Yoga Zone Introduction to Yoga: A Beginner's Guide to Health, Fitness, and Relaxation

by Alan Finger

Let the modern authority on yoga guide you on the most important journey you'll ever take. As people search for inner peace amid increasingly hectic lives, the practice of yoga continues to gain popularity. Yoga means to yoke, or to bring together, the various aspects of the self -- body, mind, and spirit -- and while the physical and mental benefits of yoga are truly astounding, to many people the idea of yoga is intimidating. In fact, nothing could be easier than starting a yoga practice, and Yoga Zone Introduction to Yoga is the perfect guide. In the first section, Yoga Master Alan Finger offers a brief history of the different types of yoga and how they are practiced in the West, including an explanation of the ISHTA yoga that Alan created and that is taught at Yoga Zone. You'll learn about the benefits of yoga and how to prepare for a practice with different breathing exercises. Next Alan outlines two series of beginner postures, accompanying each pose with detailed instructions on how to achieve it, along with tips and modifications for various fitness levels. All the exercises are fully illustrated and the text is instructional yet friendly, in the tradition of a Yoga Zone studio class. Following the postures, there's a special section on relaxation and meditation, cornerstones of any yoga practice. Packed with personality and full of valuable information, Yoga Zone Introduction to Yoga will introduce you to a life of unlimited possibilities and infinite joy.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0609804057
• ISBN13: 9780609804056
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.2" x 0.6" x 7.3"

Customer Reviews

for all yoga beginers

Excellent book!! Teaches you how to do yoga from breathing exercises, warm up, strength building and so on, all the way through to relaxation. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in beginning yoga.

Terrific resource

I have enjoyed the benefits of yoga for several years, guided by excellent teachers. After moving to a new city, I found that I was ready to pass on some of what I know, by starting to teach. This book has been a terrific find -- reminding me to look with fresh eyes at things that I had once learned in class or in workshops which had since become "automatic". I found the writing, illustrations and photographs clear and useful, with enough detail to support good practice. The examples of "misaligned forms" are also wonderfully clear for the novice -- with a colleague or a mirror, an independent student could make good and safe progress. It is a valuable complement to the other books on my Yoga shelf.

Excellent Intro to Yoga & Yoga Zone

I am a rank beginner when it comes to yoga--I didn't even think about it until last year and just started taking classes this year (2001). This book provides a good introduction to Yoga Zone's brand of yoga--a mixture of three types: Hatha yoga (a physical form of yoga), Tantra yoga (a more philosophical form of yoga) and Ayurveda yoga (a healing form of yoga). The section on breath and breathing (an important part of yoga and life in general) is great and the descriptions and illustrations of the various postures are quite helpful (and take up the bulk of the book). Finger and Bingham have a very personable style of writing that makes it seem you are being spoken to, rather than reading a book.

Excellent book!

This book was wonderful, easy to understand, and perfect for beginners as well as seasoned yogis and yoginis. As a yoga teacher, I find myself referring to this book while teaching my class. It's a great way to get yourself started in yoga, and keep you strong and flexible.