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Lilias! Yoga Gets Better with Age

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Lilias! Yoga Gets Better With Age
By Lilias Folan
Rodale Books, July 2005
Reviewed by Sharon Steffensen

Yoga gets better with age--and so does Lilias. In her new book she shares what she has learned along the path since the early days of her TV show, Lilias! Yoga and You, which first aired on PBS in 1972. By the mid-1980s the series was airing daily nationwide. It is likely that for people age 40 and older, Lilias is the most well-known yoga teacher in the U.S., having introduced millions to yoga.

Because she is familiar to so many of us, we trust Lilias as an authority on yoga. In her book she has adapted yoga postures so they can be practiced safely by people of any age. In her easy manner, Lilias clears up misconceptions about yoga. (Even today, some people are afraid of yoga because of its Indian roots.) Lilias writes about the koshas (the sheaths, or subtle bodies) and explains how to connect with these deeper layers of the Self. Lilias discusses the spiritual benefits and gives techniques for healing our emotions, connecting with our wisdom and feeling our bliss.

Lilias has also developed some new movements, one of which she calls the "three R's" --resist, relax and restretch--that free up muscles and allow much greater movement than ever imagined possible. She describes her style as yin--defined as cool, calm, inward and focused (for stretching)--as opposed to a yang approach, which is heated and intense (for strength). Therefore, her book is geared toward people who are 40 and over as well as to younger people who are looking for a gentler, yet powerful, approach to yoga.

Lilias demonstrates all the poses in 200 full-color photos. She looks fabulous as always. Like her TV show, her book is friendly, down-to-earth and very likeable.

I did Yoga in the 60's with Lilias on t.v. I have continued on and off over the years. However, I noticed that recently (I'm now 60) things don't bend and stretch like they used to. I almost injured my knee by trying to bend in a pose the way I had always done. Lilias' book has some great ideas on how to avoid injury in your later years. What I really loved was the new technique she teaches that helps you get into the pose deeper without strain or pain. She's still as good as she always was!

Lilias' new book is a joy to read because of her way of making the reader feel like an old friend. Within that atmosphere she opens doors to subjects that may have seemed difficult to understand. In particular, this book gives an in depth view of the "koshas"--the veils that cover our true selves--and shows how, in practical ways we may move through them. She also makes the practice of hatha yoga and meditation an attractive possibility for those of us over 50.
Thanks, Lilias, once more for your humor and your humaness!

God bless Lilias Folan. Over 30 years after she first inspired my life.
This is her best book- a reflection of her life long persuit of self knowledge and the best layman's guide to Eastern philosophy I've ever read. Complete with understandable definitions of sanskrit terms.

Finally, a book that helps you to develop your own home practice.
Thank you-again- Lilias.
Thank you I so love this book.

Maryrose
Cambridge, MASS

One of America's best-loved yoga teachers, Lilias Folan, who first brought yoga to public television viewers more than 30 years ago, is one of the great yoga pioneers. Her personal journey through the practice of yoga affirms the wonderful benefits to bodies of all ages. In Lilias! Yoga Gets Better with Age, she weaves her years of learning through the branches of the tree of yoga and brings forth clear methods of practice for everyone.
She has adapted her own process of growing and stretching, her "three Rs" - Resist, Relax and Restretch as a creative way of listening to the body and increasing the range of motion. Her long-time teaching partner and friend, Richard Miller says this of the book, "This book is Lilias sharing her remarkable journey with us. It's not just her journey; it's ours, too. The ancient wisdom of yoga invites us, Keep going. Stop not until the work is done. This book is Lilias's way of extending just such an invitation to us. She is someone who doesn't stop, who keeps going and who is saying, If I can do it, so can you."

Lilias! Yoga Gets Better with Age is a great book. Lilias is a masterful story-teller who draws you into both the spiritual and physical aspects of yoga in a most entertaining and moving way. It's a great read and would be a great gift for anyone who does not do yoga, who is a beginner, or who has been practicing yoga for years. A unique book - it will change you for the better.

Lilias holds nothing back in this wonderful tour de force of yoga. Many people who might consider that for themselves and yoga, it is a case of "too soon old, too late smart" should be convinced by Lilias' obvious enthusiam and energy that it is never too late to begin yoga and that in any event yoga works outside of time. One of the most effective ways of teaching is by example. Lilias provides this beautifully. The list of her teachers set out in the Acknowledgments section testifies to the breadth and richness of her life in yoga. This is a very warm, intelligent and friendly portal into the universe of yoga. Well done, Lilias!

Very well suited to someone older who wants to learn yoga. I don't feel overwhelmed and incapable of learning. Lilias is a very good teacher and doesn't talk down to her readers.

Lilias has used her magic yet again to offer the gift of yoga to everyone. "Lilias! Yoga Gets Better with Age" is a warm invitation to begin or to expand a yoga practice. Lilias's warm personal stories and easy to understand yoga tips are woven throughout. The book's accessible format adds to its inviting nature. Lilias has made my holiday shopping much easier this year!
-- Yael Calhoun, author of "Create a Yoga Practice for Kids: Fun Flexibility, and Focus"

I have known Lilias since the sixties and watched with awe as her single-minded focus on Yoga has not only blossomed but become part and parcel of who she is. She is a remarkable woman: wise, yes, but also emanating the kind of humor that is indicative of a truly intelligent and observing mind. It bubbles out of her. This newest book is utterly lucid, engaging, and universal, a real feat of concentration and will! Writing any book is a hard challenge; she has given it her all, and it shows! Lilias' ALL is more than most of us have to give!