Yoga as Medicine: The Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing Reviews

• Everything I Ever Wanted In A Yoga Therapy Book

  
  By A2ME8QMG05MGY9 on 2007-08-02
  I have been anticipating the release of this book ever since I saw an ad for it in Yoga Journal. It was touted as "indispensible" and for once, an ad delivered what it promised. Written by the medical editor of Yoga Journal, Timothy McCall M.D., "Yoga As Medicine" offers so much more than a regular book of asanas.
  
  McCall starts by going into some detail about the science behind yoga - giving examples of how yoga can help heal the body. Although he is clear to state that yoga should not take the place of a doctor, he invites the reader to complement their current treatment with yoga. The author also gives good common sense strategies to doing yoga safely (I especially like the cautions about hands on adjustments - I have witnessed people being injured by overly assertive yoga instructors trying to "bend" people into a pose before the body was ready). I also enjoyed reading the chapter on choosing a style and a teacher. Here, McCall lists some of the most well known styles and gives some really good advice to help the reader choose a system that is suited for them.
  
  The third part of the book is the real 'meat'- there are twenty chapters on specific health issues (ex: asthma, IBS, obesity, MS). For each chapter, an experienced yoga teacher (ex: Judith Hanson Lasater, Gary Kraftsow, Patricia Walden) gives their perspective on the issue and how they may have dealt with a student who had the condition. Real life examples are in the book but the author also states that these approaches may not necessarily be right for your condition (for instance, on page xii, he states that Lasater, who wrote the chapter on back pain, was using a case study with sciatica as her example - and may not recommend the featured routine for another student with back pain). Speaking of routines, each chapter also has a specific yoga routine for each condition with full illustrations as well as contraindications, modifications, suggestions, and an overview of the condition from a Western doctor's perspective. These details make the book comprehensive and well rounded.
  
  Other nice features: an appendix on avoiding injury, details on anatomy, a plan for starting your home yoga practice, meditation techniques, and a sanskrit glossary. I also liked that he used not only famous yoga instructors, but a few lesser known but equally valuable teachers. McCall studies with Patricia Walden and there is a bit of a slant towards Iyengar style yoga, but other styles that have a therapuetic bent such as Viniyoga and Anusara are featured here too.
  
  I heartily recommend this book not only to yoga instructors but to any practitioner, new or old! There is not another book like it and I'd rate it 10 stars if I could!
  
  

• I'd like to stop the world and finish reading this book.

  
  By A29Y178H4PUKS0 on 2007-08-02
  I've found an incredible tool here--one that gives hope to a middle-aged, out of shape person that there are real alternatives to western medicine. The scope is encyclopedic but not daunting. The individuals who demonstrate the exercises and poses did not step off a fashion runway; there are real people of all sizes. And unlike the recent article about yoga in Vanity Fair, McCall clearly recognizes that African-Americans practice yoga too. Perhaps if more people read Dr. McCall's book, the failing health system Michael Moore documents in his most recent film would at least be failing a smaller number of people. Thank you, Dr. McCall, for what will be an invaluable resource.
  
  

• Valuable reference

  
  By A3G5QHXT7OVQDB on 2007-09-23
  As a yoga instructor, I am always looking for new reference material to help me become a better teacher. This book is indispensible. It focuses on many of the problem areas that students in my classes have approached me about. It is clearly written, and easy to understand. The photographs and drawings are helpful, and the anatomical and physiological information is thoroughly presented.
  
  

• Your prescription for wellness

  
  By A2KP55D060ETIN on 2007-08-11
  Combining his knowledge of Western medicine with that of ancient yoga, Dr. McCall confirms what we as yoga teachers have always felt was true: That yoga is as equally important to our health care and maintenance as going to the doctor for regular checkups and medical intervention when required. Its thoroughness and ease of understanding makes this book a necessity for anyone in physical distress ... and for yoga teachers who want to help them. I highly recommend Dr. McCall's book. Reviewed by Sam Dworkis, author of ExTension Yoga (Simon & Shuster), Recovery Yoga (Random House), and The Mechanics of Yoga, accessible free online at [...].
  
  

• Awesome!

  
  By A1OXFW8EJ0YP3L on 2007-10-10
  "Yoga As Medicine" is worth every penny I spent! As Yoga beginner I was a little hesitant to jump in, but no worries here.
  One of the most important clues that made me buy this book was the forward by Dr. Oz.
  I found the book easy to understand and not too technical.
  If you are "into yoga" then this book will further you knowledge and help with you health.
  Namaste
  
  
  
• Exceptional book for integrating yoga into general health and wellness
  By AK7CAW3N1XZV6 on 2008-03-27
  Dr. Timothy McCall is a Western-trained physician and medical editor of Yoga Journal. In this book, he has put together an excellent book detailing the use of yoga as part of a holistic approach towards health and wellness. While his enthusiasm about the positive benefits which can be derived from yoga is strongly persuasive, and given his medical training, he makes a real effort to lay a scientific foundation for the efficacy of yoga.
  
