While yoga has become a common practice for health and well-being,the ancient tools of Tibetan yoga remained secret for centuries. Translated as "magical movements," Tibetan yoga can improve physical strength and support positive emotional and mental health, healing the body-energy-mind system with a full sense of awareness and harmony. In Tibetan Yoga for Health & Well-Being, Alejandro Chaoul, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Director of Education at the Integrative Medicine Program at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, focuses on the five principal breath-energies of Tibetan medicine and yoga and how special body movements for each engage the five chakras in our body. Chaoul shares his experiences of daily practice in different settings and cultures, with a focus on simplicity, accessibility, and ease for your real-world lifestyle. He also provides a contextual understanding of the history and lineage of Tibetan yoga so that you will fully be able to remove obstacles from your life and welcome in health and well-being.

This book is the first to trace the history of Chod practice in Tibet's indigenous Bon tradition. Chod (cutting through) is a meditative practice in which the practitioner imagines offering his or her body in sacrifice through elaborate contemplative visualization. Although a meditative practice, Chod is not done sitting comfortably on a cushion in a shrine room, but instead is often practiced in terrifying places like cemeteries or charnal grounds. The feelings of fear that result are used by the Chod practitioner to cut through his or her own ego. Chod contains elements of early shamanism, of sutric and tantric teachings also found in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, and of the Tibetan highest school of Dzogchen.

While yoga has become a common practice for health and well-being, Tibetan yoga still remains a mystery. Translated as 'magical movements', Tibetan yoga can improve physical strength and support positive emotional and mental health, healing the body-energy-mind system with a full sense of awareness. In Tibetan Yoga for Health & Well-Being, Alejandro Chaoul PhD focuses on the five principal breaths of Tibetan medicine and yoga, and how special body movements for each of these breaths engage the five chakras of the body. Alongside photos of each movement, Chaoul will guide you through the physical practice with a focus on simplicity and accessibility. He shares his experiences of daily practice in different cultures, and provides a contextual understanding of the history of Tibetan yoga so that you can fully incorporate its ancient teachings in your present day lifestyle.