From a fitness instructor to a top international fashion model and a danseuse -- a range of people have penned books to make yoga relevant to modern lifestyles and help to cope with everything from trauma to weight loss.
Photograph courtesy:Allesandra Ambrosio on Instagram
Bollywood's celebrated Yoga guru Payal Gidwani Tiwari who is credited for the sculpted looks of various celebrities such as Kareena Kapoor, Malaika Arora Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sri Devi, and Saif Ali Khan among others has written Body Goddesses: The Ultimate Yoga Guide for women.
Payal's essential mantras guarantee not just weight loss but also promise a healthier lifestyle. Designed for all age groups, the book by Penguin Random House comes enriched with easy to follow exercise regimes and tips.
"It's ironic that Yoga was taken from India to the West, where it was adapted brilliantly by everyone, from Madonna to Beyonce, and only accepted by us when it gradually made the full circle, even though it has been our legacy for ages," says Payal.
Payal's book is set to be released on June 21 designated as the International Day for Yoga.
Earlier this month, a yoga manual in braille titled Yogikasparsh written by Nivedita Joshi was released.
Bharatnatyam dancer Yamini Muthanna in her book The Power of Yoga published by OM Books suggests a practice to prepare people to be alert and aware of the ever changing circumstances of life. Yoga, she says can help negotiate the many ups and downs of everyday living, big and small.
Yoga stimulates glands, facilities cell replacement, improves blood circulation, increases flexibility, detoxifies the system, stalls ageing, keeps one energetic, calms the mind and strengthens the body and helps to connect with the deeper self -- all without making one sweat!
Yoga asanas, says Yamini can be sequenced to suit each person, an exclusive vinyasa (flow) specifically to cater his or her day's schedule.
For instance, if an individual needs to make a presentation at a conference -- a couple of asanas could be sequenced to help calm the nerves and concentrate better.
These 'asanas' or pranayams are directed to activate certain nerve points governed by energy centers within the body called 'chakras'. These chakras are aligned along the length of the spine and networked to various auxiliary 'chakras' which controls the body's reflexes and improve functions.
Yamini's book aims to guide a sequence of asanas to cope better with daily lives characterised by various situations.
It comprises of an instructional manual and a pack of flash-cards containing photographs of asanas and illustrations indicating the chakra positioning and direction of energy fields.
International top model Colleen Saidman Yee in Yoga for Life: A Journey to Peace and Freedom talks about how yoga taught her to deal with her drug habit, epilepsy as well as fear and post traumatic stress.
55-year-old Colleen, who runs a yoga studio in New York says in her book brought out by Simon & Schuster India shares personal anecdotes along with her insights and practical instructions for applying yoga to everyday issues and anxieties.
Specific yoga sequences accompany each chapter and address everything from hormonal mood swings to detoxing, depression, stress, and increased confidence and energy.
Step-by-step instructions and photographs demonstrate her signature flow of poses. Colleen has a string of celebrities like Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, Serena Williams, Bon Jovi, Donna Karan as her students.
"Women in my classes cope with addiction, body and relationship issues, mother issues, competitiveness and an inability to tell the truth. All these create stagnation and tension in the body. Yoga gives us the tools to overcome the obstacles that exist between us and freedom, joy and gratitude," says Coleen .
The book has been divided into Yoga sequences that show the way to observe and let go of habits, forgiveness towards ourselves, strength and confidence to stand on your own feet, turning yourself upside down by learning a new perspective, subtle practices for difficult times, facing fears, and practicing truthfulness among others.
