Looking for a vacation that leaves you relaxed, restored, and uplifted? In this gorgeous updated guide, Angelika Taschen gathers the most exquisite and inspirational yoga retreats around the world, from an exotic luxury hotel in Bhutan to a spiritual ashram in India, a beach resort in Mexico to a tucked-away treasure in Brazil's tropical forests. Highlights include the Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh-one of the holy cities of the Ganges and a renowned pilgrimage site where the Beatles attended the Maharishi's ashram in 1968; and Santani, a 48-acre former tea plantation in Sri Lanka where restorative bliss meets the highest sustainable and eco-standards. Italy is not just a destination for the cultural and culinary traveler but also for the dedicated yogi: Santa Maria del Sole in Puglia strike a balance between yoga and the sensual Italian lifestyle. A hidden gem in the high planes of Brazil, Alto Paraiso is nestled in lush tropical forest, home to some of the world's most diverse flora and fauna. The Esalen Institute in Big Sur is a legendary New Age destination, offering yoga and much more, with over 500 spiritual and physical workshops; Kretashala, one of Europe's most popular sites for Vinyasa Yoga, offers authentic Cretan cuisine and breathtaking views of the endless expanse of the Libyan sea; while Amansala's Bikini Boot Camp in Tulum, Mexico, combines beach life with yoga classes.

Regular physical activity is an important key to a healthy, happy lifestyle. The many benefits of daily physical activity include more energy; less stress; better sleep; reduced risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes; stronger bones, joints, and muscles; and an overall healthier and longer independent life. If you're ready to become active, fit, and healthy, Active Living Every Day, Third Edition With Web Resource, provides all the tools you need to get moving and make physical activity part of your everyday life. More than a book, Active Living Every Day presents a scientifically tested step-by-step program with evidence-based behavior change strategies for becoming more physically active. Designed to make active lifestyles available to people everywhere, it offers updated research showing the need to be physically active and demonstrates the proven effectiveness of this program. Practical and accessible, this third edition offers streamlined delivery for a clear, focused read. Learn simple and enjoyable ways to fit physical activity into your life, concentrating on activities you can easily add into your daily routine. Create your own personalized activity plan unique to your individual preferences and lifestyle. With an emphasis on moderate-intensity activities, you'll also learn how everyday activities, like housecleaning and gardening, can count toward your weekly physical activity goals. Develop confidence by gaining problem-solving skills, overcoming obstacles, and learning how to increase intensity when desired. The tips and participants' stories in this book, plus a web resource offering activities for practice, offer the support and guidance you need to make healthy changes in your life. With Active Living Every Day, Third Edition, join thousands of people just like you who have used this program to achieve lifelong success in becoming active every day.

Are you looking for simple ways to improve your mental and physical health and well-being, and bring back the hurray to your day? The Book of Health Hacks is a compendium of easy strategies and practices for you to add to your daily routine. They don't take too muchtime to do, and most won't cost a penny! Plus, each health hack has been tried and tested, some of them for thousands of years, andmany are backed by science. Kerry Sanson is a movement and massage therapist, a personal trainer, and a student of Eastern philosophies including Yoga and Oigong.She has helped many clients to make simple improvements to their fitness, nutrition and lifestyle, producing successful and long-lasting benefits. You can choose to add one or several health hacks to your day - perhaps you'll practice Face Yoga every morning, or drink YinYang water with lunch, or add Torso Bouncing to your breaktime. These hacks can help you be more mindful and give you more energy to win your day, one hack at a time! There are 40 health hacks tochoose from, you can mix them up or create a daily routine. Each hack is described in step-by-step guide or linked by QR code to aYouTube demonstration video. The Book of Health Hacks can help you change your lifestyle in simple ways that suit you. "I have worked with Kerry over a number of disciplines for 5 years now, and her impact on me has been huge. She really has collected some effective and beautiful practices from her deep delves into all things health and wellbeing. Her thirst for learning is boundless and we get to reap the rewards of her diligent curiosity This book is practical and powerful, a perfect gift for those looking for gentle self-work in a brash and busy world." Charlotte Church

