Yoga for Holistic Healing: Poses and Sequences for Pain and Stress Relief

Relieve stress, aches, and pains with 10 healing yoga sequences Whether you want to address a specific injury, alleviate general soreness and stiffness, or simply take good care of your body and mind, yoga has a multitude of benefits for your overall health and well-being. Yoga for Holistic Healing offers 10 easy and approachable yoga sequences for relieving pain and stress so you can get back to feeling and functioning your best. Tailor your yoga practice to your needs with poses and sequences that focus on specific areas of your body, like your neck, back, hips, and legs. You’ll find practical pose modifications based on injury, health condition, and flexibility level, plus helpful pointers for avoiding injury and getting the most out of each pose. Yoga for Holistic Healing includes: Intro to yoga—Explore an easy-to-understand guide to yoga, including the most common types, why it’s used for healing, the role of yogic breathing, and much more. Tips for success—Get suggestions for successfully establishing a yoga practice, like regularly changing your selection of poses and sequences to focus on both upper- and lower-body strength and flexibility. Pinpoint your pain—Anatomical images help you better customize your yoga practice to target your personal aches and pains. Heal yourself holistically with 10 simple yoga sequences designed to ease your mind and body. Title Page 3 Copyright Page 4 Dedication 5 Contents 7 Introduction 10 Chapter One: Yoga and Your Body 13 Chapter Two: Upper-Body Poses and Sequences 41 Head and Neck 43 Mountain Pose: Postural Awareness with Chin Tucks 45 Neck Rotations with Optional Manual Traction 49 Cat/Cow with Neck-Focused Turtle 53 Thread the Needle 56 Open Seated Twist 59 Shoulders, Arms, Wrists, and Hands 62 Wall Chest and Shoulder Opener 63 Shoulder Rotations (Flossing) 66 Cactus Arms 69 Eagle Arms 72 Wrist and Forearm Stretch 75 Supported Backbend 78 Chest, Torso, and Back 81 Downward-Facing Dog 83 Wide-Leg Half Forward Bend 87 Sunbird Pose 90 Yoga Heel Drops 94 Reclined Spinal Twist 98 Sphinx Pose 101 Supported Bridge on Block 105 Upper-Body Sequences 108 Posture Focus 109 Strength Focus 113 Flexibility Focus 117 A Little Bit of Everything 120 Unwind and De-Stress 125 Chapter Three: Lower-Body Poses and Sequences 130 Hips, Glutes, and Pelvis 132 Knees-to-Chest Pose 133 Reclined Pigeon 138 Chair Pose 142 Tree Pose 150 Victory/Goddess Squat 158 Warrior I 165 Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose 169 Thighs and Knees 173 Dancer Pose 174 Warrior II 177 Side-Angle Pose 182 Leg Stretch #2 and Leg Stretch #3 187 Reclined Bound Angle 194 Banana Pose 197 Calves, Ankles, and Feet 200 Heel Lifts with Arm Waves 201 Leg Stretch #1 206 Staff Pose with Ankle Circles 211 Hero’s Ankles 217 Half Forward Fold 223 Lower-Body Sequences 227 Posture Focus 228 Strength Focus 233 Flexibility Focus 239 A Little Bit of Everything 243 Unwind and De-Stress 248 Resources 253 References 254 Acknowledgments 258 About the Author 259 Relieve stress, aches, and pains with healing yoga sequences Whether you want to address a specific injury, alleviate general soreness and stiffness, or simply take good care of your body and mind, this guide offers 10 easy and approachable sequences for relieving pain and stress so you can get back to feeling and functioning your best. Tailor your yoga healing practice to your needs with poses and sequences that focus on specific areas of your body, like your neck, back, hips, and legs. You'll find practical pose modifications based on injury, health condition, and flexibility level, plus helpful pointers for avoiding injury and getting the most out of each pose. This exploration of yoga therapy includes: A simple introduction —Explore an easy-to-understand guide that includes the most common forms, why it's used for healing, the role of yogic breathing, and much more. Tips for success —Get suggestions for successfully establishing a practice, like regularly changing your selection of poses and sequences to focus on both upper- and lower-body strength and flexibility. Guides to pinpoint your pain —Anatomical images help you better customize your practice to target your personal aches and pains. Heal yourself holistically with 10 simple sequences designed to ease your mind and body.