Yoga for Pain Relief: Simple Practices to Calm Your Mind and Heal Your Chronic Pain (The New Harbinger Whole-Body Healing Series) [Paperback]

Kelly McGonigal (Author), Timothy McCall (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: The New Harbinger Whole-Body Healing Series | Publication Date: December 2, 2009

It's no secret that yoga increases muscular flexibility and strength, but you may not know that yoga is a proven treatment for back pain, knee pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other chronic pain conditions. Yoga also helps to ease the stress, anxiety, and depression that can create and reinforce pain, making you feel more comfortable in both your mind and your body.

Written by a yoga instructor and former chronic pain sufferer, Yoga for Pain Relief is packed with gentle postures and practical strategies for ending pain. This complete mind-body tool kit for healing also includes deep relaxation practices drawn from the yogic tradition and psychological techniques for helping you make peace with your body and dissolve pain. As the ancient practice of yoga releases the hold that chronic pain has over your life, you will begin to feel more like yourself again.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“McGonigal explores the complex picture of chronic pain, recognizing the many dimensions that contribute to one’s suffering. In simple, easy-to-follow steps, she takes you on a journey, connecting your mind and body through the yoga experience. This book is very much in line with all that the American Chronic Pain Association teaches. I recommend that you relax, renew yourself, and enjoy your adventure through Yoga for Pain Relief.”
-Penney Cowan, executive director of the American Chronic Pain Association

From the Publisher

In Yoga for Pain Relief, Stanford psychology instructor and prominent yoga teacher Kelly McGonigal shows readers how the wisdom of yoga and the latest skills drawn from mind-body research can end the physical and emotional suffering of chronic pain.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: New Harbinger Publications; 1 edition (December 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572246898
• ISBN-13: 978-1572246898
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,726 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Aging > Chronic Pain
  • #65 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Exercise & Fitness > Yoga

More About the Author

Kelly McGonigal, PhD, is a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University, and a leading expert on the mind-body relationship. She teaches for the School of Medicine's Health Improvement Program and is a senior teacher/consultant for the Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. Her work demonstrates the applications of psychological science to personal health and happiness, as well as organizational success and social change.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yoga for Pain Relief is a must have., November 23, 2009

By 

M. Hanson "Beyond the Bend" (Fremont, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Yoga for Pain Relief: Simple Practices to Calm Your Mind and Heal Your Chronic Pain (The New Harbinger Whole-Body Healing Series) (Paperback)

If you are interested in health, well-being or yoga this book is a must have. As a yoga instructor here are a few reasons why I loved it. 1. The practices and recommendations are accessible to everyone and benefit beginning to experienced practitioners. 2. The practices can be readily integrated into a group yoga class and into working one-on-one with people. 3. The recommendations are supported by both western medical evidence and the yogic tradition. 4. To reduce stress, lower back, neck and shoulder pain, I've integrated several of the recommendations into my personal practice, and have felt an immediate and positive difference.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A powerful tool for helping my wife deal with her chronic pain, November 19, 2009

By 

Kiyash Monsef (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Yoga for Pain Relief: Simple Practices to Calm Your Mind and Heal Your Chronic Pain (The New Harbinger Whole-Body Healing Series) (Paperback)

Dr. McGonigal's advice is inspiring, down-to-earth, and easy to put into action right away.
I have been doing the breathing exercises and meditations with my wife, who began suffering from chronic headaches after a concussion this past summer. She wanted to avoid heavy pain medications, and this book was a lifesaver. It helped both with the physical pain and also the depression and anxiety that she felt, having little control over her symptoms. I was happy to be able to work through the book with her -- it helped me better understand what she going through, and gave me concrete ways to help her: by doing breathing exercises together, and reading the meditations out loud to her.
It helps that the book is grounded in scientific research (psychology and physiology) as well as Dr. McGonigal's yoga practice, it makes for a well-grounded book that is both eye-opening and comforting.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Science + Practical Advice = Great Resource, November 15, 2009

By 

Cookiemonster (Palo Alto, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yoga for Pain Relief: Simple Practices to Calm Your Mind and Heal Your Chronic Pain (The New Harbinger Whole-Body Healing Series) (Paperback)

I am a long time student of Dr. Kelly McGonigal. I found this book to be very helpful in explaining the science of pain, and how my own mental patterns in dealing with personal chronic pain were exacerbating or relieving my pain. The practical suggestions for poses to stretch and move while in pain have been useful for reducing the intensity of pain in my shoulder and neck. The gentle movements offered in this book were also helpful in recovering from a recent bout of the flu. I found the stories to be helpful in learning that I am not alone in dealing with pain and hearing strategies for how other people dealt with similar issues. Yoga is not a quick fix, but the ideas and suggestions in this book have made a real difference in handling day to day stress and pain.