  The heart of Yoga as Medicine lies in Part 3, "Yoga Therapy in Action." In this section, Dr. McCall addresses twenty specific health conditions and concerns, ranging from Anxiety and Panic Attacks to Overweight and Obesity. For each chapter, Dr. McCall has chosen a yoga expert to present a potential approach to that condition. Many of the teachers he has selected are well-known names, including Judith Hanson Lasatar for Back Pain, Gary Kraftsow for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Rodney Yee for Headaches. In addition to the featured instructor, every chapter also includes "Other Yogic Ideas," which range from insights by other yoga instructors to supplementary yoga tools, and "A Holistic Approach," a boxed and bulleted segment which talks about combining yoga practice with various other factors in managing the conditions.
  
  Overall, this is an exceptional, extremely well-done book which provides a compelling argument for integrating yoga into a holistic approach towards health and wellness; highly recommended!
  
  
• The Best Yoga Book Out There
  By A24OKGMTL493QI on 2007-09-15
  I thought this was going to be another yoga book with the same information that's already out there. This book is simply the best yoga book I have ever read. Dr. McCall explains the "why" of yoga and "how" it heals the body and mind in easy to understand scientific and clinical terms. A must have for anyone interested in yoga and healing.
  
  
• Amazing book, a real necessity for a yoga teacher if they want to do a good job.
  By AI1H1BZWGRQ5G on 2007-10-11
  I am so glad that Dr Mcall took his dedication to yoga and how it can help so many people. As a Sr. Yoga teacher, who does yoga therapy, this will be an invaluable tool for me to use and quote. It is so wonderful to have a resource written so well by an MD. It is written with such inspiration, I am so glad I bought it and every yoga teacher should have it on their studio.
  
  
• I recommend this book.
  By AZ5VVKN8QH5LJ on 2007-11-03
  I really like the book. I starts with types of yoga and the importance of good quality teachers. Great orientation for beginners. I provides scientific proves of yogic healing. It focuses on medical issues like depression or insomnia than postural, physical issues (shoulder injury, etc.). This book is a contribution of many well-known teachers which makes it more interesting. I recommend it.
  
  
• Great for teachers and health practitioners
  By A364LSZDFTNDT1 on 2007-12-29
  I'd been looking forward to getting this book and was glad I did. As a student of several different types of yoga and a prospective teacher, I found the contents to be very helpful to various types of physical ailments that one hears about, but needs more in depth information on how to assist a student with.
  The writing is clear and concise. The chapter outlines are very well organized and the index is easy to use in a hurry. Each chapter has a different physical challenge, from Migranes to HIV and they are noted with experiences from well trained teachers. The chapters give precise information on what is occuring in the body with these different maladies and the yoga postures suggested come with photographs and clear instructions for any adjustments for the student.
  I find this to be a treasure of a reference book and no doubt will refer to it many times in my teaching career.
  
  
• A no nonsense approach to yoga
  By A394H1KJI3Q080 on 2008-06-03
  For someone like me that isn't into all the esoteric jargon involved in yoga, this book was perfect for me. Written by a western MD, it has practical, everyday suggestions for incorporating yoga into your daily routine. Highly recommend!
  
  
• A complete yoga medical text in almost 600 pages
  By A55LS2HWPQB0Q on 2008-06-23
  This book is really the complete text on how to use yoga for almost any major ailment. The author, MD Dr. McCall (also the medical editor for Yoga Journal), writes from a scientific perspective. He quotes and footnotes his volume extensively, and merges science with ancient wisdom in 568 pages.
  
  The book opens with an overview of what yoga is and is not, discusses briefly the various forms you can follow (ashtanga, iyengar, etc), and moves quickly into the physical and mental ailments yoga has been observed to help.
  
  Yoga models of various body types illustrate the most helpful poses for anxiety, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, IBS, MS, HIV, headaches, stress, depression, menopause, back aches, cancer, insomnia, infertility, high blood pressure, chronic fatigue, carpal tunnel, fibromyalgia, arthritis and asthma.
  
  Contraindications for each condition are provided, along with research notes, holistic approaches to treatment and tons of yoga exercise options (with black and white photos).
  
  Quotes and passages from such well-known yoga instructors as Rodney Yee and Patricia Walden are incorporated into each section as well.
  
  An important chapter in the back cautions practicing yogis to avoid new injuries through incorrect postural alignment and overeager stretching.
  
  I appreciated reading the author's summary at the end about how our society could benefit from incorporating yoga therapy into mainstream medicine. I agree we should be teaching yoga in schools, to the aged in nursing homes, to the chronically ill, and in community centers everywhere. He suggests doctors and nurses themselves should practice yoga, both to lessen the stress in their professions, and also to be able to see first-hand the health benefits of yoga as both preventative and restorative medicine.
  
  Overall, this isn't a sit-down-and-read book, although flipping through it is enjoyable. It's a fantastic reference source to keep in your yoga or medical library. Anyone can benefit from this information - we all get headaches, back aches, stress and anxiety. We all all know people with asthma or incipient heart disease who might be helped by sharing this information.
  
  Highly recommended!
  
  
• Elizabeth Essenfeld
  By A31PDNDHX0SPOF on 2008-03-12
  Elizabeth Essenfeld says: This book is very informative. Offers many alternatives to tradional medicines for all sorts of illnesses and ailments.
  
