Body, Mind, And Sport: The Mind/Body Guide to Lifelong Fitness and Your Personal Best [Hardcover]

John Douillard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 8, 1994

A prominent athletic performance expert integrates the stress-reducing techniques of mind-body medicine into a lifelong fitness program that calls for a new ideal of physical and mental balance. 25,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In an era of increased body awareness, this book encourages lasting health and fitness through fun. Using many of Douillard's recommendations, children and adults can learn to maximize their physical abilities and enjoy recreational and competitive sports. The author integrates Yoga, Tao, Zen, diet, and various training programs as guides to greater enjoyment and success in sport. He focuses upon three mind-body types that reflect the governing principles of nature: Vata (space/air), Pitta (fire/water), and Kapha (water/earth). The premise is that each of us has primary characteristics in one of these psychophysiological mind-body types that influence how we think, eat, and sleep. This enjoyable book is recommended for health and fitness collections.
- Albert Spencer, Coll. of Education, Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

When a baseball player gets five hits in a row or a basketball player can't miss, they're said to be in a "zone." The zone is a nebulous state, thought to be brought on willy-nilly, not willfully. Drawing on numerous Eastern disciplines, but especially on India's Vedic literature, Douillard says no, the zone can be brought on consciously. His program for physical training begins with a psychophysiological profile that will determine one's individual nature, which, in turn, will help one choose a sport in which to compete and determine the appropriate diet and exercise regimen. He also provides two levels of fitness programs: one for the elite, competitive athlete and another for the person who simply wants a healthier lifestyle. Although much of this may sound like a combination of astrology and New Age philosophy, it is firmly based on common sense. If there is a cornerstone to Douillard's ideology, it is, listen to your body and let your exercise program be guided by its signals. "No pain, no gain" is a phrase Douillard would like to eliminate from athletics. If it hurts, he says, don't do it anymore. Good advice. Wes Lukowsky

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: Harmony; 1st edition (February 8, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517594552
• ISBN-13: 978-0517594551
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #736,778 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shatters illusions about exercise, June 14, 1998

By 

Peter A. Farrell (San Mateo, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Body, Mind, and Sport: The Mind/Body Guide to Lifelong Fitness and Your Personal Best (Paperback)

Your body is supposed to enjoy getting and staying fit! The author gives a number of instructions on how to do just that. His argument for nasal breathing, even at top exertion, is alone worth the price of the book. The many testamonials from athletes who've used the author's instructions successfully shows that I'm not the only one it's worked for.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really cool book about mind/body integration in fitness, March 27, 2001

By 

Jeff Tulley (Lindon, UT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Body, Mind, and Sport: The Mind-Body Guide to Lifelong Health, Fitness, and Your Personal Best (Paperback)

I picked up this book at a relatives house and could not put it down. After reading it, I have to own it. If you are a serious athlete who has ever over-trained, this book is for you(or, if you simply want to avoid overtraining in the future...) John combines Auyervedic principles with Yoga, creating a way to perform better while straining yourself even less. So far I have only incorporated his principles in one workout, but with complete success. I'll know better as the next few weeks progress how easy it is to follow the principles in the book. I read a different book on Auyervedic principles(Quantam Health?), which was good but not too extremely easy to follow. John has laid out how to live the Auyervedic way, and specifically how to apply it to athletic training, in a simple and easy to follow manner.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars intergrate and enjoy, March 12, 2000

By 

carlisle montgomery (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Body, Mind, and Sport: The Mind/Body Guide to Lifelong Fitness and Your Personal Best (Paperback)

I am an elite coach based in Melbourne ,Australia. I have used the principles behind this book with great success with many people. I cannot recommend it highly enough, buy it read it follow it and you will change the way you train and finally enjoy exercise the way it was supposed to be. Good luck and enjoy.