Holistic Yoga: Weaving Art, Business, Science, Adjustments, and Sequencing into a Fulfilling Practice
This comprehensive guide combines the wisdom of five expert yoga books to weave a tapestry of knowledge and skill, empowering you to cultivate a fulfilling yoga practice on and off the mat.
Threads of Mastery:
- The Art & Business: Ignite your passion and build a sustainable career by discovering your teaching style, crafting transformative lessons, and navigating the business landscape of yoga.
- Essential Foundations: Delve into the rich history and philosophy of yoga, master the eight limbs and understand your body’s symphony through anatomy and physiology.
- Transformative Sequencing: Design impactful classes that go beyond the physical, incorporating ancient wisdom and modern insights to address diverse needs and intentions.
- Empowering Adjustments: Refine your technique and deepen your students’ practice with the art of safe and effective hands-on guidance, fostering self-awareness and empowered learning.
- Science of Practice: Unlock the science behind yoga’s transformative power, understanding how poses impact your body and mind, and optimizing your practice for maximum benefit.
More than just a book, Unveiling the Yoga Tapestry is a dynamic resource for aspiring teachers, dedicated practitioners, and anyone seeking to enrich their yoga journey. Weave together these threads of knowledge to create your own unique tapestry of passion, skill, and personal growth.
God bless
The pictures are very well done and detailed.
There are helpful tips - I am SO glad I got this book...once I opened it, I order the one for Pilates too.
The book itself is great also haha
My best friend loves the gift and said it was perfect for her to better practice memorizing anatomy of the body and understanding how different yoga poses and anatomy go hand in hand.
I knew this book existed, but didn't want to really pay the price at first. Completely understandable. I finally bit the bullet and bought it recently, and it was one of the best financial decisions (and investments) I've ever made. The pictures are beautifully drawn, the language written throughout the book is easy to understand yet scientific and informative, and it gave me more information than my current YTT does.
Ann, thank you SO much for this fantastic educational resource. This book is so incredibly helpful, and I am so grateful for you for putting something like this together. Everybody needs to read this if they are interested in yoga anatomy, even if they are not necessarily yoga practitioners. Thank you again! <3
Not the kind of book you learn from exclusively - you need someone to teach you with this book
The Asana (poses) section of the book guides exploration of what's going on inside the body while practicing yoga. Each of around 30 Asana has at least two views, eg, front and back; often, side views are provided. Red-, blue-, and purple-colored muscles clearly indicate what's being stretched or strengthened. This section is packed with details, both in print and diagramed.
Other sections of the book touch on aspects of human anatomy system beside the musculoskeletal, such as the lymphatic and immune systems, respiratory system, nervous system and so on, showing how other body systems are involved in a yoga practice. A questions and answers section briefly yet effectively addresses issues such as spinal care in yoga, yoga for different life stages, meditation, stress/mental well being, and chronic pain. This section even touches on yoga philosophy.
The book also includes a 'Cautions' section that can help a practitioner modify poses based on needs and health conditions.
The book contains a table of contents (front), and a glossary and an index at the back.
Science of Yoga is very good at explaining that yoga is adaptable for pretty much everyone. Regardless if a practitioner is spiritual, religious, agnostic, or whatever, studies and research indicate and suggest that yoga can help one find better health, more peace.
I look forward to more from Ann Swenson. I'm counting on her continuing her amalgamation of research and studies that explain and prove (rather than "indicate" or "suggest") what she wisely presents in Science of Yoga.
Most yoga anatomy books focus primarily on muscles and skeleton in the various poses. Science of Yoga does that better than most, with excellent illustrations and detailed call outs. But it goes deeper and wider than what other books cover. Each pose begins with a two-page "Big Picture" overview, which is followed by another two pages called "Closer Look." For Cat-Cow, there are two pages focused on Cat, two pages on Cow, and another two pages on the movement from Cat to Cow; not only spinal flexion and extension, but how the movement facilitates breathing, body awareness, and the mind-body connection.
Beyond bones, joints, and muscles, I appreciate how author Ann Swanson covers all the systems of the body (circulatory, nervous, lymphatic, endocrine, digestive). Having taught yoga for ten years, I knew little or nothing about these systems. Science of Yoga attempts to cover everything that science can tell us about each system of the body in relation to yoga. I appreciate how the author encourages a shift “to a yogic perspective...of unity” (all of the systems functioning together).
