KRIPALU YOGA INSTRUCTOR/AUTHOR

You don't have to touch your toes to touch your spirit!

Have you ever wanted to do yoga, but didn’t for any number of reasons? Do you believe that you can’t “do” yoga because of inflexibility or perceived physical limitations?

Yoga for People Who Can’t Touch Their Toes is the complete beginner's resourcefor developing the proper mindset to sustain a regular yoga practice. It is also a comprehensive exploration of the many sides to yoga ~ its philosophy, traditions, anatomy, science, and postures ~ to make your yoga practice more meaningful and promote self-discovery. 

Personal growth through yoga is accessible to all, whether flexible or inflexible, able or disabled and, of course, for people who can’t touch their toes. Yoga is not about doing all of the postures perfectly, but making it your own personal experience. The only right way to “do” yoga is to connect your breath to your own unique movements.

Yoga is a journey. Yoga for People Who Can’t Touch Their Toes provides you with the tools to enjoy your practice wherever you might be on that journey, especially if you are just beginning. Yoga can become a way of life. Embrace yoga and embrace life!

This book consists of three parts:

1. The first part identifies the obstacles to the development of a regular yoga practice, describes a positive mindset that will help you to progress on the path of yoga and explores the possibility of personal growth through yoga.

2. To add more meaning to your yoga practice, the second part of the book presents the many facets of yoga, including its benefits, philosophy, various schools and traditions, science, physiological effects and relevant human anatomy.

3. The third part is an exploration of the postures and basic yogic breathing techniques to instill a greater sense of confidence through familiarity as you embark on your journey.

I write this book from the perspective of a physician who embraced a second career as a yoga instructor. The knowledge I acquired during that transition helped me to realize that there is more to yoga than just the physical postures and movements. I have experienced a personal transformation with a new outlook on life based in gratitude.

Faced with many obstacles, I embarked on the path of yoga eight years ago. My career as a radiologist left me with extreme inflexibility from sitting in a chair in front of a computer for eight to ten hours a day over a period of thirty years. Assuming the responsibility for the wellbeing of my patients with a zero tolerance for errors and a need to constantly focus and concentrate without distraction for hours became the source of chronic anxiety and stress. Challenges that I previously faced in my career, however, are not important to my intention. Rather, what I wish to convey are the steps I have taken to develop a meaningful yoga practice that have opened my eyes to a future filled with hope.

It is a true gift that I gave myself, one that I deeply wish to give to you!