Yoga for Arthritis: The Complete Guide »

Loren Fishman, MD, is a professor at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons and lives in New York City.

Ellen Saltonstall is a certified Anusara Yoga instructor and licensed massage therapist who lives in New York City.

A comprehensive, user-friendly medical yoga program designed for management and prevention of arthritis.

Elaine M. Lasda Bergman

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. - School Library Journal

Fishman (medicine, Columbia Univ.) and yoga instructor/massage therapist Saltonstall combine their respective expertise to good effect in this useful, instructive book providing essential information about the practice of yoga and how yoga's concepts relate to the condition of arthritis. In this way, they arm arthritis sufferers with the knowledge necessary to begin the proper practice of yoga. The authors start with an easy-to-understand explanation of the affected anatomy and a brief history of yogic philosophy. They then clearly describe various asanas, or poses, meant to enhance flexibility and range of motion. After some general-purpose "All-Star" poses, remaining poses are organized anatomically (e.g., hands and wrists, knees, spine), with some repeated in other chapters. Modifications appear for various levels of ability, and photographs and illustrations clearly depict proper alignment. The physiological details and many features of the pose instructions (e.g., purpose, contraindications) make this one of the more thorough and well-written yoga guides currently in print. Highly recommended for public and academic/medical libraries.

List of Illustrations     9
List of Tables     11
Acknowledgments     13
Authors' Note     15
Introduction     21
Arthritis     23
Yoga     37
The Physiology of Yoga     45
Prelude to the Poses     52
The All-Stars     58
The Shoulders     96
The Hips     114
The Lumbar Spine     130
The Cervical Spine     170
The Knees     183
The Sacroiliac Joints     194
The Wrists and Hands     217
The Feet and Ankles     232
Scoliosis     248
Ankylosing Spondylitis     274
Appendices     298
Alphabetical Index of Poses     298
Poses by Chapter     303
Alignment Principles from Anusara Yoga     309
Glossary     313
Notes     324
Resources     334