The Woman's Yoga Book [antikvár]

^ I 1 he popularity of yoga is increasing I clay by day, and it is delights my iieart tliat M many more people are embracing yoga today, as compared to the past. There was a time when many felt that yoga was meant only for recluses. However, today they understand the importance of yoga in daily life. There once was a mindset that yoga was meant exclusively for men. People realize now that this ancient art and philosophy was also a way of life for women of the Vedic period.Yoga has a great potency to yield physical and mental health, which is essential for women. However, women should not forget its spiritual depth. The ancestral dynasty of women in yoga proves that besides pliysical health, they also strived for spiritual health to enrich their lives. Their endeavor did not make them turn their backs on their worldly and family responsibilities. This balance has to be struck by wotnen of today, when the modern way of life makes them forget their woiuanhood.The first stage of womanhood is menarche. In olden days, this event was celebrated as a giri's second birth; there was a naming ceremony and her horoscope (birth chart) was drawn. Thus her life was molded such that she could improve her physical, moral, mental, and spiritual health. I grew up witnessing the importance of yogaForewordBy Geeta S. Iyengarin my life. I could sense that the practice of yoga was developing a new personality in me by bringing inner balance. As I began teaching yoga, these imprints surfaced, so I could help and educate others.Teaching yoga in thel960s was an adventure. Though the women were keen to learn, they had health probleins. They wanted natural remedies instead of painkillers. At the time, it was not widely known that many of their problems, whether physical, psychological, or emotional, are related to menstruation and hormonal changes. I understood that link, and my method of teaching helped the women, though it took the female students a long time to adopt this view. Research today proves this link. Hence, a woman should respect her femininity and practice yoga accordingly.Bobby Clennell rightly focuses on the practice of yoga during the different phases of inenstrua-tion, so this book is very useful for a woman from her menarche to menopause. "Women will find answers to many problems they might face during that time of life. Each chapter explains the benefits of practicing the asana, while also cautioning the practitioner about what not to do and when not to do.The journey of yoga starts with standing asanas, stabilizes one in sitting asanas, creates