Yoga Self-Help Practice for Beginners: The Ultimate Illustrated Guide to 30-Days of Yoga Poses that Develop Flexibility & Core Strength On and Off the Mat Paperback – August 12, 2023

I have been practicing Yoga for 25 years and am certified as a Yoga instructor through Sivananda Yoga. I do not know of any practice more powerful than Yoga. It has had a powerful effect of my body and mind and led to a great sense of physical and mental well-being. After a serious injury, Yoga saved me from a wheelchair. Yoga restored my ability to walk after I suffered a serious and painful injury to the sacroiliac joint that caused a loss of function and strength in the muscles of my legs and back. My doctor did not think that I would walk again. But through the daily work with Yoga, additional strengthening work and walking, I was able to restore strength and muscle function. My doctor considers my recovery to be "miraculous".Because of my experiences with Yoga, I encourage everyone to start a Yoga practice. Karen Elaine's new book, Yoga Self-Help For Beginners can provide a fine way to begin that practice. I have known Karen for many years as a musician in Los Angeles. She is one of the finest musicians in L.A. As a virtuoso viola soloist, she plays with passion, intensity, commitment, and love. Karen brings those same qualities to her Yoga practice and to the writing of her informative Yoga book. In the book, Karen goes through a large number of Yoga poses with explanations and photos that assist in understanding the poses. She also provides her personal and positive suggestions about developing a Yoga practice and about how to include Yoga in the fabric of your life. I enjoyed reading Karen's new book and am very happy to include her book in my reference library of Yoga books.

I’ve been trying to get 5 miles of sustained physical activity most days this summer – jogging, hiking, and walking – but things are going to change for me come winter here in New Hampshire, USA. Ice, snow, and cold make for hazardous conditions and so, here in August, I’m already trying to brainstorm how I’ll stay active during my jogging “off season.” One great prospect is yoga, which would help me strengthen and limber up (and take care of all that stretching I fail to do over the warm months). I also like the idea of changing up my exercise from cardio, spring through fall, to something low-impact and potentially reflective over the winter – it just seems to fit the season. I bought this book as the initial investment in a yoga practice that could sustain me for months. It’s detailed enough to describe each pose and its benefits and potential risks while also staying concise. Author Karen Elaine relates being told that, in India, Yoga practice is based on one to three poses a day, typically done mornings. Well, you’d have material for years at that rate, mixing it up every day, but this is also a good resource for a more rigorous practice. I appreciated the brief history and context of different types of yoga, as well as the glossary in back – it all makes for a comprehensive introduction to better health and well being!

I am a yoga enthusiast, and I say that loud and proudly. So much so that several years ago, I became a yoga teacher and have since moved up the ranks, earning numerous certifications, including trauma-informed yoga, yoga for kids, and cancer care yoga. That said, I am always looking for books I can recommend to my students who want to delve deeper into their practice and novices who are intimidated by the whole "yogi lifestyle" but are also curious...as they should be because it rocks!LOOK NO FURTHER.This book is a great resource for all those who want to know more about the magic that is yoga. The exercises are easy-to-follow and Karen Elaine does an amazing job introducing the basics of the practice. The pictures further support the ease in which you can begin or continue your journey to a more holistic life. I live in a state that is known for brutal winters, and I'm gearing up to rev up my indoor yoga routine in the next couple of months. I am so happy I have a resource like this to navigate. VERY COMPREHENSIVE AND GOOD. From one yogi heart to another, do your soul a favor and pick this one up. :)

Good book an eye opener. Karen Elaine is a multi-talented Amazon Best-Selling Author recognized across nine categories for her outstanding literary contributions. She has a passion for yoga and has 200-hour RYT certifications in Power Yoga and Montréal-Style Acro Yoga. She also provides her personal and positive suggestions about developing a Yoga practice and about how to include Yoga in the fabric of your life.In this book, Karen goes through a large number of Yoga poses with explanations and photos that assist in understanding the poses. This book does exactly what it promises-it teaches you how to do a variety of poses so that you can do them anywhere for a short period of time and get the benefits of feeling stronger and accomplished. It offered me some simple ways to start to understand yoga and begin a routine that is helping me reduce stress and increase my balance, discipline and overall health. I easily learned all the poses and I love it! Great for improving balance too. You won't regret it.

My wife practices yoga on a near-daily basis and has been trying to get me to join in on the endeavor. I've told myself time and again that I would try to get into it, but have constantly quit before I even started, as I'm a difficult person to teach and prefer to self-learn. I came across this book while searching for a yoga book that falls under that category and sure enough, I found Karen Elaine's book. I very much enjoyed this book as it has been an excellent guide to teaching myself the basics of yoga. It is very easy to follow her instructions, and the accompanying photos are an excellent reference point as I begin my journey to finally taking yoga. My hope is that by using this guide, I'll be able to show off to my wife in the next month or two, and I'm already off to a great start. This book is definitely for anyone who is interested in learning the basics of yoga and it will help you get started easily and most importantly, with confidence.