This book is an exploration of the neglected area of yoga and hypermobility. Hypermobile people are generally over-represented in yoga classes, yet often go unrecognised and receive little guidance about how to practise in hypermobility-friendly ways. Many yoga teachers have received little or no training about how to work with this vulnerable population. The book considers what hypermobility is and offers teachers general guidelines as well as specific practical techniques for including hypermobile students safely and effectively in classes. For hypermobile students themselves there are lots of suggestions for making a yoga practice helpful and beneficial. Also including information about co-existing conditions, the intersection of hypermobility with neurodiversity, and much more, Hypermobility on the Yoga Mat is the go-to resource for both hypermobile yoga practitioners and yoga teachers encountering hypermobile students.

How do we generate enlivening relationships with our students? Create welcoming and inclusive spaces? Navigate common ethical issues? Remain inspired as we encounter the routine challenges of teaching yoga day-to-day? Full of practical information for new teachers, this book is also much more than a beginner's guide, considering questions that continue to arise through the course of a teaching life. With reflective and experiential exercises throughout, the book is designed to create different lenses through which teachers of all stripes and vintages can view difficult situations and amplify their understanding of what it means to hold rich and meaningful classes. The intention is to invite self-reflection and offer possibilities, without being prescriptive. Emphasising the need for yoga teachers to know about more than alignment and sequencing, The Yoga Teacher Mentor accompanies the reader through the rich, complex and rewarding process of teaching yoga.

This handbook guides yoga teachers and trainees in how to approach teaching students with common injuries and health conditions safely, confidently, and in a manner that empowers students. Dr Andrew McGonigle combines his medical background with extensive knowledge of yoga to address common injuries in detail with an in-depth review of anatomy. The book describes the psychology of pain and injury with reference to the latest research on pain and biomechanics. It also provides advice and tips on how to modify yoga techniques to suit the needs of students with injuries. Detailed illustrations throughout the book provide a visual guide to support understanding. This book is part of the series 'Yoga Teaching Guides', which provides expert information on essential topics as well as ideas for creative teaching.

Menstrual cycle awareness is crucially important when trying to understand the needs of your yoga students and this guide will give you the knowledge you need to confidently address the menstrual cycle when teaching students in group and one-on-one settings via the principles of both western and Ayurvedic approaches. This book addresses the importance of the menstrual cycle and how Ayurvedic principles can best be applied to understand the anatomical, physiological and hormonal changes that take place during different stages and weeks throughout the menstrual cycle. Anja Brierley Lange highlights the purpose and importance of each phase of the menstrual cycle and how yoga teaching can and should be tailored accordingly to your students' menstrual needs.

Symptomatic: The Symptom-Based Handbook for Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders offers a novel approach structured around the panoply of 75 symptoms with which a person with Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) may present to a clinician. The content is arranged intuitively from head to feet, with each chapter integrating clinical case studies with a concise discussion and two important diagnostic tools: a simplified algorithm for diagnosing and treating each symptom and differential diagnoses and alternative explanations for their symptoms. This is a handbook that combines the expertise of some 70 leading clinicians, representing more than 30 specialties. This book is suited for clinicians who need a concise and straight-forward presentation of the various and complex symptoms they confront in their clinical practice. It brings forth a field of knowledge emerging from interdisciplinary collaboration despite the pressures of specialization that bridges gaps in understanding between the several dozen disciplines implicated in EDS and HSD. • A comprehensive compendium of the symptoms of EDS and HSD to aid clinicians and patients• Symptom-based chapters for ease of making a diagnosis• A case report, differential diagnosis, discussion, and diagnostic and treatment algorithm for each symptom

While many people practice yoga simply because it helps them feel good, the physiological basis for yoga’s effects on the body and mind is often unknown or misunderstood. Understanding these physiological concepts can help to deepen your yoga practice. The Physiology of Yoga separates speculation from fact by examining how the body responds and adapts to yoga within many systems of the body: musculoskeletal, nervous, respiratory, cardiovascular, lymphatic, immune, endocrine, reproductive, and digestive. Straightforward explanations guide you in sorting through conflicting information about what yoga really can help you achieve and in evaluating whether certain yoga methods provide benefits to any or all of those systems. You can experiment with concepts through Try It Yourself sidebars, which focus on mindful movement, meditation, and breathing. The 14 Myth or Fact sidebars explore popular claims about yoga, such as whether a shoulder stand can stimulate the thyroid or if twists can detoxify the liver. You’ll get the most current research to determine the validity of various claims so you can avoid practices that could be harmful or counterproductive and can decide for yourself what works for your practice. Finally, experience firsthand how yoga affects your physiology by exploring specific yoga poses and four sequences. Each sequence explains which of the physiological principles from the earlier chapters may be most prevalent in that sequence. With The Physiology of Yoga, you or your students can navigate all the conflicting views and opinions about the impact of yoga and learn to practice yoga while fully enjoying the benefits of mindful movement.

