Yoga Therapy: A Guide to the Therapeutic Use of Yoga and Ayurveda for Health and Fitness (Paperback)

by A.G. Mohan (Author)
Key Phrases: final asana, suspension after exhalation, parsva uttanasana, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"This is a must-have volume for any serious yoga student, whether a yoga therapist or just an everyday practitioner. The mix of both theoretical and practical information allows readers to learn not only about the daily work of yoga, but its essential theoretical underpinnings as well. The book reminds us that yoga is the original holistic health care system."—Richard Rosen, author of The Yoga of Breath "A. G. Mohan, a long time disciple of Krishnamacharya, and his wife Indra, herself a talented yoga therapist, are among the world's foremost transmitters of the master's mature teachings. In this book, they take you inside their process of yoga therapy from evaluating the students to planning and implementing a therapeutic regimen. I highly recommend it for teachers and serious students of this lineage."—Timothy McCall, M.D., medical editor of Yoga Journal and author of Yoga as Medicine

Product Description
Most people think of yoga as a solitary activity that is inherently therapeutic. While that is generally true, yoga poses and breathing practices can also be prescribed for specific health problems—often in combination with dietary advice taken from Ayurveda, traditional Indian medicine. Yoga Therapy is an essential guide for yoga teachers, advanced practitioners, and anyone who wants to make therapeutic use of yoga. A. G. and Indra Mohan prescribe postures, breathing techniques, and basic Ayurvedic principles for a variety of common health problems, including asthma, back pain, constipation, hip pain, knee pain, menstrual problems, and scoliosis. Yoga Therapy is one of the few books that shows yoga teachers how to put together appropriate yoga sequences and breathing techniques for their students. Mohan details how to correctly move into, hold, and move out of poses, how to breathe during practice to achieve specific results, and how to customize a yoga practice by creating sequences of yoga poses for a particular person.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; illustrated edition edition (December 14, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590301315
• ISBN-13: 978-1590301319
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #378,200 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars yoga therapy, October 30, 2007

By	Camella Nair (california.usa) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The more I teach,the more I am interested in the therapeutic aspects of asana and how it links to our lifestyle that can be understood through the knowledge of Ayurveda. Nice explaination in the principles of movement and breathing section on gravity and strength. The section on observation and assessment is useful because it can help the teacher empower the student with greater self-awareness. The asanas illustrated from a chair aswell as from the floor makes the pranayama section meaningful for the student who may well have a bias in the body or be confined to a wheelchair. If you already have a basic understanding of prakruti and vikruti, the ayurvedic/yoga therapy section can be useful. The favorable vs unfavorable choice of asanas can help one understand the groups of asanas that may prove effective in a therapeutic scenario. Whilst I have yet to find a completely effective way to erradicate painful menses periodically, at least I feel more inspiration to continue
trying to find the route cause of the imbalance within me. Camella Nair - author of "Aqua Kriya Yoga"

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars It appears everyone wants to be a yoga therapist, March 27, 2009

By	Philip Stevens "BSc (Psych, Physiol) BSc hons... (Melbourne) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Anyone can practice a bit of yoga, read a few books and then call themself a yoga therapist.

While the term sounds appealing, caution is advised when using the term "therapy".

The word "therapy" comes from the Greek "therapeia" meaning "a service, an attendance" which, in turn, is related to the Greek verb "therapeuo" meaning "I wait upon." Therapy was (and is) a service done to the sick (from www.medterms.com). Therapy is therefore usually associated with the medical profession rather that yoga teachers.

If you are a professional therapist and are also trained in yoga, this book might help you understand more about the physiological implications of certain yogic practices with some Ayurveda thrown in as well, however if you practice and/or teach yoga and want to become a therapist, this book may lead some to believe in the fantastic curative powers of a bit of bending and twisting with a few breathing exercises thrown in, when there could easily be more to the medical problem than the yoga teacher is trained to deal with.

If you are a patient of someone who bases their qualifications on this book, I would advise you to seek another professional opinion, at least from a qualified therapist in your area of need who is also suitably trained in yoga as well.

As far as therapeutic interventions or medical practice goes, the book is seriously lacking. Remember that the word "yoga" means "to join" or "to bring together" which is designed for the practitioner themselves to do the work, any inner healing and balancing should be done themselves, it is not for someone else to "treat" them using yoga.

This book should certainly be used with caution, especially considering that the author in previous books has unfortunately mistranslated important Sanskrit words into English perhaps with a lack of understanding or awareness as to their physiological and medical implications, e.g. a Sanskrit word for "abdomen" has been mistranslated into "chest". Medically this is entirely insufficient especially when presenting one' self as a "therapist" and could lead to all sorts of unforseen repercussions and medical problems for the uninformed reader.

I would certainly advise caution, tho am well aware that many will ignore this advice and buy the book anyway hoping to become a yoga therapist.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Yoga therapy, May 27, 2007

By	Nat Shriver (Dodge City, KS) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Very good book but could use some user friendly things like a detailed index for quick reference.