(Parragon 2002) by Chritsina Brown
A comprehensive guide to yoga. Suitable for beginners and more experienced students. This book covers philosophy, postures, yoga breathing, meditation and the chakra system.
About alignment – Discover the Action of the Pelvis and Hips: It is worthwhile investing some time to discover how to get the most benefit out of forward bends.
THE ASANAS: “Watching my cats wake up is a lesson in itself. They always stretch out beautifully. They reach forward and stretch back just like the yoga pose of Downward Facing Dog. Then they round their backs while arching up (which we call Cat Pose), and yawn. Slow stretching is glorious. It feels good and the body likes it. Basically, it feels better to be loose and free than to be all bound up, tense and contracted.”
“One of the most common mental blocks for a beginner is the belief that they are not flexible enough for yoga. Advanced practitioners make the action look effortless. Many of the photos in this book are of teachers who have many years of asana practice behind them. Mostly, the fullest forms of the asanas are shown. With yoga, you just start from where you are – there is no other possible place to start from! The main thing is just to start.”
MEDITATION: “Gazing at the sun with wide-open eyes blinds the vision. If you don’t stare at it directly, but instead look away a little, you can get a sense of it. Meditation is like that. A change of focus reduces the glare of superfluous distractions and helps us see past the false perceptions to contact the peace and happiness that resides within.”
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