"This book is an exploration of the neglected area of yoga and hypermobility. Hypermobile people are generally over-represented in yoga classes, yet often go unrecognised and receive little guidance about how to practise in hypermobility-friendly ways. Many yoga teachers have received little or no training about how to work with this vulnerable population. The book considers what hypermobility is and offers teachers general guidelines as well as specific practical techniques for including hypermobile students safely and effectively in classes. For hypermobile students themselves there are lots of suggestions for making a yoga practice helpful and beneficial. Also including information about co-existing conditions, the intersection of hypermobility with neurodiversity, and much more, Hypermobility on the Yoga Mat is the go-to resource for both hypermobile yoga practitioners and yoga teachers encountering hypermobile students"--

**A GUARDIAN, OBSERVER AND FINANCIAL TIMES 'BOOKS OF 2021' PICK** **A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2021** From the bestselling, award-winning author of Fun Home comes this Christmas's must-gift graphic novel. All her life, Alison Bechdel has searched for an elusive secret... The secret to superhuman strength. She has looked for it in her favourite books, the lives of her heroes, celibacy, polyamory, activism, therapy, and most obsessively, in her lifelong passion for exercise. Skiing, running, karate, cycling, yoga, weightlifting - you name it, she's tried it. "Oh, to be self-sufficient! Hard as a rock! An island!" But as she gets older, her body isn't getting any stronger. And in a changing, sometimes overwhelming world, are "cantaloupe-sized guns" all a person needs? Maybe the all-important secret is not where she expected to find it . . . 'The Secret to Superhuman Strength practically glows with a beguiling mixture of intellect, warmth and humour' Daily Telegraph In this, her third graphic memoir, Alison Bechdel has written a deeply layered, personal story about selfhood, self-sabotage, mortality, addiction, bliss, wonder, and the concerns of a generation. This is an extraordinary, laugh-out-loud chronicle of the conundrums we all grapple with as we seek our true place in the world. Truly, a must-gift book this Christmas.

Are you overly flexible or double-jointed? Perhaps you are the clumsy and tired person in your group of friends, often nursing an injury of some sort. If you are nodding in agreement with raised eyebrows and a knowing smirk on your face, then there is a chance you are hypermobile. Hypermobility affects a whopping 10 to 25 percent of the population (meaning it’s more common than being left-handed, standing over six feet tall, or having a third nipple), and it can cause symptoms ranging from minor discomfort to debilitating pain. Hypermobile people’s bendiness and tendency toward anxiety often lead them to yoga, where they find that they are at last praised for their physical ability and given tools to manage their hypersensitivity. However, the way yoga is taught frequently leaves this population susceptible to severe injuries, and they end up being told by medical professionals to avoid yoga. In this epic new book, fitness experts Adell Bridges and Celest Pereira redefine how to manage hypermobility, providing a practical roadmap that will enable you to harness your bendiness and feel fantastic. They reinforce the importance of stability, correct posture, and a healthy lifestyle, showing how, if managed properly, hypermobility is not debilitating but a superpower that you can use to live an extraordinary life. Too Flexible to Feel Good teaches you how to adapt your everyday habits such as your biomechanics and your diet to support and nourish your flexible body. This book also features: • Practical tips on how to hold your body for optimal results during training • Tools to help build awareness of your joint position in everyday life • Strategies for busting anxiety • Exercises that can improve your biomechanics • Diet and sleep considerations Too Flexible to Feel Good is also an invaluable resource for yoga teachers, fitness instructors, and medical professionals, helping them develop a deeper understanding of how best to help this population.

'This book is such a comprehensive guide to support women at a time when they need it most, written in a compassionate and approachable way.' – Clare Bourne, Pelvic Health Physiotherapist and author of Strong Foundations 'Your Postpartum Body warmly educates us on how we can best work with our body to strengthen and support it, both for postpartum, and importantly, for the rest of our lives.' – Anna Mathur, Psychotherapist and author of Raising a Happier Mother Your Postpartum Body is a comprehensive, one-of-a-kind, evidence-based handbook to support post-birth healing and recovery. What should you expect when you’re done expecting? Too many of us think that there’s no way to fix everyday concerns after a pregnancy, such as pelvic floor issues, exhaustion and burnout, and getting back into a fitness routine. But this is simply not true. In this revolutionary resource, you’ll learn what happens to the body during pregnancy and childbirth, common changes in function and feeling, and solutions for healing, written with expertise from a pelvic floor physical therapist who wants you to know that you can feel like yourself again — physically and mentally. Your Postpartum Body is a complete reference guide for every eventuality, from making sure you're getting enough fluid, to troubleshooting breastfeeding to pelvic floor recovery, with helpful illustrations and photos throughout. While your body is undoubtedly different (after all, you just grew a new human!), you do not have to live with pain, incontinence, weakness or nursing/feeding stress. You now hold all the tools and techniques you need to heal and nourish your body and mind.