30 Essential Yoga Poses

Book excerpt: A yoga teacher and student of B.K.S. Iyengar offers guidance on how to develop a yoga practice—from poses and sequencing to creating targeted routines for pain relief, relaxation, and more Judith Hanson Lasater draws on her wealth of yoga practice and teaching experience, as well as her training as a physical therapist, to present this comprehensive resource for beginning students and their teachers. Several pages are devoted to each of the yoga poses or asana, including photos and charts, introductory steps and variations, benefits, which props to use, and more. Teachers will find guidance on adjustments for beginners learning new poses as well as how to help students more fully realize the pose. Lasater also helps practitioners with notes on how to go inward and what to explore when holding each pose. You’ll also learn how to put poses together in sequences, and Lasater provides several to get you started. You’ll find quick sequences for busy days, for areas of tightness such as the lower back or the hamstrings, and even routines to remedy fatigue, or foster relaxation, or just for strength and balance. Sequences are presented with photographic charts for easy visual reference, as well as a “Mantra for Daily Practice". A glossary of anatomical terms and resources for further study are also included.