Before thinking about which exercises, frequency and intensity should be used in strength training programs to achieve muscle strength, promote a healthy lifestyle, hypertrophy or improve athletic performance, we should understand firstly how a muscle contraction happens. The aim of this book is to provide you with a basic to advanced understanding about several physiological systems involved in muscle contraction: physiological adaptations for exercises, especially strength exercises; molecular responses; methods of training; nutrition and muscle performance; muscle recovery; benefits of strength exercises to human health; and which drugs are commonly used for doping in different sports. Chapter One of this book will review all of the most important cells, structures and processes involved in muscle contraction, such as neurons cells, synapses, motor units, general and molecular mechanisms of muscle contraction. Chapter Two will describe the most important bioenergetics pathways of energy supplies required for muscle contraction. After understanding how muscle contraction happens and how energy is supplied, the reader will discover principles, methods and physiological adaptations of skeletal muscles to strength trainings within Chapters Three, Four and Five. In particular, Chapter Four will provide a friendly and detailed account of molecular adaptation in skeletal muscles to different exercises, discussing differential gene expression and the effects of different exercises in different populations and disorders. This book also points out a very important and detailed factor concerning cryotherapy in Chapter Six, one of most common strategies used to promote muscle recovery. Specific orientations regarding nutrition and muscle performance are presented in Chapter Seven, while doping and different drugs used to increase muscle performance in several sports introduce Chapter Eight. Finally, Chapter Nine describes the benefits of strength training to diabetic, hypertensive, obese and myopathic patients. We strongly believe that all knowledge within this book is essential for all professionals working to promote the health of patients and increase physical performance of athletes or their clients, as well as for all people linked to sports and physical activity in some way.

"Core Awareness, Revised Edition: Enhancing Yoga, Pilates, Exercise, and Dance" offers a guide to Core Awareness, a body-oriented approach that explores the practice of bringing focus and attention to inner sensation as the means of cultivating an innate capacity for expressive movement. Developed by somatic educator and author Liz Koch, the book's Core Awareness movements, stretches, and mindfulness explorations are designed to enhance sensory development and shift readers from the standard paradigm of the body as an "isolated object" to a holistic paradigm of the human being as part of a living process of dynamic expression. This shift in perspective offers practitioners and teachers of movement, yoga, pilates, bodywork, exercise, and dance an empowering model for self-healing and the key to increasing strength, gaining flexibility, preventing injury, and improving resiliency.
Describing the practice of moving from one's core, Koch highlights the importance of engaging the psoas muscle--located on either side of the spine--to integrate the body, mind, emotion, and spirit. Koch also discusses the pelvis as the foundation of our physical core and the vital connection with our bones to gain a sense of support, nourishment, joint integrity, skeletal balance, and healthy muscle tone. Rewritten with updated information, this revised edition includes 247 new photos and 25 new Core Awareness explorations--with 64 in total. A suggested reading list at the end of the book provides resources for continuing the development of the ideas presented within the book.

Many work hard on good posture and better walking and running alignment, but it's critical to understand how what you put on your feet each day can play a bigger role in the function of your feet, ankles, knees, hips, and spine than you might realize. "By applying the principles in this book, you will be able to restore your foundation and prevent dysfunction." Ray McClanahan, DPM Biomechanist and author of Simple Steps to Foot Pain Relief, Katy Bowman offers walkers, runners, and health professionals alike clear, accessible lessons on how the shape of shoes can play a role in painful feet, knees, and hips and what to do about it. When we have painful feet and weak ankles it seems like stiff, supportive shoes are the answer, but this solution can be temporary, especially if our issues stem from foot and leg weakness. In short, humans come with great "foot technology," we just need to learn how to use it. Minimal footwear shoes that protect your feet while still letting them move freely is gaining traction (get it?). Being barefoot is a natural human movement, but research shows simply kicking off our shoe-shackles and releasing our feet into the wild can result in injury. Whole Body Barefoot will help you safely and effectively transition to minimal footwear, reaping the enormous benefits of freeing your feet without injuring yourself along the way. Whole Body Barefoot presents: 25 exercises to create strong, supple, feel-better feet The mechanics of bunions and pronation How to strengthen weak ankles and arches How to figure out your true shoe-size The importance of walking on natural surfaces "Vitamin Texture!" With clear, science-based explanations, Bowman lays out how conventional shoes and artificial environments leave us with sedentary feet as well as the steps necessary to restore lost foot function, and improve health...naturally!

