The Naked Yoga Effect


Book Description

Naked Yoga expert Doria Gani recounts her own transformational journey to help you challenge your hang ups, combat shame and develop new body positive attitudes. In this inspirational story, discover how Doria overcame critical illness, learned to deal with unexpected consequences for her life as a woman, and set out on a new path to reconnect with her soul. Enjoy the benefits and freedom that practising Naked Yoga can bring and discover your true self – with no barriers, limitations or social constraints. With Naked Yoga, you really can learn to love your body and heal your mind. Includes photographs and easy instructions for practising Naked Yoga either at home or in a group. DORIA GANI Doria Gani is a Naked Yoga teacher and an ambassador for body positivity. She started practicing yoga in 2010, as a form of rehabilitation after fighting cervical cancer. From that beginners class, she found that the clear, mindful asana instructions improved her memory, spatial relations, focus, and sense of connectedness with her mind and body. On a greater scale, the daily practice showed her the value of acting deliberately. Yoga was the key to her recovery and transformation, and now she lives her life with a greater sense of purpose and intention. Eventually, her expanding yoga path led her to India and Bali to train as a professional teacher – she is now qualified in Ashtanga Vinyasa, Rocket Yoga, Yin, Mandala, and principles of Ayurveda and Shamanism. But it was after a liberating experience at Burning Man festival that she decided to start practicing and teaching Naked Yoga. There were no barriers, no inhibitions, and no restrictions – just like with yoga practice. Naked yoga finally taught her to accept her body and accept herself exactly how she is today, with all her imperfections. She now wants to share this feeling of calm acceptance with others. Doria has been featured on the BBC and in many press articles including in Cosmopolitan, H&E Naturist, The Sun, Unreported London, The Londonist, the i and Dojo. STEVE ROBSON Steve is a successful entrepreneur who came to naked yoga as a means of release from the stresses of business life. He has found that it enables him to be very present in his body, and allows him to develop a way of moving meditation and a way to slow down and notice the here and now. Steve worked with Doria to write the book and felt strongly that her story should be told. REVIEW: «Doria’s inspiring story is the pathway for anyone wishing to explore the freedom of naked yoga. It’s a story of huge courage, of overcoming pain and hurt, and o f finding hope through the healing power of nature and the purity of self expression!» – Russell Amerasekera, life coach & stylist Watch the booktrailer here




Free and Natural


Book Description

From Naked Juice® to nude yoga, contemporary society is steeped in language that draws a connection from nudity to nature, wellness, and liberation. This branding promotes a "free and natural" lifestyle to mostly white and middle-class Americans intent on protecting their own bodies—and those of society at large—from overwork, environmental toxins, illness, conformity to body standards, and the hyper-sexualization of the consumer economy. How did the naked body come to be associated with "naturalness," and how has this notion influenced American culture? Free and Natural explores the cultural history of nudity and its impact on ideas about the body and the environment from the early twentieth century to the present. Sarah Schrank traces the history of nudity, especially public nudity, across the unusual eras and locations where it thrived—including the California desert, Depression-era collectives, and 1950s suburban nudist communities—as well as the more predictable beaches and resorts. She also highlights the many tensions it produced. For example, the blurry line between wholesome nudity and sexuality became impossible to sustain when confronted by the cultural challenges of the sexual revolution. Many longtime free and natural lifestyle enthusiasts, fatigued by decades of legal battles, retreated to private homes and resorts while the politics of gay rights, sexual liberation, environmentalism, and racial equality of the 1970s inspired a new generation of radical advocates of public nudity. By the dawn of the twenty-first century, Schrank demonstrates, a free and natural lifestyle that started with antimaterialist, back-to-the-land rural retreats had evolved into a billion-dollar wellness marketplace where "Naked™" sells endless products promising natural health, sexual fulfilment, organic food, and hip authenticity. Free and Natural provides an in-depth account of how our bodies have become tethered so closely to modern ideas about nature and identity and yet have been consistently subjected to the excesses of capitalism.




A Brief History of Nakedness


Book Description

As one common story goes, Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, had no idea that there was any shame in their lack of clothes; they were perfectly confident in their birthday suits among the animals of the Garden of Eden. All was well until that day when they ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and went scrambling for fig leaves to cover their bodies. Since then, lucrative businesses have arisen to provide many stylish ways to cover our nakedness, for the naked human body now evokes powerful and often contradictory ideas—it thrills and revolts us, signifies innocence and sexual experience, and often marks the difference between nature and society. In A Brief History of Nakedness psychologist Philip Carr-Gomm traces our inescapable preoccupation with nudity. Rather than studying the history of the nude in art or detailing the ways in which the naked body has been denigrated in the media, A Brief History of Nakedness reveals the ways in which religious teachers, politicians, protesters, and cultural icons have used nudity to enlighten or empower themselves as well as entertain us. Among his many examples, Carr-Gomm discusses how advertisers and the media employ images of bare skin—or even simply the word “naked”—to garner our attention, how mystics have used nudity to get closer to God, and how political protesters have discovered that baring all is one of the most effective ways to gain publicity for their cause. Carr-Gomm investigates how this use of something as natural as nakedness actually gets under our skin and evokes complicated and complex emotional responses. From the naked sages of India to modern-day witches and Christian nudists, from Lady Godiva to Lady Gaga, A Brief History of Nakedness surveys the touching, sometimes tragic and often bizarre story of our relationships with our naked bodies.




Supporting Yoga Students with Common Injuries and Conditions


Book Description

This handbook guides yoga teachers and trainees in how to approach teaching students with common injuries and health conditions safely, confidently, and in a manner that empowers students. Dr Andrew McGonigle combines his medical background with extensive knowledge of yoga to address common injuries in detail with an in-depth review of anatomy. The book describes the psychology of pain and injury with reference to the latest research on pain and biomechanics. It also provides advice and tips on how to modify yoga techniques to suit the needs of students with injuries. Detailed illustrations throughout the book provide a visual guide to support understanding. This book is part of the series 'Yoga Teaching Guides', which provides expert information on essential topics as well as ideas for creative teaching.




Ganja Yoga


Book Description

In this book, yoga teacher Dee Dussault brings the ancient tradition of using cannabis to enhance spiritual practice to a western audience. She describes the act of Ganja Yoga as a ceremony that makes conscious relaxation an intentional ritual that can be improved upon with practice. Dee Dussault is a certified yoga instructor and the first person to bring cannabis-enhanced yoga classes to North America. In Ganja Yoga, Dee walks readers through the considerations and best practices for introducing cannabis into your yoga practice, or infusing yoga into your smoking routine. It's equally useful for those who want to attend classes or use the book in the comfort of their own homes. Ganja Yoga will assist readers in how to: • Reap the benefits of profound relaxation • Assume an altered state in a safe, energizing way • Deepen the spiritual practice of yoga • Reconnect with the body using ancient techniques • Select the best setting, time, method of consumption, strains, poses and breathing techniques to ensure an excellent experience. Ganja Yoga isn't just a guide to mixing cannabis and exercise, it's a lifestyle practice for a more stress-free, harmonious world.




Inner Tantric Yoga


Book Description

This extraordinary new book shows us how to connect with the Devatas, the Divine powers of the universe to develop our deeper Yoga practice. It features special chapters on the Shiva Linga, meditations on Shakti in nature and in the human body, Shakti in the practice of Yoga, special knowledge of the chakras (including the spiritual heart and the crown chakra), the four internal energy centers of Fire (Agni), Sun (Surya), Moon (Soma) and Lightning (Vidyut), the practice of Drishti Yoga (Yoga of perception), Shambhavi Mudra, and important mantras to Shiva, Kali, Bhairavi and Sundari. It contains a wealth of deep yogic knowledge not easily available today and based upon traditional Sanskrit sources.




Yoga Anatomy


Book Description

The best-selling anatomy guide for yoga is now updated, expanded, and better than ever! With more asanas, vinyasas, full-color anatomical illustrations, and in-depth information, the second edition of YogaAnatomy provides you with a deeper understanding of the structures and principles underlying each movement and of yoga itself. From breathing to inversions to standing poses, see how specific muscles respond to the movements of the joints; how alterations of a pose can enhance or reduce effectiveness; and how the spine, breathing, and body position are all fundamentally linked. Whether you are just beginning your journey or have been practicing yoga for years, Yoga Anatomy will be an invaluable resource—one that allows you to see each movement in an entirely new light. With Yoga Anatomy, Second Edition, authors Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews, both internationally recognized experts and teachers in anatomy, breathing, and bodywork, have created the ultimate reference for yoga practitioners, instructors, and enthusiasts alike.




Anatomy of Hatha Yoga


Book Description

his book combines the perspectives of a dedicated yogi with that of a former anatomy professor and research associate at two major American medicine schools. He has set himself the ambitious goal of combining the modern scientific under- standing of anatomy and physiology with the ancient practice of hatha yoga. The result of an obvious labour of love, the book explains hatha yoga in demystified, scientific terms while at the same time honouring its traditions. It should go a long way in helping yoga achieve the scientific recognition it deserves. Useful as both a textbook and a reference work, this is a book that all serious yoga teachers and practitioners will want on their shelves.




Finding My Balance


Book Description

Stardom, thanks to Woody Allen and his film Manhattan, came at an early age...but so did the problems of a broken and dysfunctional family. Yet in a life so out of kilter, Mariel Hemingway summoned the strength and inner resolve that enabled her to find -- and to keep -- her balance. In Finding My Balance, actress Mariel Hemingway uses the lessons and practices of yoga as a starting point for her own personal reflections and larger-than-life family story. The result is a searingly honest memoir that is as deeply moving as it is helpfully prescriptive. Mariel turned to yoga and its meditative practice in an effort to maintain her center when her life threatened to spin out of control. Having experienced family tragedy, sudden stardom, and the continuing challenges of a full and demanding life, Mariel learned through practice how to find her balance in emotionally disorienting situations. Throughout the book, Mariel uses her yoga training as a starting point for each chapter, carefully describing a particular position, then letting her mind wander into thoughts of the past and of her tumultuous life. As each chapter begins with instruction, so does the book end with exercises organized in a sequence that can be followed by anyone who wants to practice them. As a special bonus for this edition, Mariel has added a section that describes the basics of her own "In Balance Philosophy," calming words of advice for people in search of their own emotional center.




Nine Kinds of Naked


Book Description

“Part quirky love story, part philosophical manifesto, and part metaphysical mystery . . . right at home with the works of Tom Robbins and Christopher Moore” (Sacramento Book Review). A prisoner spins a playing card into a somersault, stirring a whirlwind that becomes a tornado that takes the roof off a church in nearby Normal, Illinois. Elizabeth Wildhack is born in that church and someday she will meet that prisoner, a man named Diablo, on the streets of New Orleans—where a hurricane-like Great White Spot hovers off the coast. But how is it all interconnected? And what does it have to do with a time-traveling serf and a secret society whose motto is “Walk away”? This surreal novel exploring chaos theory comes from the acclaimed author of the cult favorites Just a Couple of Days and Love and Other Pranks. “As fanciful and inventive in its form . . . as it is in its observations. It fed tasty crackers to all the hungry parrots in my mental aviary.” —Tom Robbins “Linguistic gymnastics abound . . . Vigorito demonstrates once again that he’s a wild stylist . . . startlingly original . . . an entertaining anarchist.” —Chicago Sun-Times “A whimsical tale of time, space, coincidence, and cause and effect. The author displays most of the linguistic acrobatics and playful rumination that made his debut a cult classic . . . In the tradition of Douglas Adams and Tom Robbins.” —Kirkus Reviews