Easy Does It Yoga: The Safe and Gentle Way to Health and Well-Being »

Alice Christensen established the American Yoga Association in 1968, the first nonprofit organization in the United States dedicated to education in Yoga. She is the author of the acclaimed The American Yoga Association Beginner's Manual, 20-Minute Yoga Workouts, The American Yoga Association's New Yoga Challenge, and Yoga of the Heart, as well as several other books and tapes on Yoga. She developed and has been teaching the Easy Does It® program for more than thirty years.

Regain your health, vitality, and independence through this age-old approach to fitness

Whether you're an older adult just beginning to exercise, you're physically weak due to an illness or injury, or you haven't worked out in a while, The American Yoga Association's Easy Does It® Yoga is a safe, easy-to-use guide to renewed physical and emotional wellness.

For thousands of years people have turned to Yoga to enhance their quality of life. Yoga gradually builds physical flexibility and strength, improves concentration, relieves stress, increases energy, and develops the ability to relax at will. Easy Does It® Yoga, a nationally recognized fitness program, adapts traditional Yoga techniques to make them safe and easy for people who may face physical limitations. But, although it is a gentler from of Yoga, it is just as effective as more strenuous fitness programs for getting and staying in shape.

Alice Christensen, founder, of the American Yoga Association, guides you through the program, showing you:

• The basics of Yoga exercising, breathing, and meditation with specific, easy-to-follow illustrations throughout

• Specific postures such as the Gentle Full Bend, the Easy Sun Pose, and the Elbow Twist to help you target your weaker spots and increase your overall flexibility

• The unique benefits of Yoga for alleviating chronic health conditions ranging from arthritis to depression

• A six-week program to get you started and to help you develop a basic understanding of essential movements

• Specially designed sequences to boost energy or bring calm, depending on your specific needs

• Strategies to incorporate the Yoga lifestyle into your daily routine, not only with exercise, but also with tips on creating a healthy diet and ways to develop a more peaceful, positive mental attitude

Regardless of your age or physical condition, The American Yoga Association's Easy Does It® Yoga will inspire you to awaken your body and mind and experience the well-being and fulfillment that Yoga brings.

Library Journal

Christensen, the author of several books about yoga and founder of the American Yoga Association, has written a sensible, encouraging, and clear-cut guidebook for establishing a personal, comprehensive breathing-exercise-meditation yoga program. She targets older adults and persons with chronic medical conditions who may require a gentle or modified approach to exercise. Easy routines for standing, sitting, and lying postures are outlined, and because this is meant as a practice manual, each routine is accompanied by an easy-to-follow photograph and an explanation. The author provides additional variations and cautions as alternatives for those who need them. Informative chapters cover nutrition, breathing, meditation, yoga philosophy, and relaxation techniques, and appendixes list additional sources of information. Recommended for public libraries, academic libraries, and wellness collections.--Deborah Anne Broocker, Learning Resources Ctr., Georgia Perimeter Coll., Dunwoody Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION:

Yoga and Your Lifestyle

1.

The Easy Does It Yoga Program of Total Fitness: How It Works and What to Expect

2.

Getting Started

3.

Six Weeks with Easy Does It Yoga

4.

How to Start Breathing Better

5.

Chair Exercises

6.

Standing Exercises

7.

Exercises for Bed or Floor

8.

Relaxation and Meditation

9.

Diet and Nutrition

10.

Easy Does It Yoga Philosophy

APPENDIX I.

Summary of Research on Easy Does It Yoga

APPENDIX II.

Resources from the American Yoga Association

APPENDIX III.

Nutrition Resources

Index