The ultimate 'one stop' guide to using foam rollers. A relative newcomer to the fitness scene, lots of us don't know how to use foam rollers effectively as part of an exercise or training routine. Originally used only by physiotherapists and exercise therapists this 'new' piece of kit has become a mainstay of workouts. Foam rollers work by releasing muscle tension to relieve pain, aid injury recovery and improve flexibility - all through massaging and manipulating muscles. Practical and easily accessible, The Total Foam Rolling Workout is perfect for the fitness enthusiast or fitness professional who wants to lightly improve their knowledge and heavily improve the range of exercises they can use in their training. Tried and tested exercises are accompanied by clear photos and illustrations. This book is brimming with ideas for using foam rollers not just in the gym, but at home too. Packed with clear and easy to use exercises, this how-to reference book also provides adaptations of basic and advanced workouts, making it ideal for anyone who wants to get the most out of their fitness gear. - Each exercise idea is organised by fitness level and includes follow-up and extension ideas. - Written in a jargon-free and concise style, this book is light on the science and background, heavy on practicality.

The 12-movement qigong form presented is taken from over 50 forms developed by Professor Zhang Guangde, one of the world's leading qigong teachers, and can be practised in both seated and standing positions. The movements are graceful and easy to learn, and are based on the tenets of Chinese Medicine, working with the Zang Fu organs, the meridians, yin-yang, the Five Elements, and qi and blood. The book provides step-by-step, fully-illustrated instruction for both standing and seated practice, learning tips and health benefits for each movement, and also a brief account on the origins and characteristics of the exercises. An accompanying DVD features a video demonstrating the form and additional information on its history and origins, and a CD provides options for verbal instructions to lead the practitioner through the exercises, or music to accompany them. Through integrating breathing exercises into Yangsheng, the 12 steps are effective for promoting good health, preserving life and cultivating the spirit, and they are suitable for all ages. The book will be invaluable for people who wish to learn a simple yet powerful form, and for teachers looking for effective forms to teach groups, especially children, people with disabilities and older people.

UNLEASH YOUR POTENTIAL TO LIVE THE LIFE YOU'VE ALWAYS WANTED.

Kundalini yoga engages your unique sources of energy -- those that empower your spirit as well as your body. Drawing from the riches of ancient yogic tradition, The Kundalini Yoga Experience offers a system of physical poses, breathing techniques, and focused meditations that, when practiced together, will bring you

Unlike any other yoga guide, The Kundalini Yoga Experience encourages you to develop a practice that suits your needs. At the start, a simple numerological profile based on your birth date reveals your strengths and weaknesses. From there, you'll learn which exercises and meditations will be most effective in helping you balance each energy center (or chakra) in your body. Clear instructions and photographs guide you through each step, and as you move from one to another, you'll see how physical movement and spiritual reflection go hand in hand to heal and strengthen every part of you.

With regular practice, you'll be surprised at how strong, healthy, and fulfilled you feel. Experiencing the power of Kundalini is your birthright -- embrace it!

This volume offers a complete introduction to Yantra yoga, a traditional form of Tibetan yoga that originated from an eighth century Tibetan Buddhist sacred text. Passed down from teacher to student, Yantra yoga's current lineage holder is Dzogchen Buddhist master Chogyal Namkhai Norbu who has been teaching the method in the West since the 1970s. This book describes the 108 sets of movements (yantras) and presents each yantra as a sequence of seven phases of movement connected with seven phases of breathing.

"Author Benjamin Lorr wandered into a yoga studio--and fell down a rabbit hole"

"Hell-Bent"" "explores a fascinating, often surreal world at the extremes of American yoga. Benjamin Lorr walked into his first yoga studio on a whim, overweight and curious, and quickly found the yoga reinventing his life. He was studying Bikram Yoga (or "hot yoga") when a run-in with a master and competitive yoga champion led him into an obsessive subculture--a group of yogis for whom eight hours of practice a day in 110- degree heat was just the beginning.

So begins a journey. Populated by athletic prodigies, wide-eyed celebrities, legitimate medical miracles, and predatory hucksters, it's a nation-spanning trip--from the jam-packed studios of New York to the athletic performance labs of the University of Oregon to the stage at the National Yoga Asana Championship, where Lorr competes for glory.

The culmination of two years of research, and featuring hundreds of interviews with yogis, scientists, doctors, and scholars, "Hell-Bent" is a wild exploration. A look at the science behind a controversial practice, a story of greed, narcissism, and corruption, and a mind-bending tale of personal transformation, it is a book that will not only challenge your conception of yoga, but will change the way you view the fragile, inspirational limits of the human body itself.

"Delavier's Core Training Anatomy" is your guide for increasing core strength, stability, flexibility, and tone.

