Not quite what I was expecting I guess. I've already read tons about mindfulness and yoga and how it helps with anxiety and depression. I guess I was hoping for some sample pose sequences to practice during my daily yoga sessions. Something less theoretical and more practical. ( )

From Publishers Weekly:

Long-time yoga teacher and writer Weintraub offers readers yoga as an alternative to antidepressants, which, she explains, treat the symptoms of the problem but not the whole person. By contrast, "a daily practice of yoga will bring your physical body and your emotional body into balance, restoring a sense of well-being and energy." Weaving in her own triumphant story and those of her students, Weintraub seems to beg readers to give yoga a chance to relieve their suffering. She constructs a convincing, if at times plodding, case by reviewing the medical evidence, such as the practice's impact on stress levels and the healing principles of yoga, which include developing both your energy and your self-awareness. Weintraub also discusses the roles of breathing and meditation, and, most interestingly, explains how holding certain poses can help release trauma that may be "stored" in the body. Although descriptions and pictures of specific stretches, poses and breathing exercises are scattered throughout, Weintraub encourages readers to use the book as a guide and to find a class taught by a qualified yoga instructor. Perhaps some readers will be motivated to do so because of the author's enthusiasm and well-researched material. But the New Age language-"Ishvara-pranidhana can mean that separations between you and your partner may begin to dissolve so that you experience the wholeness of sacred union with the divine through your partner"-might discourage others. - Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Depression has become a worldwide epidemic; in the U.S. alone more than 17 million Americans are diagnosed with clinical depression each year. Weintraub makes a viable case for incorporating yoga in the treatment of depression. A writer and yoga teacher, she suffered from debilitating chronic depression and spent many years on antidepressant medications. Through yoga, Weintraub was able to gradually go off medication, and she has been free of a recurrence of depression for more than 15 years. Through her own story and the stories of others, she defines and describes various types of depression, anxiety, and other emotional disorders, and offers yoga techniques for their treatment. Beyond anecdotal evidence, Weintraub presents summaries of several scientific studies that show that various yoga techniques have measurable effects on relieving depression for people all over the world. - Jane Tuma
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

e more I reflect the more I genuinely believe that there is a very fine line between depression/fibromyalgia/ME. I can already feel that this book is going to make a big impact on both my yoga practice and my day-to-day thought patterns. It is not one of those flaky yoga books that tells you to heal yourself and flush your meds down the loo, but instead works on balance - the balance of meds/therapy/yoga/meditation. Learning to stop being your depression or your fibro or your ME and to just be. And to come to a place where a daily yoga practice maintains your physical and mental health. ( )

Amy Weintraub, a Kripalu trained yoga instructor, has done a wonderful job with this book. She herself struggles with depression, so she was able to incorporate into the book her first hand experiences, the experiences of her students, yoga philosophy, and western medicine. Each chapter focuses on a particular aspect of yoga and it's application to a wide variety of depression and anxiety disorders. While it tends to be somewhat repetitive, the text has some very valuable ideas to offer. Each chapter ends with a "Yoga Experience," an exercise usually applying asanas (postures) or pranayama (breath-work). A general overview of some of the different yoga styles and their potential benefits for a person suffering from depression is included, as well as a very nice section of resources.

Experiments in Reading ( )