Customer Reviews

The Woman's Book of Yoga and Health: A Lifelong Guide to Wellness

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a long time practioner of Pilates, a relative newcomer to traditional yoga, and a woman who has, and will, experience some of the health issues, I found this book a great source of reference. What I found most useful, aside from Patricia's yoga poses & Linda Sparrowe's easy-to-read writing style, are the suggested herbal & dietary alternatives throughout the book. Not only do I have a copy, I bought one for all my closest girlfriends!! This book is a definate must-have in any woman's bookcase!!

This book is written by long-time yoga practitioner Linda Sparrowe in conjunction with Patricia Walden, a world-renowned yogi. They have created a unique manual on health and wellness throughout the lifespan which is designed specifically for women. Although the main focus is on yoga sequences, the book also includes general information on various health-related issues faced by women as well as tips and strategies for maintaining health.

The book is organized into sections which correspond to each phase of a woman's life. For example, Part Two, The Time of Awakening, is geared towards teenaged/young adult women and focuses on menstrual health and immune system support, whereas the final section, Wisdom from the Heart, is designed with older women in mind and concentrates on minimizing postmenopausal symptoms and other similar conditions. Although each section does have an intended age audience, women of all ages are likely to find something of use in every chapter--for example, a younger woman struggling with depression might benefit from the depression chapter geared to postpartum women, whereas an older woman who suffers from headaches could obtain assistance from the "Relieving Headaches" chapter written as part of the Coming Into Fullness section. There are also three general yoga sequences at the start of the book which are intended for all women; these sequences revolve around essential, energizing, and restorative themes.

Beginning yoga practitioners will find the short introduction on how to use the book to be helpful. Patricia Walden's training is in Iyengar yoga, which means that she utilizes a variety of props to make the poses more accessible. Props are particularly recommended for restorative postures, as they allow you to relax more fully into the pose. Easy-to-understand, detailed instructions and clear, precise photographs are used to describe every yoga pose. Many of the poses also include information about positive effects, potential modifications, and any cautions. Some sequences detail shorter practices with only 6 or so postures included, but others offer longer practices of up to 26 postures.

This book is appropriate for female yogis of all levels, from beginning to advanced (although I should note that many of the sequences include headstand and/or shouldstand, postures that shouldn't be attempted by beginners without the aid of a yoga instructor). The book would make a wonderful gift for any woman with an interest in wellness issues, and I highly recommend it!

... this book reminded me how easy it was to get back in touch with myself, to relax and to understand what my body was up to. i really like sparrowe's almost conversational tone. it is accessible, and kind of fun to read as well as being full of useful information. i have a feeling i'll refer to this book for the rest of my life.

A yoga book focusing on women hasn't been that many in the past. This book solely focuses on women, the various phases in life of a women, the problems (and pleasures) in those phases. Studying Yoga and applying to these various phases is a commendable and worthy effort. The authors have done a great job overall.

As a Yoga Teacher I find this book indispensible considering the fact 90% of yoga students are women. It helped me understand many aspects of the women's body as one ages.

Each phase in a women's life is analyzed and appropriate yoga postures and practices are recommended. There is three main sequences of postures applicable generally to women of all ages - essential, energizing and restorative.

If you read the book in one go you may walk away with the impression that there isn't much difference; but where this book will be more useful is for the women who looks to Yoga to address the particular phase she is in.

If you are a woman starting yoga or a yoga teacher, you want to have this book in your library.

I teach yoga in a high school and also in a private studio. The majority of my students are female and I have found this book to be a wealth of information. I have developed a curriculum that meets the needs of all my women, from teens with PMS to seniors with arthritis. No, you don't need to invest in lots of props, pillows, blankets, men's ties, all these work in lieu of (purchasing) props. I have seen how my students have come to appreciate and respect their bodies. Thank you Linda and Patricia.

As women who practice and teach Yoga, we have an obligation to address the many unique concerns that our students (and we ourselves) will experience as we age. Linda and Patrica have given us the textbook for how we can achieve this goal. In "the Woman's Book of Yoga and Health" we learn the ways we can achieve continued health, and the authors explain, with compassion, why we should be our own highest priority. This book is an invaluable resource for women who want to learn how to care for themselves through the practice of Yoga.

Effective solutions for women using yoga to increase their health and well-being. Very well organized book. It is easy to find what you're looking for just from the table of contents. A great book for women, especially those who don't have time to practice at a yoga studio.

Be prepared to spend alot of money on props. I understand that having two bolsters and a special backless chair enables people to adapt to their abilities and add to the restorative qualities of yoga. But unless you are prepared to make that much of an investment in equipment or already know how to do the poses without props (or are good at improvising with blankets, etc.), this book is not for you. It seemed that more than 75% of the poses in every sequence were demonstrated with props.

I just finished reading the entire book and it is a wonderful book packed with great information..

I have long been a fan of Patricia Walden who created the yoga sequences for this book.

I had not read anything by Linda Sparrowe before but I really enjoyed her style of writing.

The main thing I was looking for in this book was how to deal with pelvic floor disorders. And this book addresses them. This book teaches you how to tone your pelvic floor helping with such things as prolapses and also urinary incontinence.
Urinary incontinence is something that many women deal with every day but are ashamed to admit to it. There is hope for women with urinary incontinence..whether
through yoga or westernized medical treatments.

Whether looking for an explanation of individual poses or a full therapeutic routine, this book is invaluable. Previous yoga experience with an instructor is helpful (as it is difficult to monitor oneself in doing yoga). The author is an Iyengar yoga teacher. This form of yoga focuses on alignment and precision, so that a practitioner of any form of hatha yoga can learn much here.