coll. - Yoga all-in-one for dummies

Yoga All-in-One For Dummies
Published by:
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,
111 River Street,
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774,
www.wiley.com

Copyright 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2014954660

ISBN 978-1-118- 902272-5 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118- 902275-6 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118- 902276-3 (ebk)

1. Table of Contents

Yoga is the ultimate mind-body practice. By its very nature, it leads practitioners around the globe toward greater balance and relaxation. Each yoga pose balances alertness and relaxation. By integrating physical movements, breath, and mindfulness, yoga produces both bodily and mental relaxation. The result? A welcome dose of enhanced well-being, which is one reason why yoga has never been more important. In todays hectic schedules, seemingly loaded with constant stimulation and stress, yoga can bring balance and even serenity.

Consider Yoga All-in-One For Dummies your complete guide to finding the health and peace of mind that yoga can bring. Whether youre looking for classic poses and routines, more-modern takes on this ancient practice, or ways to incorporate yoga into your life, this book can get you started and well on your way. After all, at its core, yoga is a timeless answer for anyone seeking deeper meaning in life and that elusive treasure called abiding peacefulness.

Yoga and its many schools and philosophies offers a number of mental and physical benefits to those who practice it. Whether youre interested in becoming more flexible, more fit, less stressed, or more peaceful and joyful, this book contains the guidance you need and the routines that can help you achieve your goals. It takes you step by step into the treasure house of yoga, where youll find out how to strengthen your mind and enlist it to unlock your bodys extraordinary potential. A sound body requires a sound mind, and this book shows you how to improve or regain the health and wholeness of both.

To help you fit yoga into your busy schedule, this book is organized in a way that lets you easily find the information youre looking for. You can read the book from cover to cover, or you can jump in at any section or chapter that interests you. Feel free to skip over the material marked with a Technical Stuff icon and the content in the sidebars; although these bits are interesting, theyre not essential to your being able to practice yoga or to do so safely. But if you see a Warning icon, take note these tidbits offer suggestions to keep your yoga practice a safe one.

Within this book, you may note that some web addresses break across two lines of text. If youre reading this book in print and want to visit one of these web pages, simply key in the web address exactly as its noted in the text, pretending as though the line break doesnt exist. If youre reading this as an e-book, youve got it easy just click the web address to be taken directly to the web page.

The first assumption that guided the creation of Yoga All-in-One For Dummies was that youre looking for sound information about yoga in a no-nonsense presentation. Beyond that, here are a few other assumptions about you and the kind of information you want:

• If youre new to yoga, you want to start with the basics. No prior exposure to the many aspects of yoga is necessary for you to benefit from this book. In fact, this book is the perfect first step in your exploration. The Additional Yoga Resources section online at www.dummies.com/extras/yogaaio and www.dummies.com/go/yogaaiofd can help you with that, but you get more on that later in this introduction.
• If you already have some experience with yoga, you want to understand the fundamentals more deeply or go beyond the traditional types of yoga to experience something new. For you, this book provides detail and a fair amount of depth across the yoga spectrum all in plain English. It also includes some hot trends in yoga, like Partner Yoga and Hot Yoga.
• If youre looking for yoga workouts that will make you stronger, healthier, more balanced, and more flexible, youll find information and step-by-step instructions on Power Yoga and Yoga with Weights, both designed to enhance physical fitness.
• If youre interested in mind-body connection of yoga, you want a more in-depth look at mindfulness and meditation, easy-to-follow meditation instructions, and info on how to use relaxation techniques to let go of stress.

Throughout this book, youll see icons in the margins. These icons are intended to draw your attention to particular kinds of information. Heres a key to what those icons mean: