Mark Stephens - Yoga Therapy Foundations, Methods, and Practices for Common Ailments

A deep bow to Mark Stephens for this substantial contribution to the growing field of yoga therapy! Thoroughly grounded in yogas historical and philosophical foundations, this book balances well-researched, practical information with heart-felt wisdom. From the insightful section on Healing and Curing to the practical applications of yoga therapy for a wide range of conditions, Stephens skillfully conveys the truly integrative nature of yoga therapy. An essential resource for yoga therapists, clinicians, and educators in the field!

Janice Gates, past president, International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT), author of Yogini: The Power of Women in Yoga and founder/director of Marin Yoga Therapy and Somatic Yoga Therapy Programs

Yoga therapy is a big field, encompassing the entirety of yoga and its many practices along with aspects of Western medicine, ayurveda, physiology, physical therapy, kinesiology, psychology, philosophy, spiritual development, and more. No single volume can do it full justice, but Mark Stephens has done a yeomans job to assemble much of the background information aspiring yoga therapists will need to understand. This book is smart, thoughtful, and well researched and doesnt shy away from presenting a strongand sometimes provocativepoint of view. I recommended it highly.

Timothy McCall, MD, author of Yoga As Medicine, coeditor of The Principles and Practice of Yoga in Health Care, and medical editor of Yoga Journal

Mark Stephens capacity for conveying both the depth and the breadth of the yogic sciences is all the more powerful because of his commitment to practice. His works to date on teaching, sequencing, and adjustments have already established him as one of the foremost authorities in yoga education. With the emergence of yoga therapy in recent years as a powerful form of integrative healing, Stephens now brings his scholars mind and practitioners wisdom to the field. A boon for all!

Micah Mortali, director of The Kripalu Schools (School of Integrative Yoga Therapy, School of Yoga, School of Ayurveda), Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health

Going back to the time of the Buddha, yoga practitioners have been divided into two groups: Experimentalists who know yoga through their bodies and Speculatives who know yoga through its philosophical teachings. Mark Stephens Yoga Therapy is proof that he has mastered both paths.

David Gordon White, author of Sinister Yogis and The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali: A Biography

Yoga Therapy, a thorough and comprehensive landmark book, offers illuminating insight into yoga, yoga therapy, and the interface with Western medicine. Along with Stephens generous offering of practical information, he espouses the attributes of kindness and compassion in yoga therapy practice, which although often overlooked are indeed the very heart of yoga itself. An essential read for every yoga therapist!

Nischala Joy Devi, yoga teacher and therapist and author of The Healing Path of Yoga and The Secret Power of Yoga

The next great yoga therapy book from an excellent teacher and author. Highly recommended for yoga teachers, health professionals, and students.

Larry Payne, coauthor of Yoga Therapy & Integrative Medicine, Yoga Rx, and Yoga for Dummies and founding director of Yoga Therapy Rx & Prime of Life Yoga Programs, Loyola Marymount University

Mark Stephens Yoga Therapy is a complete guide to anyone who wants thorough information on subtle as well as gross anatomy, ayurvedic principles, and insight into the many intricacies of the human body and spirit as it relates to yoga and healing. The scope of this book is clearly a labor of devotion and knowledge.

Jo Ann Staugaard-Jones, author of The Vital Psoas Muscle and Concise Book of Yoga Anatomy

Prolific author Mark Stephens offers a comprehensive primer on yoga therapy and his synthesis of theories, practices, and remedies for a host of ailments.

Ganga White, author of Yoga Beyond Belief and codirector of White Lotus Foundation

This comprehensive textbook for yoga therapists offers an original synthesis of yoga practices with the insights of Western medicine.

Barbara Dossey, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, FAAN, HWNC-BC, author of Holistic Nursing and codirector of International Nurse Coach Association

Mark Stephens sober but optimistic assessment of the potential for yoga therapy inside the Western medical model is a welcome addition. My hope is that the field will follow his well-informed guidance in the attempt to responsibly integrate these two models of healthcare that have so much to offer each other because, ultimately, it is the patients that will benefit.

David Emerson, author of Trauma-Sensitive Yoga in Therapy and director of Yoga Service, The Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute

Copyright 2017 by Mark Stephens. All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the written permission of the publisher. For information contact North Atlantic Books.

Published by

North Atlantic Books

Berkeley, California

Cover photo by: iStock/MotoEd

Cover design by Nicole Hayward

Book design by Maureen Forys, Happenstance Type-O-Rama

Printed in the United States of America

Yoga Therapy: Foundations, Methods, and Practices for Common Ailments is sponsored and published by the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences (dba North Atlantic Books), an educational nonprofit based in Berkeley, California, that collaborates with partners to develop cross-cultural perspectives, nurture holistic views of art, science, the humanities, and healing, and seed personal and global transformation by publishing work on the relationship of body, spirit, and nature.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: The following information is intended for general information purposes only. Individuals should always see their health care provider before administering any suggestions made in this book. Any application of the material set forth in the following pages is at the readers discretion and is his or her sole responsibility.

North Atlantic Books publications are available through most bookstores. For further information, visit our website at www.northatlanticbooks.com or call 800-733-3000.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Stephens, Mark, 1958 author.

Title: Yoga therapy: foundations, methods, and practices for common ailments / Mark Stephens.

Description: Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books, [2017]

Identifiers: LCCN 2017006387 (print) | LCCN 2017010318 (ebook) | ISBN 9781623171063 (paperback) | ISBN 9781623171070 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Hatha yoga. | Medicine, Ayurvedic. | Mind and body. | BISAC: HEALTH & FITNESS / Yoga. | BODY, MIND & SPIRIT / Healing / General. | HEALTH & FITNESS / Healing.

Classification: LCC RA781.7 .S7278 2017 (print) | LCC RA781.7 (ebook) | DDC 613.7/046dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017006387

North Atlantic Books is committed to the protection of our environment. We partner with FSCcertified printers using soy-based inks and print on recycled paper whenever possible.

To Royal Sarah Stephens

Questions of health and healing first come to us in the earliest childhood experiences of sickness and injury. I grew up in the mountains surrounding Santa Cruz, California, with two older siblings who had me running through the wild woods and climbing redwood trees before I entered kindergarten. With a sense of wholeness in the beauty of nature, it seems that nearly every day we nevertheless came into an intense bodily experience: sprained ankles, poison oak, bee stings, thorn punctures, cuts, and bruises. We also brought playful competitive energy into many of our adventureswhether in sports or in playing chesswith the injuries or challenges to our bodyminds often overshadowed by the joy of being in the mix of it all.