The main focus of my teaching is wellness, and Science of Yoga serves that focus very well. Science of Yoga also meets my needs because I am generally agnostic about the traditional Indian-based claims of yoga benefits. Since we have the benefit of modern science, I want science-based evidence before I pass a claim like "shoulder stand stimulates the thyroid" on to my students.
The final section of the book (Q&As) is a series of two-page articles on how science informs us about joints and flexibility, spinal care, meditation, Savasana, stress, the brain and mental well-being, chronic pain, and other topics).
For teacher or practitioner, this is a book to study and, over time, increase one's mastery of yoga.
There is so much I like about the book, but as a yoga teacher what I find particularly helpful is the "Alignment" box for each pose. It points out specifically where to focus and suggests how to move/engage that area so that the anatomy & physiology you're learning can be APPLIED to improve your practice. This helps you start using what you're learning right away, even as you continue to study why those cues work. I actually use the Alignment boxes as a resource for helpful cues in my classes, and it's definitely improved both my own practice and those of my students.
My hope is that the success of this book will allow Ann to continue to write more of them, covering more poses and expanding on this excellent material. Having a series of books by her would be a wonderful addition to my yoga teaching bookshelf!
She has weaved together science, yoga, anatomy, spirituality and yogic principles in such a beautiful and masterful way that this book is one that every yoga teacher, practitioner, teacher trainer and yoga therapist needs to have their bookshelves, and even better always at arms’ length to refer to and integrate into their living and teaching yoga.
Visually, this book is stunning. But more so it is accessible and user-friendly. Visual learners will eat up this book immediately. Its format allows the reader to use as a reference for a single specific subject area - or to be read cover to cover. Swanson builds a solid foundation in "Science of Yoga” with exactly "that" - the science - more specifically anatomy. She then continues to build upon the science with the yoga, and then coming full circle with an informative and insightful Q & A, and ending the book by connecting the dots of science and spiritual concepts and teachings that are the foundation of yoga.
As this being Swanson’s first book, and seeing what great work she has already brought to the table, I can only imagine what body of work is yet to come from her and am eager to watch (and read) her contributions to this field.
It helped me get a better teaching job .
Thanks
Bought it in Kindle, then realized there was a lot I wanted to highlight, so I bought another hard copy.
I like the background he gives to yoga and the variations of surya namaskars he shows the teacher/student.
I always come back to the book anytime I need to review or make sense of something.
This is a great book for a new or more seasoned teacher if you have the time to read thoroughly or you need some quick tips.
Kindle version(instead paperback) lets you google terms you dont understand, which is awesome. Cant really say anything bad at this time.
Page 9, "While creativity is beautiful, it is ideally expressed in keeping with the basic sequencing principles that make physical yoga beneficial and sustainable."
This book is clearly intended for teachers, but as that's essentially what I'm doing for myself, it's been great. Two enthusiastic thumbs up. ;)
Yoga Adjustments addresses the subject of hands-on instruction, specifically, how to use touch to encourage improved alignment, provide support and guidance, and clarify instructions. As always, Mr Stephens’ approach is student-focused and sensitive. Ask permission before touching. Respect personal boundaries and know that these can change during a session. Teach to the abilities of the person in front of you. Guide the student toward developing awareness and awakening through the asanas.
The scope of the book covers everything from the purposes of touch to where and how (and how not) to touch. Stephens begins with the seven basic principles of hands-on teaching—teaching what you know, asking permission, clear intention, move and breathe with the student, staying safe, teaching the essential asana elements, and supporting stable foundations. From here, he moves on to defining the various responses we hope to elicit, from elongation and activation to stabilization and relaxation. He also is clear about types of touch that can confuse, injure, or cross personal boundaries. His five basic steps to giving hands-on cues and assistance include setting up the asana with a stable base, eliciting elongation and then motion of the spine, followed by refinement and deepening the asana. He outlines nine stances for positioning yourself to maximize stability, comfort, and safety, and nine different hand positions and motions for cueing.
Then the fun begins.
Stephens devotes seven chapters, one for each asana family, to a detailed application of these techniques to 99 asanas, showing specific hand placements for encouraging proper alignment and refinement. For example, for Dhanurasana (Bow Pose), he shows cueing for the hips to encourage posterior pelvic rotation, shoulders to draw them down and away from the ears, and knees to prevent splaying. Modifications include using a blanket under the top front of the pelvis to reduce pressure on the low back and to ease the weight of the position farther back, and a strap if it’s difficult for the student to grasp her ankles. The suggested progression is to explore Side Lying Bow. The section ends with references to pertinent pages in Teaching Yoga and Yoga Sequencing and Stephens’ website.
