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Yoga for Pain Relief: Simple Practices to Calm Your Mind & Heal Your Chronic Pain (Whole Body Healing) Review

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NOTE: I received a free copy of this book to review for the web site Metapsychology Online Reviews; please see a more complete version of my review on that site.

Yoga for Pain Relief offers simple strategies from the mind-body approach of yoga to ease pain--both physical and emotional--and to alleviate suffering. In her Introduction, author Kelly McGonigal describes how pain itself is a mind-body experience; she notes that chronic pain in particular is a learned response. Through the regular practice of yoga strategies, including breathing techniques, befriending the body, physical exercises, and relaxation, McGonigal maintains that one can attain greater control over one's mind and body both to increase comfort and to decrease suffering.

McGonigal begins by providing an overview of the pain response. She then introduces some basic ideas from the yogic tradition that will facilitate further discussion of the yoga healing practices. These concepts are very straightforward, such as the importance of the breath and the focus on the experience of inner joy as part of the practice. At this point, McGonigal is ready to begin reviewing some actual healing practices, starting in Chapter 3 with Breath. Throughout the practice segments of the book, there are detailed descriptions of how to perform the various exercises accompanied by clear, helpful black-and-white photos of McGonigal and other models demonstrating the movements. Also, at the end of every yoga practice chapter, McGonigal includes a "Putting it All Together" section which offers suggestions for how to use the exercises/practices in different ways.

The next chapter focuses on Befriending the Body, or moving from a more adversarial relationship with oneself and one's pain to one of compassion and acceptance. For the physical exercises, McGonigal's emphasis is always on healing. She presents gentle asana (held postures) and vinyasa (movements combined with breath), many of which are performed on the floor or can be modified with use of a chair. After introducing a basic pose sequence which can be combined in many different ways, McGonigal moves on to restorative postures. These poses require props to support the body and to allow for a more complete relaxation experience. The final yoga practice chapter focuses on Meditation. As with the previous chapters, McGonigal offers several different options for establishing a meditation practice and explains each in detail.

In the final chapter of the book, McGonigal offers suggestions for developing a personal yoga program. I especially liked her encouragement to establish a "homecoming" practice--that is, choosing just one simple exercise from the book that you will commit to practicing daily. She provides various suggestions for how to incorporate the exercises from the preceding chapters into different types of practices. In addition, McGonigal notes how the short personal vignettes from her students which appear throughout the book offer examples of various yoga rituals. McGonigal concludes the book with a Resources chapter offering information on books, music, DVDs, and other resources for people with pain.

For those who are suffering from chronic pain, this book is an excellent, hopeful resource. McGonigal herself is not only a psychology, yoga, and meditation instructor but also a former chronic pain sufferer. When practiced regularly--perhaps in as little as 15 minutes per day--these easy-to-use, gentle yoga techniques can give you the tools to manage your pain and to reduce your suffering. Dr. McGonigal has written a book that is clear, well-researched, easy-to-understand, and potentially extremely valuable, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

Yoga for Pain Relief: Simple Practices to Calm Your Mind & Heal Your Chronic Pain (Whole Body Healing) Feature

• ISBN13: 9781572246898
• Condition: New
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Yoga for Pain Relief: Simple Practices to Calm Your Mind & Heal Your Chronic Pain (Whole Body Healing) Overview

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.

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

Those of us who practice yoga know that it has many benefits, like the reduction of all kinds of pain. Now we have a sourcebook that explains why yoga has this effect. McGonigal s book presents salient research on pain and its causes and explains exactly how yoga helps. This book is a must for yoga teachers and anyone suffering pain. Highly recommended.
-Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D., PT, yoga teacher and author of Yogabody

Whether you are in pain now or you treat those who are, Yoga for Pain Relief will broaden your view of suffering and change your life. McGonigal outlines a clear, step-by-step method, evidence-based yet ancient, to reconnect with the wisdom and joy that is your birthright the source of wellness that is so much bigger than your pain.
- Amy Weintraub, MFA, E-RYT 500, is founder of LifeForce Yoga Healing Institute and author of Yoga for Depression

McGonigal shares her extensive knowledge and experience in helping people heal themselves with yoga in a way that is thorough and accessible to everyone. May this blessing find its way into the hands of all those who are ready to reclaim their health and vitality.
-Desiree Rumbaugh, creator of the Yoga to the Rescue DVD series

In this important book, McGonigal elegantly and simply empowers us, through science and ancient practices, to compassionately transform pain and suffering into ever-present joy blossoming in our hearts. A gift for us all!
-Nischala Joy Devi, international yoga teacher and author of The Healing Path of Yoga and The Secret Power of Yoga

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