The Woman's Book of Yoga and Health: A Lifelong Guide to Wellness

I’m not a yoga teacher I just like practicing at home and supplementing it with studio classes once in a while.The first time I ever did yoga was almost 20 years ago with a DVD with Patricia Walden. I was able to start on my own thanks to her style which combines easy to follow instructions, with a bit of e philosophical aspect behind each pose (for instance what poses are good for what ailments)I was looking for a book that had yoga sequences and was also looking for additional information on yoga during menstruation, from a physical and a philosophical perspectiveI love the book’s approach of having sequences for different moments in our lives and different ailments. This isn’t novel to yoga books, but what sets this book apart is the focus on women and their bodies.It has a lovely read on their take on menstruation and I find the related sequence to be relaxing.Also, I was having trouble sleeping and followed the insomnia sequence, and it helped a lot.

This is a useful book for women who love yoga. For a long time I searched for a book that had sequences I could do at home. A lot of yoga books show poses, and then just one or two sequences. Other books have sequences that seem too difficult for a home yogi to practice alone. This book has many sequences - complete with pictures and instructions. I use it to teach classes and I use it for myself. You may find it daunting to need a "bolster". This object can actually be purchased on-line at a yoga goods store, maybe even on Amazon.com. I suggest the next time you go to your favorite yoga studio you measure their bolsters so that you buy the same size you usually use. The other prop used in this book is a "strap." This is the most inexpensive yoga prop to get, I got mine at Amazon.com BUT it's also the easiest thing to substitute, any scarf or piece of fabric will do. Once you have those two things you can do just about anything in this book. If you're at home you won't even need a mat.In addition to sequences you can practice there is interesting text on health, nutrition, the benefits of yoga in general and specific. I wish this had been assigned for teacher training in lieu of the silly books I was required to read!

This book is one of the wonderful resources I have found to aide me along as a beginner and as I move long to more advanced poses. The pictures are simple but beautifully done and the instructions are very well written and easy to follow. One of the things I enjoy best about this book is that it also explains the effects the poses & postures will have on your body. It adds cautions when needed and advice for beginners like me yet doesn't talk down to me. It is arranged very practically in its chapters starting from learning the basics all the way through to continuing my practice into my "wisdom years". I strongly recommend this great resource for all women who want to remain healthy, strong and flexible no matter where you are in your life journey.

