Breath, Shapes & Stories: An Illustrated Guide to Yoga Practice Kindle Edition

Sixty postures and breathing practices with step-by-step instructions to help you learn, practise and teach yoga holistically (including 49 yoga poses or asanas* and 11 breathing practices known as pranayamas*).Sixty timeless stories to surprise, guide and inspire everyone from beginners to yoga teachers alike, unveiling the history and mythology behind the physical practice.Thousands of years ago in Bharat* (India), yoga was established as a meditative practice, created so that practitioners could reach a higher level of consciousness and potentially enlightenment. Since then, yoga has crossed time and civilisations to become the universal and diverse practice we know today. These yoga stories embody both these rich historical origins and the timeless universality of modern-day practice.Each of you will use this book differently: perhaps to learn the meaning or legend behind each of the Sanskrit names, to choose a peak pose or an intention for personal practice, or to find inspiration when building an original sequence.About this book Developing this book involved researching every posture and delving into the history and philosophy of yoga. My aim is to satisfy your curiosity about yoga, revealing the wealth of ancient knowledge beneath the physical practice.Where the origins of a posture have been lost in time, I have incorporated either a poetic interpretation of the pose, some scientific insights, or I have paid homage to a different culture and mythology relevant to the pose.This book is intended to help you broaden your perspective on yoga in a playful, educational, and interactive manner, serving as an innovative tool for those seeking more originality and storytelling in their personal or teaching practice. Read more