Yoga Zone Yoga for Life: An Intermediate Guide to Health, Fitness, and Relaxation »

With decades of experience teaching yoga, master yogi Alan Finger founded Yoga Zone in 1992. The company is known for its catalog, instructional videos, popular Web site, meditation CDs, and television show, which airs on Wisdom Television and the Comcast Network. Alan also founded the Be Yoga studios in New York City in 2001.

Yoga practice only begins on the mat. As people continue to turn to this ancient wellness tradition to stay strong, reduce stress, and find inner peace, the greatest challenge is to carry the valuable principles of yoga into everyday life. Picking up where his bestselling Yoga Zone Introduction to Yoga left off, yoga master Alan Finger expands on this wisdom in Yoga Zone Yoga for Life.

Intermediate practice does not simply involve more difficult poses, it includes a deepening of understanding and self-knowledge. It also means using the tenets of yoga to alleviate daily tension and stress: employing a concentrated breathing exercise to calm nervous jitters before a presentation, for instance, or drawing awareness to muscular pain and natural breathing and posture tendencies during a trip to the grocery store.

With asana sequences (poses) and breathing and meditation exercises from the highly personalized ISHTA school of yoga taught in Yoga Zone’s classes and Alan Finger’s studios, Yoga Zone Yoga for Life explores the core principles of yoga using accessible language. Explanations of the concepts of karma and dharma and the chakras, and their value in discovering the truest self, make this enlightening manual the perfect next step for anyone looking to delve deeper into their yoga practice.

The Reducing Stress chapter gives comprehensive advice for using yoga to alleviate and prevent stress at home and in the workplace, while Finding Balance features targeted breathing exercises and suggestions for achieving inner tranquillity. Finally, Restoring the Body provides invaluable support for healing and strengthening after illness or injury.

For anyone looking for clear guidance to help enhance their insight, Yoga Zone Yoga for Life is the only book necessary to continue the pursuit of a healthy, stress-free lifestyle.

Library Journal

In his second book (after Yoga ZoneR Introduction to Yoga), Finger explores yoga practice from a philosophical perspective. Because most people have difficulty putting traditional yoga teachings in the context of modern Western culture, the author reinterprets these writings in clear, interactive prose and encourages students to take yoga "off the mat" by incorporating these principles into daily actions. Chapters cover stress-reduction poses, breathing techniques, the restorative and relaxation sequences of asanas, suggested readings for self-discovery, meditation, and ways to find healthy mental balance. There are understandable explanations of chakras and other basic yoga concepts found in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Many popular yoga books limit their focus to the physical and health aspects of yoga, but this one bridges the distance between physical practice and a more advanced stage that may result in personal growth through yoga. Recommended to round out basic yoga collections in public and academic libraries. Deborah Broocker, Georgia Perimeter Coll. Lib., Dunwoody Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.