Doron Hanoch - The Yoga Lifestyle: Using the Flexitarian Method to Ease Stress, Find Balance, and Create a Healthy Life

Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

Dedicated to Sara Hanoch
Beyond being a loving mother, you are an inspiration to many
Living in wisdom, love, and adaptabilitya true flexitarian.

Copyright Information

The Yoga Lifestyle: Using the Flexitarian Method to Ease Stress, Find Balance and Create a Healthy Life 2016 by Doron Hanoch.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any matter whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Publications, except in the form of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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First e-book edition 2016

E-book ISBN: 9780738750521

Book design by Bob Gaul

Cover design by Lisa Novak

Cover image by Erin Blair

Editing by Gabrielle Rose Simons
Interior art by Germn Garca Fernndez

Llewellyn Publications is an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Hanoch, Doron, 1971 author.
Title: The yoga lifestyle : using the flexitarian method to ease stress, find
balance & create a healthy life / Doron Hanoch.
Description: First edition. | Woodbury, Minnesota : Llewellyn Publications,
2016. | Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016002999 (print) | LCCN 2016009926 (ebook) | ISBN
9780738748665 | ISBN 9780738750521 ()
Subjects: LCSH: Hatha yoga. | Medicine, Ayurvedic. | Vegetarians. | Health. |
Stress management.
Classification: LCC RA781.7 .H363 2016 (print) | LCC RA781.7 (ebook) | DDC
613.7/046dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016002999

Llewellyn Publications does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business arrangements between our authors and the public.

Any Internet references contained in this work are current at publication time, but the publisher cannot guarantee that a specific reference will continue or be maintained. Please refer to the publishers website for links to current author websites.

Llewellyn Publications

Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

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Manufactured in the United States of America

Disclaimer

The content and information offered in this book is not offered as medical advice or medical opinion, and is not intended to treat, diagnose, prevent, mitigate, or prescribe the use of any technique as treatment to any illness or disease, nor to any physically or emotional problems.

This book is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or health care professional. You should consult with a health care professional before starting any new diet, exercise, breath work, psychological, or supplementation program, or if you suspect you might have a health problem.

Any health advice in this book is intended for information only. Any review or testimonial offered in this book does not guarantee any type of outcome. They are anecdotes and do not serve as scientific research.

Contents

: The Basics

: The System

: Laying Foundations: Lifestyle Practices

: Ayurveda: Personalize Your Life!

: The Four Elements of the Method

: Physical Yoga

: Breath Work Pranayama and Energy Cultivation

: Food and Nutrition

: Mind Work

: Working with the Program

: The Flexitarian Method as a Yoga Lifestyle

: Maintenance Leads to Bliss

Acknowledgments

I bow in deep gratitude to all my teachers along the way, including Osho, the Dalai Lama, Daido Roshi, Shugen Sensei, Pattabhi Jois, Mark Stephens, Richard Freeman, Tim Miller, Rolf and Marci, Vin Marti, Adarsh Williams, Chris Price, Sheshadri, BNS Iyengar and Cidananda, as well as my teachers at the Natural Gourmet Institute. There were many more formal teachers as well as informal, beautiful beings that were happy to share their wisdom with me over a cup of chai in India, a glass of wine in New York, a meal at Esalen, or while breaking bread in one of the many countries Ive been fortunate to visit.

Thank you, Erica Goewey, for the first round of editing of this book, your friendship and your wisdom.

Thank you, Maria Kuzmiak, for being a master editor and sharing your amazing insights and eye for detail.

Thank you, Mom, for believing in me and encouraging me to stay true to myself, and thank you, Gil Hanoch, for the support throughout this book creation process.

Thank you, Lauren Anas, for all your help and support, and to all of my students for practicing, for asking questions, and for allowing me to share with you the wisdom of the ancient and the modern teachings that support each one of us on the way to liberation.

Lastly, thank you, the reader of this book, for taking the steps to learn and grow, for your willingness to embark on this beautiful journey that will hopefully not only bring you bliss and joy, but will also allow you to spread it on.

Foreword

I n practicing yoga, we gradually come to discover that it affects the entirety of our lives. How we eat, sleep, think, and feel all take on new qualities. Our lives get better as we come to know ourselves better and better through the mirror of practice. The deeper we go with it all, the more we come to appreciate the joyful and transformational nature of yoga. For some, this inspires a deepening sense of caring about others and the world, which inspires a desire to share the practice with others.

When I met Doron Hanoch in my classes nearly ten years ago, it was clear from the beginning that I was in the presence of a man deeply devoted to his practice. Yet as serious as he was (and is) about yoga, he was equally light about it, always finding simple and humorous ways to explain what its all about. His genuine humility was all the more meaningful because of the depth and commitment of his practicea practice that extends well off his mat and into every aspect of his life.

Along with his passion and insight for all things yogic, Doron is a masterful chef who appreciates the beauty of food as an essential nutrient for the soul, as well as for a healthy body and mind. Hes also a consummate citizen of the world, whose extensive travels are reflected in his very broad yet deep appreciation of diverse cultures and peoples. Add the wisdom that comes from daily practice and deep contemplation, and you find a man who is wonderfully gifted in teaching about yoga and thriving in this life.

We are now blessed to have Dorons experiences and insights into what he sensibly calls a flexitarian life, brought together in his new book, The Yoga Lifestyle . Sometimes it seems that there are many various disconnected ideas, concepts, and practices in the yoga realm. Doron makes the connections clear, revealing how one might best cultivate the balances in life that make every breath, every bite, and every moment altogether more sublime.

Mark Stephens
Author of Teaching Yoga , Yoga Adjustments , and Yoga Sequencing

Introduction

T here is a plethora of meditation, yoga, health, nutrition, and cookbooks on the market. Many of them address a specific diet or dogma, in which they treat the person as if we all have the exact same body and mind. One can argue that in essence we are all the same, but on a functioning level, we sure are different.