The descriptions for assuming the poses are the same as those given in Teaching Yoga. Some of the discussion of touch is also from that book, but in Yoga Adjustments, it is elaborated and expanded. It makes for a valuable companion volume to Stephens’ other books.
Motivated home practitioners will find the cues for individual asanas helpful in refining their poses, and will also benefit from the suggested modifications and progressions.
Thank you, Mr Stephens, for sharing your knowledge and philosophy with others. Yoga Adjustments is a worthy and important addition to anyone’s yoga library.
One things I really like about this(and Stephen's previous 2 books) is how he recognizes and talks about the roots of this ancient practice, while making the information relevant to the place where yoga is today.
He builds a strong foundation in philosophy, history, and principles before going into detailed descriptions of set up and adjustment for a huge number of asanas. I like that this book has such strong alignment and structural foundations but also talks about the more subtle, energetic and spiritual side of this practice. Stephens does a good job of reminding us of the strength of each person's inner teacher. As we are adjusting, guiding, and teaching we are helping students find and recognize this inner light.
Great book, would definitely recommend it to anyone on the teaching path!
First, the question of why to give hands on guidance. Here Stephens connects the dots of ancient yoga philosophy with contemporary theories of touch and awareness, leading to a brief discussion of the mind-body separation question and its resolution through practices of embodiment like yoga.
Next in exploring the question of yoga philosophy and ethics, Stephens adds a compelling voice to those asking that as teachers we ask permission before touching, underlying his idea in earlier books that, "the best teacher is inside," that our role as formal teachers is to guide in ways that feel comfortable and helpful to our students.
The chapter on techniques goes far beyond what is currently offered in other books or magazines. If you really want to learn the fundamentals of guiding with your hands, this chapter is for you. Then go on to the next chapters and you'll find it all applied in tremendous detail with some of the best passages I've ever read on teaching yoga.
It is a fantastic book that should be in the hands of every yoga teacher before they begin doing hands on adjusting with their students. The book has also very appropriately been endorsed by yoga teacher luminaries!
For the student whose practice is primarily home-based, this book is your instructor. Stephens discusses 92 different asanas, including preparatory poses, how to get into the pose, suggestions for refinement, and follow-up positions. His recommendations for sequencing a class will help you create more effective routines that will maximize the benefits of pose. For example, backbends tend to be energizing and are best placed early in your program. Follow up with twists and core work to neutralize the extreme positions of the backbends. Forward bends calm the nervous system and help the body wind down from your practice. Stephens offers basic templates for beginning, intermediate, and advanced classes if you prefer to follow a pre-set routine. He also offers suggestions on yoga poses and modifications for various injuries, stating clearly that this is not to take the place of advice from your health care provider. Other sections address the chakras, the menstrual cycle, and each trimester of pregnancy.
The book covers more than just asanas. It also explores the history and development of yoga from its ancient sources to the varieties available today. Subtle energies affected by yoga are described--chakras, bandhas, nodi, prana, gunas, and doshas. Detailed anatomy, including musculature, joints, and movement, educates the reader about the interplay of the body and the asanas. A number of chapters focus on instructor concerns such as creating a welcoming and conducive class environment, running a class, how to give cues, and professional issues, which gives students an insight into teaching.
Stephens ends with appendices which cover notes for each chapter, a glossary of terms, pronunciation and translation of asana names, teaching resources, and a useful table of 111 asana elements.
While directed at the yoga instructor, this book also benefits the yoga student by providing information that the self-directed individual can use to enhance and further her or his practice. It’s a fabulous contribution to the yoga community.
I think it's worth it for teachers just starting out. It obviously can't cover everything, but it's a great, great run down. It would work really well too for an advanced student looking to explore the subject matter further-not so much information to overwhelm you as a self studier, but certainly quite a bit to set you on the path to learning more.
This book is full of suggestions for sequences covering the range of students: children, seniors, pregnant women, beginners, intermediates, and advanced. There are sequences emphasizing the main asana families—back bends, hip openers, forward bends, inversions, arm balances, twisting, and standing balances—as well as those for relaxation and balancing the chakras and doshas. And if you prefer to put together your own practice, the author includes a wonderful section on the constituent elements of 115 asanas, outlining areas that need to be flexible, areas that need to be stable, which asanas provide good preparation for the pose, which are appropriate follow-ups, and what the effective counterposes are.