  
• Great Gift
  By A3BJ827TD73YJP on 2008-05-29
  It was a nice book and was a well received gift. I read the other reviews and they were really detailed and helpful when purchasing this.
  
  
• A great addition to any practice
  By A37BVH6YD86RV4 on 2008-03-10
  I have really enjoyed this book. It provides a very thoughtful view at using yoga as a part of a long term health program. I think most of us who practice view yoga in this way, but the book helped me see that I need to consciously think about how yoga fits in and what specific components in my practice are helping me reach my goals. It also helped me to see that my "good for me" yoga may sometimes get in the way of my goals.
  
  The book is accessible to a large range of people, though I think it would be best for someone who has established a practice already as they will have an experience basis that will allow an appreciation of the items discussed (could be wrong, but I think I get it a lot better now than I would have before beginnig practice). But I don't think you need to be in teacher training or anything like that to benefit from it (I am not any where near that in my practice).
  
  
• Excellent Yoga reference book
  By A1RUGRIJEQHT1D on 2008-04-07
  This is a good all around Yoga book with descriptions on various types of Yoga and how it relates to the use in helping with various illnesses. Even if you don't have a particular illness described in the book, the book offers benefits of Yoga and ideas to use that will help in keeping with a healthy life style. I use it as a reference guide and I came away with new ideas on how to incorporate Yoga and meditation in my life.
  
  
• Very good information
  By A2JOVHUZO1KDFE on 2008-04-21
  This book is perfect for Yoga teachers. It has helped me to give information to one of my students with high blood preasure. Another with knee problems. This book will give you lots of information from the medical point of view without losing the yoga. I always suggest my students to consult with their doctors since I'm not one, but also give them the additional information I find in this book for them to share it with their doctor. I'm learning a lot more about the human body through the practice of Yoga and this book is complementing every step of the way.
  
  
• great book!!!
  By AGRM5HS5XRQVF on 2008-06-13
  this book is wonderful! an essential for any yogi. it has wonderful detailed information and good quality pictures. deals with how to do yoga when you have a headache to what helps with cancer patients. i love how this book adds a medical side to yoga. my mother is a nurse and not a fan of yoga, so having a book like this helps validate how wonderful and useful yoga is! anyone can benefit from adding yoga to their lives!!!
  
  
• very useful, with simple sequences for all people
  By A1HUJFHBW1X0YE on 2008-01-14
  This book is very useful, the sequences of postures are very simple and for all kinds of people, and that is fundamental, because not all the sick people are experts in yoga postures. I bought "Light on Yoga" too, and is an excellent complement, because at the end of the book it has many advanced sequences for deseases that not everyone can do.
  
  
• A real gem
  By A2UK7TKGKRHGJZ on 2008-03-10
  I love reading this book. It is a treasure trove of information about the how to use yoga to heal and bring about balance. I particularly liked the input from many different teachers on how they have used or personally experienced yoga with various ailments or situations. A valuable addition for all teachers to have as a resource book
  
  
• Finally a Book by a MD
  By A3O81LGK0ZT25V on 2008-09-13
  It's ingrained in most people to trust medical doctors. This book, written by one, is not just praise for yoga. It's a summary of multiple medical studies and trails that showed how successful yoga can be in treating various health problems. A must read for anyone interested in yoga and especially those who, for whatever reason, are not interested!
  
  
• Wicked
  By A2GGITLT575WE4 on 2008-09-23
  I thought this book was wicked cool and is a great read, I bought the bolster and do the restorative poses taught here and he is a pretty smart guy. Reading this will help people to avoid yoga injuries too.
  
  
• Not a Book to be Missed
  By A40E0OH0ENKH0 on 2008-09-26
  I liked this book a lot. Anyone who likes Yoga should enjoy this book. I will be giving this book to friends who I think can benefit from Yoga. I am also giving a copy to my M.D. son. I think every doctor should read it.
  
  
• Great info
  By A3NGPKE77QZI1C on 2008-02-26
  I enjoyed this book and found that it had a lot of good modifictions for health restrictions and had some great info.
  
  
• Bridges the gap between Yoga and traditional medicine!
  By A1YWMTPWXAPQNZ on 2008-11-14
  As a yoga instructor who works with "special needs" populations (limited mobility, chronic illness/pain, post-surgical rehabilitation, etc.), as well as a nursing (RN) student, I am so happy to see this book available. It helps illuminate the medical/therapeutic benefits of yoga practices, while also detailing important contraindications/considersations and/or adaptations for specific conditions. Many in the traditional medical community remain resistant to recommending yoga and related holistic practices for their patients. Hopefully, this book will be a step forward in the education process that it doesn't (and shouldn't) be an "either/or"; rather, each has an important role in addressing patients' holistic wellness -- and here's the medical documentation to support yoga's many health benefits.
  
  

• Yoga Anatomy
• Light on Yoga: The Bible of Modern Yoga...
• A Year of Living Your Yoga: Daily Practices to Shape Your Life
• Yoga Posture Adjustments and Assisting: An Insightful Guide for Yoga Teachers and Students
• The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice