Yoga Poses

Sequences

Nutrition

Meditation

Yoga for You

A book is never written overnight or completed alone. I have been blessed with a team of teachers, editors, friends, and family whove made this all possible.

Thank you to Brian Hurley and the folks at Callisto Media for giving me the platform to combine my two biggest loves, writing and yoga. To all the others who contributed to this book, including Katy Brown and Tom Bingham, thank you for your hard work and dedication.

To the teachers who taught me how to be a yoga teacher: James Brown and Alexandria Crow, thank you for teaching me everything you know. I would not be qualified to write this book if it werent for you. Nicole Sciacca, thank you for kicking my ass and being the first to say you should become a teacher. Without your support I would still be the quiet girl in the back of the class.

To all the teachers who taught me how to put a sentence together: Mr. Boetel, Mr. Bird, Mrs. Watson, T.C. Boyle, and Aimee Bender, thank you for helping me to find my voice as a writer. To the teachers who taught me yoga when I was just a beginner: Meghan Kennedy Townsend, Elise Joan, David Romanelli, and Brock Cahill, thank you for your patience. Without your classes I never would have stuck with this practice.

To my Mom and Dad, thank you for always encouraging me to do the things I love, and supporting every crazy career idea I ever had. You taught me to follow my dreams and never give up. To my baby sister Cassie, thank you for willing to be my yoga guinea pig. Your constant feedback on my classes makes me a better teacher. To my Greg, thank you for reading early pieces of this book. Your unending support and love kept me typing away.

And finally, to all my students, thank you for trusting me to be your guide. Your smiling faces day in and day out are why I do what I do.

Namaste.

I always thought of myself as a fairly athletic person. But my first yoga class? That was impossible. I struggled through every moment of it, dripped sweat all over my mat, and cursed inside my head, wondering how someone could become so attached to this stupid practice. It was physically demanding, and I was too worried about my quivering thighs and that acrobatic person on my left to feel any sense of calm.

But during the last five minutes of class, when I was lying on my back in the final resting pose, I finally understood the hype. Suddenly, my body relaxed. All the negative thoughts about yoga that were running through my head evaporated. Everything I had been fretting about disappeared. And I wondered: If Im feeling this good after my very first try, what will happen if I keep coming back?

I went back to yoga the very next day, and for months after I continued to experiment with the practice. Over time that feeling I had at the end of my first class became more and more present in my daily life. And while that might sound all hippy-dippy, I promise you its not. Yoga is about feeling good and making bright all the places in your life that seem dark. This is what yoga has provided to me over the years, and its the reason I decided to become a yoga teacher.

Ive been practicing yoga for over ten years, and Ive taught in Los Angeles for nearly five. My students have met with me at small studios and exclusive gyms. Ive instructed corporate clients on the beach and hundreds of others on the Santa Monica Pier. People of all shapes, sizes, and experience levels show up for my classes, and I lead them through a sequence of healthy, safe, mindful poses.

Some of my students show up to become enlightened, or at least less stressed. Others practice yoga to fit into their skinny jeans. Regardless of why someone practices yoga, I make it my mission to impart everything I know in a fun and approachable way. Sometimes we rock out to Led Zeppelin. Other times we practice yoga in complete silence.

Whether you want to learn the physical poses or you simply want to understand the philosophy behind the practice, you will find it all here. Yoga for Beginners is your guide, and Im excited to be your teacher. As I say at the beginning of my classes, This practice is all about you, so lets explore how yoga can fit into your life.