As if all that isn’t enough, the author includes sections on the various forms of Sun Salutation, effective cueing and teacher interaction, and a glossary of anatomical and yoga terms.
In all, this is a thorough and informative resource that will enhance the effectiveness of your classes and practice.
The only recommendation I would suggest for a future print is to add the common names for the asanas on the description of the Yoga poses, for the students like me that don't know all the Sanskrit names, and are forced to look at the appendix every time.
I highly recommend this Yoga compendium to any Yoga practitioner that has the inclination for teaching.
But something is missing at the core level. Started with a detailed explanation given to Sun salutation & Downward Dog, the author takes the actual asanas section very light. Comparing the care given to the rest of the book, the 'rush' on this section is obvious. A little more concentration on the asanas would take this book to the same level as Light on Yoga.
Overall, He joined the yoga readers 'can not miss those books' list.
So far, I did not regret this purchase at all! It might not hold new insights to the VERY experienced teacher - but it provides a thoroughly researched and very accurate overview of actual facts and offers super nice exapmles for teaching, learning, understanding, and simply "putting it all together". It sums a lot of the stuff you can find out there up into one fine structured read.
As for "too much Sanskrit" as one criticized... well, I think Yoga simply comes with/in Sanskrit... so, it can't really be "too much"...
Someone mentioned that Mark uses too many Sanskrit in his book. I must say I disagree! I actually appreciate Mark using Sanskrit name for the asanas as I already know the English names. I want to learn the Sanskrit names as well! As yoga originates from India, it is logical to use Sanskrit terms.
Last but not least, Mark is a very detail-oriented and insightful teacher. I found myself re-reading sections of his book and picked up insights that would allow me to become a better, safer practitioner and teacher. I also found the Appendices (the list of asanas and the asana elements) extremely useful for planning a yoga class. I highly recommend this book to anyone who does yoga.
In the middle of such a situation, the arrival of Mark Stephens' book is more than a blessing. The author has trained more than 700 yoga teachers and is the Director of the Teacher Training Program at Santa Cruz Yoga (CA). He has studied various yoga styles (Iyengar, Ashtanga Vinyasa, yoga therapy, and Vinyasa Flow) and is well versed in yoga history and philosophy. The book includes various practical tables for easy consultation, numerous photographs, a rich bibliography, a very helpful list of yoga teaching resources (yoga websites, yoga associations, and institutes and research centers), a comprehensive list of yoga poses, and a summary of the yoga sequences followed by six major yoga schools.
The first four chapters present the roots of modern yoga and the physiological and mental components of yoga practices. Other chapters deal with teaching yoga poses, breathing techniques and meditation. Three excellent chapters (5, 6 and 10) give useful guidelines and tips for yoga teaching, such as options in conducting a class, the teacher's language and voice, the relationship between teacher and student (including how to deal with feelings of attraction), the use of props and music, how to organize the sequencing of a class, and many other critical subjects. In these chapters, Stephens shares with the readers the lessons he learned as a seasoned teacher. He properly illustrates his instructions with the philosophical foundations of yoga, based mainly on Patanjali's almost two-thousand year old Yoga Sutras.
Inspired by the idea that in yoga, like in travelling, what is important is the journey, not the destination, Stephens affirms, "Yoga is not a practice of attainment; it is an unending process of self-discovery and self-transformation," and teachers are just facilitators and guides. Through the entire book, he is guided by the idea that the role of the yoga teacher is to assist in the discovery of the inner teacher that all of us have inside ourselves; this is indeed the Socratic approach to teach. He also insists on the beneficial powers of adaptation and innovation in teaching yoga to better respond to the needs of every student. The last chapter is dedicated to the yoga profession; here, Stephens mentions some difficult topics such as regulations, teachers' fees, liability insurance, teacher's training and certification, how to start teaching as an apprentice, and other interesting subjects. Although he does not provide his personal views on many of these points, he raises them and alerts us to give proper consideration to them.
This is an excellent book, full of wisdom and information for anyone interested in yoga practice or in teaching. Nevertheless, the book could be improved by taking care of some caveats. It is desirable that in a revised edition the index would incorporate all the authors, as well as the yoga poses mentioned in the text. The name of the poses should appear with both the Sanskrit and English names.