Argues that exercise can help with the body-mind integration, discusses imagery, breathing, relaxation and meridians, and demonstrates useful exercises

The unique concepts and exercises in this book are easy to grasp with a wealth of photographs and illustrations. The psychological aspects of the meridians and exercises are explained in detail along with the physical effects. Further, the way to identify and correct imbalances is discussed in simple language and is illuminated with easy shiatsu techniques.

A Zen-inspired “physical education” program for martial arts practitioners and anyone interested in mind-body transformation Using simple, clear language to demystify the Zen mindset, Ralston draws on more than three decades of experience teaching students and apprentices worldwide who have applied his body-being approach. More of a transformative guide than a specific list of exercises devoted to any particular physical approach, Zen Body-Being explains how to create a state of mental control, enhanced feeling-awareness, correct structural alignment, increased spatial acuity, and even a greater interactive presence. Exercises are simple, often involving feeling-imagery and meditative awareness, which have a profound and sometimes instant effect. Areas of exploration include: • Beginner’s Body-Being • Three aspects of body awareness • Five principles for an effortlessly effective body • Opening a door--five steps to transformation • Fourteen points on structural alignment Where similar guides teach readers what to do, this book teaches readers how to be.

An advanced, comprehensive book incorporating meditative psychology, massage and adjusting techniques into a holistic approach to health.

Eric Franklin’s classic reference is back in a new full-color edition, complete with new material and exercises for instructors to use with their dancers, other performing artists, athletes, and classes. In Dynamic Alignment Through Imagery, Third Edition, Franklin—an internationally renowned teacher, dancer, and choreographer who has been sharing his imagery techniques for more than 35 years—teaches the use of imagery to increase self-awareness, improve body image, and apply anatomical and biomechanical principles for more efficient movement. This expanded new edition includes more than 600 anatomical imagery exercises to improve posture and body alignment, release excess tension, and prevent injuries; over 500 full-color illustrations to help readers visualize the exercises and use them in various contexts; four audio files containing guided imagery exercises led by Franklin and set to music; and updated chapters throughout the book, including new material and exercises to address fasciae and connective tissue. “The pictures and the words in your mind influence the feelings in your body, which in turn feed your thoughts and mental pictures,” Franklin says. “To create powerful and dynamic alignment, you need to fertilize your mind and body with constructive information and weed out destructive thoughts.” This book will help readers do just that as they discover their natural flexibility and increase their power to move. Franklin expertly guides readers through foundational concepts of posture, dynamic alignment, and imagery; explores different types of imagery and guidelines for using them; and delves into biomechanical and anatomical principles, including the body’s center and gravity, the laws of motion and force systems, and joint and muscle function. He then provides exercises for anatomical imagery, covering every area of the body from head to toe. The book closes with two critical chapters on defining dynamic alignment and on integrating dynamic alignment exercises into workouts and programs. Dynamic Alignment Through Imagery, Third Edition, will help readers experience the biomechanical and anatomical principles that are crucial to athletes, dancers, other performing artists, and yoga and Pilates practitioners. The techniques and exercises presented in the book will guide readers in improving their posture—and will positively affect their thoughts and attitudes about themselves and others and help them feel better, both mentally and physically. Earn continuing education credits/units! A continuing education exam that uses this book is also available. It may be purchased separately or as part of a package that includes both the book and exam.

Franklin shows readers how to use imaging techniques to improve posture and alignment, and to release excess tension. The illustrations help explain the images and exercises, and show how to use them in a variety of contexts.

Like a yoga class you can hold in your hand, a beautiful, full-color guide to letting sh*t go Our world is filled with annoyances, and sometimes you need a little dose of humor to cope with the news cycle, your irritating co-worker, or that telemarketer who won’t stop calling. This refreshingly honest self-help book will guide you through a meditation to “breathe in strength, and breathe out bullsh*t.” An excellent gift for yourself or others, F*ck That is the very embodiment of modern-day self-care. May it help you find peace with the challenges that surround you…because they are f*cking everywhere. Based on the viral video that had everyone from yogis to workaholics raving, F*ck That is the completely truthful and oddly tranquil guide to relieving stress and achieving inner peace.

The traditional medicines of Middle Asia are rich and varied - from the Ayurveda and Siddha medicines of India, to the Unani and Sufi healing practices of the Middle East. Dr. Marc S. Micozzi unfolds the compelling idea that vital energy, expressed as "prana" in the Indian practice of Ayurveda, is the unifying concept that underpins and connects all of these traditions. Describing the origins, health strategies, diagnostic approaches, and modern-day uses of each tradition, he also draws parallels to, and finds correlations with, mainstream Western concepts - and demonstrates how all these therapies fit within the context of their own cultures and ours. This groundbreaking book will be of interest to practitioners of all Middle Eastern and Asian medical traditions, complementary and alternative health practitioners, and anyone with an interest in Middle Eastern and Asian approaches to health and well-being.

“A warm, profound and cleareyed memoir. . . this wise and sympathetic book’s lingering effect is as a reminder that a deeper and more companionable way of life lurks behind our self-serious stories."—Oliver Burkeman, New York Times Book Review A remarkable exploration of the therapeutic relationship, Dr. Mark Epstein reflects on one year’s worth of therapy sessions with his patients to observe how his training in Western psychotherapy and his equally long investigation into Buddhism, in tandem, led to greater awareness—for his patients, and for himself For years, Dr. Mark Epstein kept his beliefs as a Buddhist separate from his work as a psychiatrist. Content to use his training in mindfulness as a private resource, he trusted that the Buddhist influence could, and should, remain invisible. But as he became more forthcoming with his patients about his personal spiritual leanings, he was surprised to learn how many were eager to learn more. The divisions between the psychological, emotional, and the spiritual, he soon realized, were not as distinct as one might think. In The Zen of Therapy, Dr. Epstein reflects on a year’s worth of selected sessions with his patients and observes how, in the incidental details of a given hour, his Buddhist background influences the way he works. Meditation and psychotherapy each encourage a willingness to face life's difficulties with courage that can be hard to otherwise muster, and in this cross-section of life in his office, he emphasizes how therapy, an element of Western medicine, can in fact be considered a two-person meditation. Mindfulness, too, much like a good therapist, can “hold” our awareness for us—and allow us to come to our senses and find inner peace. Throughout this deeply personal inquiry, one which weaves together the wisdom of two worlds, Dr. Epstein illuminates the therapy relationship as spiritual friendship, and reveals how a therapist can help patients cultivate the sense that there is something magical, something wonderful, and something to trust running through our lives, no matter how fraught they have been or might become. For when we realize how readily we have misinterpreted our selves, when we stop clinging to our falsely conceived constructs, when we touch the ground of being, we come home.

Instant Zen presents the teachings of Foyan, a twelfth-century Chinese Zen master recognized as one of the greatest masters of the Song dynasty Zen renaissance in China. Returning to the uncomplicated genuineness of the original and classical Zen masters, Foyan offers many simple exercises in attention and thought designed to lead to the awakening of Zen insight into the real nature of the self. These succinct teachings emphasize independence and autonomy, and show us how to open our own eyes and stand on our own two feet, to see directly without delusion and act on truth without confusion. Translator Thomas Cleary provides an incisive introduction and extensive references from traditional Zen sources, placing the work in both historical and contemporary contexts. Newcomers to Zen will find this book a useful and sophisticated introduction to authentic inner Zen practices from an impeccable source, without cultural exoticism or religious cultism. Instant Zen sheds new light on this vital tradition, making available the immediacy of Zen practice and unveiling our innate potential for conscious awakening.