New Release: Lifelong Yoga
Categories: Fitness & Sports New Release
About the Book
Yoga offers vital tools for healthy aging: strength, flexibility, balance, and peace of mind. In this one-of-a-kind book, Sage Rountree and Alexandra DeSiato describe the poses and routines that can help keep people of any age fit and injury free.
In addition to demonstrating simple ways to maintain and even increase our ability to be active into our 50s, 60s, and beyond, the authors—both yoga teachers with decades of experience—offer poses and routines aimed toward specific goals, such as improving balance, maintaining strength and flexibility, and recovering properly between workouts.
Each fully illustrated sequence is introduced with a brief overview of its benefits, along with modifications and options suited to individual requirements. Rountree and DeSiato also offer sequences that help support specific activities such as running, swimming, or golf, as well as yard work, travel, and caring for grandchildren. An essential and easy-to-follow guide, Lifelong Yoga offers key practices for maintaining and improving physical and mental well-being throughout a lifetime.
SEQUENCE
Hamstrings and Abductor Strap Stretches
Sometimes you need to divide to conquer, and to address one leg at a time. These strap stretches for the hamstrings and outer hip will help.
To target your hamstrings, lie on your back with the strap around the ball of your left foot. Bend your right knee and rest the sole of your right foot on the ground, or straighten your right leg along the floor. With a relatively straight left knee, lift your left leg until you feel a pleasant stretch in the back of your left thigh (Figure 6.12).
Take care to keep the stretch in the belly of the muscle; don’t push it toward the back of the knee or the upper hamstrings attachment at the sitting bone. Keep your shoulders and knuckles relaxed. Stay for five to fifteen breaths. Switch sides.
To release tension in the outer line of your hamstrings, hook the strap around the ball of your left leg and lift it up, keeping your right foot on the ground with the leg bent or straight. Internally rotate your hip so that your left toes angle to the right.
Keeping the left side of your pelvis on the mat, move your right leg a few inches to the left (Figure 6.13). Stay for five to fifteen breaths. If you like, continue across to a twist, weight in your right hip, left hip lifting and moving toward the right (Figure 6.14). Stay for another five to fifteen breaths. Switch sides.
About the Authors
Sage Rountree is a preeminent yoga authority for athletes, a yoga teacher trainer, and an endurance sports coach with certifications from USA Triathlon, USA Cycling, and the Road Runners’ Club of America. She has written numerous books and articles for athletes, including The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga and The Runner’s Guide to Yoga, and is a regular contributor to Yoga Journal and Runner’s World. Her website is sagerountree.com.
Alexandra DeSiato is a seasoned teacher of yoga and an expert Pilates instructor who has taught several athletic teams at the University of North Carolina, including the football team, men’s basketball team, and women’s rowing team. She is a regular contributor to YOGANONYMOUS and Wanderlust. Her website is alexandradesiato.com.
Tags: Sage Rountree Alexandra DeSiato
About the Author
Katie Gezi
Before officially joining NAB, Katie earned her BA in English at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo. There, she learned that working with books was an actual career! After her first year at school, she worked for two small publishing houses as an editorial intern. Returning from a four-month adventure in Spain, she began working for the Graduate Education Office as a thesis editor. She then stumbled upon a marketing and publicity internship with (drumroll please) North Atlantic Books—and loves that she’s back! Katie spent her last year of school publishing a literary facsimile and contemplating life’s greatest questions. As a former fitness instructor and current avid reader, Katie is thrilled to work with a wide range of books that matches her range of hobbies!