I rated this book 3 stars overall:There were parts I really honestly hated, and think should be removed from the book altogether, and parts I thought were excellent. I will update after I've done the sequences.Rating for content is a little hard. A lot of the book is wasted, in my opinion, by stories. Stories that are not even necessarily real, since the authors themselves say they have mixed stories together in some places. But I can live with that if it is true that MOST women appreciate stories.I love the pictures, that they include all the postures & modifications, and that they show a variety of women.My big problem with this book is because the author puts politics in the book, big time. Now I expect that most yogis are probably quite left-leaning, but IMO it is a bit out of place in a book about yoga. Some of the statements she makes to apply certain political beliefs (new age feminism & anti fat shaming) to yoga go against facts & science.As a woman who came from this background, I completely understand new age feminism, etc. I understand not wanting to hurt people, but a lot of the politics goes a lot farther than that. "Fat shaming" & "believing men are better than women/superior to them" is obviously wrong, but most people are not arguing with those statements. They are arguing against statements & implications that, for example, it would be healthier for an obese individual to STOP trying to lose weight & just love themselves, such as the author says in Chapter 4, which goes against medical science, and I honestly do not believe it works for most women.Arguing against saying that women just cannot their actions at certain times, it is just "PMS."You absolutely CAN control your actions, you just do not feel like it.The author also makes it seem like she believes that women have more stressful lives, throughout time than men. Maybe that is true, but how one can make an assumption like that without actually knowing is a bit naive, to be honest. Presumably, in adulthood, if women TRULY do work full time, do all the care for the children & housekeeping of the 2 (her & her partner), then yes. But I'm willing to bet that it is not that uneven for the majority of women, I think most men take on more of the burden in general. Now obviously, you've got some absent dads more prevalently now, but I am assuming exclusively couples here.The author also says that the entire practice of yoga needed to be feminized, & that men NEEDED this... Um, why can they not do their yoga the way they want, and we can do ours the way we want? I personally do not believe yoga has rules like that, & we certainly do not need to force "feminization" upon others.The entire new age feminist movement forces women into masculine roles, which, like it says in this book, people just say we are finding our "power." Power is inherently masculine, we can have it if we want to, and at certain times balance is healthy, but I do not think we need to put our entire lives into masculinity - as in working a desk job versus being a housewife & mother, which is somehow seen as being oppressed, when in reality I'd say ~ 90% or so of women WOULD BE FAR HAPPIER in this role, & far freer, working for someone they love (husband, children) rather than working for a stranger. A lot of feminists say, oh that's totally okay you have a choice to do that. Societally, we do not really have a choice. We are ostracized for not working. We are told we need to get back to work by almost everyone we know. It is considered "sad" nowadays if a woman chooses to be a housewife. There is inherent judgment whenever you mention such a thing. Yes, we have a choice to do so, but people will look down on us for doing so. Oftentimes, those same people who say it is our choice are also looking down on us.Chapter 4 is supposed to be dedicated to body image in general, but this chapter is specifically for women with eating disorders, which the author says herself is maybe 2% of women. Yet she says many women have body image issues, but she does not really go in depth with self-love for the majority of women, or sequences for this, so I suppose you will have to go elsewhere for that. I have yet to find a good meditation or anything for that.Also, another problem I had with this book, is in the "How to Use this Book Section" where she continually says to buy the real thing (props). If you cannot afford these items, you can do for the most part, without.A bench can serve as an open-backed chair, a men's belt can also be used as a strap, any flat blanket (not knitted) will do, and you can typically use a pillow in place of a bolster.If you cannot afford a non-toxic yoga mat (most are made out of PVC aka VINYL, one of the most toxic things you can have), you CAN do without. There may be some slipping in poses like downward dog, but you can stick to other poses. I do NOT believe that downward dog is essential, it is better to do some yoga, than none at all. Polyester carpeting is arguably less toxic than vinyl, although still not completely conducive to those down dogs.I do agree that if you have the money, it is worth it for certain items, a non-toxic mat, block, & strap, but for any other pose I have tried my bed pillow & a flat blanket do just fine. I do understand if having a nice yoga-specific blanket or bolster motivates you, but for me personally I have dust allergies so it's just more stuff to wash, & more money to spend when I already have the motivation & can just use our bed blanket & pillow.Also, not mentioned is that you can use a cork block instead of a toxic styrofoam block, or natural rubber or cork mat. They do mention a wood block, which I also like because mine was super cheap, but she does not mention how hard & unforgiving the wood blocks can be. I ONLY use mine for stretching my back over it or resting my hands upon it, I cannot use it to rest my head. For comfort & material, cork is the way to go.I personally, spent quite a bit of money on a "lifetime" mat, which is certified safe for human contact, I will not have to repurchase in my lifetime, so although it was pricey, I will save money by not having to buy a new one every year.I liked that she essentially says comfy clothing because it really does not matter. I am completely comfortable in my cotton yoga clothes, I do not need to spend ~ 80$ for one piece of yoga clothing. I get most of mine thrifted, but I do have a few new ones.Although this book is made for women of all ages & stages of life, the author assumes that everyone will have access to a room where no one will interrupt you & that you will have enough space to completely stretch out. While one would hope we all would, does not necessarily mean it to be so. A teenager who shares a room or college student in a small dorm may not have all the space, but can still do some yoga.Although I do not believe back pain & headaches are women-specific issues, I do appreciate those chapters because we can all certainly do with some pain relief. I also appreciate the chapter on digestion.The author relies on ayurveda far too much. She says it like it is fact, when in reality most of it is not based in science. I do think Ayurvedic stuff can be fun, but as serious medical advice, Idk if that is always the best thing. Like, is it really science based for her to say emotions clog your arteries? A lot of stuff, like yoga and meditation, the benefits of which have been proven.For pain relief, I think any remedy that works and does not poison your body with toxins over time is excellent, so if Ayurveda helps you out, that's great.UPDATE 5/18/2017 - changing my review to 4 stars, trying to ignore the politicsThe Sequence for Healthy Menstruation is quite helpful, the book is worth it for that alone. I normally have no symptoms related to my period, as I eat primarily WFPB according to Dr. Michael Greger, but when I do have pain / unreasonable sadness, this is great.In case you guys have NOT seen Dr. Michael Greger's videos, during your period, these can help:-take 1/8th tsp GINGER (powdered) 3x a day for cramps, PMS, cutting bleeding potentially in half, which is good for anemia (& ginger can help with other things too). I put this in warm hibiscus tea, but you can put it in another drink or oatmeal/smoothie, etc.-FENNEL seeds can also help with cramps, anxiety & depression: just sprinkle them on your food. There is one symptom though, because cramps hold back some blood flow, bleeding may increase by 10%. These have been shown to work as well as Midol type drugs without the worse side effects.I take the ginger tea &/ fennel seeds and then do the sequence, it's usually kicked in by the time I'm done.-Saffron can also help with PMS, but it is expensive.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I got this book for the sequences, & in particular, the pregnancy sequences <3. I also plan on getting Iyengar's Yoga for Motherhood. I will update once I have read both that book & the chapter for yoga during pregnancy. If & when the time comes, I will update for the aging chapters.

Yoga always seemed boring and too slow for me, but I checked this book out of the library when my endometriosis pain got so debilitating that I was willing to try anything. I ended up renewing the book so many times I finally decided to buy it on Amazon. What I love about this book is that it is informative of many ways to address common women's health issues from headaches to endometriosis - not just pushing yoga as the sole solution. From trigger foods to exercise recommendations to medical explanations of the role the liver and kidneys play in regulating hormones, this book is an excellent resource for anyone wishing to address health issues or just to become stronger and more flexible. After trying a few of the yoga sequences for 6 weeks, even my surfing and golf have improved! I love this book.