Whether you're just beginning your routine or looking to enhance an existing conditioning program, "Delavier's Core" "Training Anatomy "presents the most effective exercises and workouts for the results you want. It's all here, and all in the stunning detail that only Frederic Delavier can provide.

With 460 full-color photos and illustrations, you'll go inside over 100 exercises and 60 programs to see how muscles interact with surrounding joints and skeletal structures. You'll learn how variations, progressions, and sequencing can affect muscle recruitment, the underlying structures, and ultimately the results.

"Delavier's Core Training Anatomy "includes proven programming for sculpting your abs, reducing fat, improving cardiovascular health, and relieving low back discomfort. Targeted routines are presented for optimal training and performance in more than 20 sports, including running, cycling, basketball, soccer, and golf.

The former editor in chief of "PowerMag" in France, author and illustrator Frederic Delavier is a journalist for "Le Monde du" "Muscle" and a contributor to" Men's Health Germany" and several other strength publications. His previous publications, "Strength Training Anatomy" and "Women's Strength Training Anatomy," have sold more than 2 million copies.

Discover: How to get super strong without training to muscle failure or exhaustion. How to hack into your 'muscle software' and magnify your power and muscle definition. How to get super strong without putting on an ounce of weight. Or how to build massive muscles with a classified Soviet Special Forces workout. How to mould your whole body into an off-planet rock with only two exercises. How to increase your bench press by ten pounds overnight. How to get a tremendous workout on the road without any equipment. How futuristic techniques can squeeze more horsepower out of your body-engine. How to maximise muscular tension for traffic-stopping muscular definition. How to minimise fatigue and get the most out of your strength training. How to ensure high energy after your workout. How to get stronger and harder without getting bigger. How to become super strong and live to tell about it.

In "If You Like Exercise... Chances Are You're Doing It Wrong," author Gary Bannister tells us that "the power-to-be have all but destroyed the value of muscle isolation, discredited the use of machines in general, ignored everything related to the work of Arthur Jones and replaced it with a ten-cent solution." He claims that until the field of exercise defines what is true and what is not, it will never have the impact that it could.

Muscle strength, the only factor that can produce human movement and the only factor that performs work, is disappearing from today's training regimens. This study and guide analyzes current concepts and training systems-such as Pilates, "functional" training TRX, cross-training, kettlebells, and more-and compares their benefits to those of proper strength training to provide a clear picture for everyone.

"If You Like Exercise... Chances Are You're Doing It Wrong" rekindles the high intensity strength-training principles of Arthur Jones, the founder of Nautilus. Bannister focuses on the concepts of intensity, form, frequency, duration, number of repetition, speed if movement, and muscle fatigue, supporting them with current research. Logically applied, proper strength training is the only system capable of satisfying all five potential benefits of exercise-an increase in strength, flexibility, cardiovascular condition, body-composition, and injury prevention.

2012 Reprint of 1933 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Swami was an Indian Hindu monk. He was a key figure in the introduction of Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the western world and was credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion in the late 19th century. Bhakti yoga is a spiritual path described in Hindu philosophy which is intended to foster love, faith and surrender to God. It is a means to realize God, and is the easiest way for the common person because it doesn't involve extensive yogic practices. The Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavata Purana and Puranas are important scriptures which expound the philosophy of Bhakti. Hindu movements in which bhakti is the main practice are called bhakti movements-the major schools are Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism. Chapters include: Chapter 1: Definition of Bhakti Chapter 2: The philosophy of Isvara Chapter 3: Spiritual realisation, the aim of Bhakti-Yoga Chapter 4: The need of Guru Chapter 5: Qualifications of the aspirant and the Teacher Chapter 6: Incarnate Teachers and Incarnation Chapter 7: The Mantra: Om: Word and Wisdom Chapter 8: Worship of substitutes and images Chapter 9: The chosen ideal Chapter 10: The method and the means

Mention the name Bill Phillips to any of the people he's helped transform and you will see their faces light up with appreciation and respect. These people include:

• Hundreds of thousands of men and women who read his magazine for guidance and straightforward information about exercise, nutrition, and living with strength.

• Elite professional athletes–among them John Elway, Karl Malone, Mike Piazza, and Terrell Davis–who have turned to Phillips for clear-cut information to enhance their energy and performance.

• People once plagued by obesity, alcoholism, and life-threatening ailments who accepted a personal challenge from Bill Phillips and, with his help, have regained control of their bodies and their lives.

When you begin to apply the information in this book, you will be proving to yourself that astounding changes are within your grasp too. And, you will discover Body-for-LIFE is much more than a book about physical fitness–it's a gateway to a new and better life–a life of rewarding and fulfilling moments, perhaps more spectacular than you've ever dared to dream before.

Within 12 weeks, you too are going to know'not believe, but know–that the transformation you've created with your body is merely an example of the power you have to transform everything else in your world.

In language that is vivid and down-to-earth, Bill Phillips guides you, step by step, through the integrated Body-for-LIFE Program, which reveals:

• How to lose fat and increase your strength by exercising less, not more;

• How to tap into an endless source of energy by living with the Power Mindset^TM;

• How to create more time for everything meaningful in your life;

• How to trade hours of aerobics for minutes of weight training–with dramatic results;

• How to make continual progress by using the High-Point Technique^TM;

• How to feed your muscles while starving fat with the Eating-for-LIFE Method^TM;

• How thousands of ordinary people have now become extraordinary and how you can, too;

• How to gain control of your body and life, once and for all.

The principles of the Body-for-LIFE Program are surprisingly simple but remarkably powerful. So allow yourself to experience the force of the information in this book–allow yourself to take your mind, your body, your life to a higher point than you may have ever dreamed you could. All in as little as 12 weeks.

If you're short on time and sick of the same old boring cardio routine and want to kick your fat loss into high gear by working out less and...heaven forbid...actually have some fun...then you want to read this new book.
Here's the deal:
The "old school" of cardio has you doing grinding, grueling long-distance runs or bike rides for hours and hours each week to burn a little bit of fat and, unfortunately, eat away muscle too (giving you that "skinny and flabby" look).
In this book, you're going to learn the "new school of cardio," and how to have a lean, toned body by working out less than 20 minutes per day (you can even get in an intense, fat-burning workout in 5 minutes if you know what you're doing ).
Here are some of the secrets you'll learn inside:
-The 4 biggest weight loss myths and mistakes that keep people fat and stuck in a rut. If you've fallen victim to any of these (and most people have), you NEED to have this information.
-The 3 simple laws of healthy fat loss. All workable weight-loss methods rely on the three simple rules to achieve results, and once you know them, you don't need to chase fads.
-Why long-distance jogging is an incredibly inefficient way to lose weight and what you should do instead to have a lean, sexy body that you're proud of. (The good news is it's easy and takes no more than 20 minutes per day )
-A fat-incinerating method of cardio that you can literally do during the 2 - 3 minute commercial breaks of your favorite TV shows.
-4 killer circuit training workouts that not only melt fat but give you hard, rippling muscles that will make people green with envy.
-And more...
Follow the methods taught in this book and you can torch fat in a fraction of the time and get tight, toned muscles (and you might actually have some fun too ).
SPECIAL BONUS FOR READERS
With this book you'll also get a free 23-page bonus report from the author called "12 Health & Fitness Mistakes You Don't Know You're Making."
In this free bonus report, you're going to learn the truth behind 12 of the most common health & fitness myths out there that ruin people's efforts to get fit.

Lynn Stoller, OT, MS, OTR, C-IAYT, RYT500, E-RYT200 and outstanding expert contributors skilfully synthesize theoretical concepts and research findings from the fields of occupational therapy, trauma psychology, neuroscience, and traditional Eastern yogic philosophy to produce a Transdisciplinary Model for Post-Traumatic Growth for healing symptoms of combat stress, PTSD, or other unresolved trauma or anxiety disorders. The model is informed by the highly successful yoga treatment protocol used with U.S. military personnel deployed to Kirkuk, Iraq, which the author co-developed (Stoller et al, 2012) and by her experiences teaching yoga to veterans in her local community. Sensory-Enhanced Yoga (R) is designed to help meet the following goals: Decrease hypervigilance and overreaction to sensory input (e.g.visual, crowds, touch, noise, movement). Improve quality of sleep and energy level to support wellness and enhance daily productivity. Decrease intrusive thoughts by learning to become present through breath and body awareness. Enhance one's sense of self-worth and personal empowerment. Whether you are a therapist looking for effective treatment tools for your clients or are seeking healing for yourself, this insightful book will provide you with effective strategies to help promote peace of mind and full engagement in life. Lynn's website: www.sensoryenhancedyoga.org