Books about Yoga for Sports:
for Athletes & Active People

1. Real Men Do Yoga- 21 Star Athletes Reveal Their Secrets for Strength, Flexibility and Peak Performance (2003)
2. The American Yoga Association's Yoga for Sports- The Secret to Limitless Performance (2000)
3. Yoga For Equestrians (2000)
4. The Golfer's Book of Yoga- Bring Your Game to the Next Level (2002)
5. Improve Your Golf With Yoga Techniques (2001)
6. The Runner's Yoga Book- A Balanced Approach to Fitness (1992)
7. Surf Flex- Flexibility, Yoga, and Conditioning Exercises for Surfers (2001)
   See also:
   Dynamic Yoga
   Power Yoga
   The Art of Running: With the Alexander Technique (2000)
   Bodysense: Revolutionize Your Riding With the Alexander Technique (1998)

Real Men Do Yoga: 21 Star Athletes Reveal Their Secrets for Strength, Flexibility and Peak Performance
by John Capouya

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Book Description
With its revolutionary approach to yoga and innovative, male-oriented instruction, Real Men Do Yoga will be the definitive guide for both novice and veteran men who are discovering the innumerable physical and mental benefits of yoga.

Satisfying the male fascination with sports and admiration for athletes are interviews with more than twenty pros, all of whom are enthusiastic yoga practitioners: football's Eddie George, Shannon Sharpe and Amani Toomer; baseball pitchers Barry Zito (2002 Cy Young Award winner) and Al Leiter, star hockey goalie Sean Burke and NBA superstar Kevin Garnett as well as pro golfers and tennis players.

Photos of sports stars doing yoga, such as football greats Dan Marino and Chris Carter, drive home a powerful message. Each chapter offers a combination of stretches and strength-builders that target and benefit specific areas:

Conquering back pain (which afflicts an estimated 10 million men)
Improving sports performance including yoga for golf, running, basketball, tennis and more
Increasing flexibility in the upper body, spine and lower body
Building muscle strength
Improving sexual performance
In a sea of yoga books aimed at women, Real Men Do Yoga is an easily accessible, "non-New Agey" guidebook that takes something mysterious to American men and offers a reassuringly effective and practical guide that they'll actually use.


From the Inside Flap
Yes, Real Men Do Yoga-including some of America's greatest athletes!
"Yoga has made my entire body more flexible, I'm stronger in my upper body, and I'm living proof that yoga prevents injuries.''
-Eddie George, Heisman Trophy winner, NFL running back

"I've been doing yoga since 1995, and I practice my breathing and focusing exercises before every game.''
-- Kevin Garnett, NBA superstar

"In sports, you need balance, strength and flexibility, and yoga helps so much in each of those areas. It's definitely been a huge part of my success.''
-Sean Burke, NHL All-Star goaltender

For these athletes, yoga is the key to peak performance. But you don't have to be a world-class athlete or even a weekend warrior to benefit. Yoga is also the perfect exercise for guys who spend more time on the computer than they do running marathons. A few simple stretches a day can give any man:

· Greater flexibility and range of motion
· Increased muscle strength, tone and endurance
· Improved sexual stamina and performance
· More energy and less stress
· Sharper focus and clarity
· Reduced risk of injuries-including an end to chronic back pain

"Yoga saved my career. I was facing back surgery, and tried yoga instead. Now my back is in great shape, plus the yoga is an unbelievable workout. I'm a total convert.''
--Justin Gimelstob, ATP tennis player

"Flexibility is the most important thing for a golfer. The yoga stretches made my swing longer-there's no question about it. The added range of motion enabled me to get a better turn and power through the ball.''
-J.L. Lewis, PGA Tour

This book's efficient, effective yoga routines target specific areas, including abs, legs and arms. The language is clear and straightforward-no weird yoga jargon, New Age philosophy, or Sanskrit names. This is a man's approach to yoga that will super-charge your performance, whether your game is golf, running, biking, tennis, basketball, skiing, swimming, or just spending some quality time with your spouse.

So stop stalling and find out today why 3.5 million real men, men like All Star pitcher Barry Zito, are already working out with yoga-and why you (or the man in your life) should be, too.

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The American Yoga Association's Yoga for Sports: The Secret to Limitless Performance
by Alice Christensen, American Yoga Association

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Reader Review
Absolutely the best book for Yoga., May 5, 2003
Reviewer: EJ Passeos (see more about me at Amazon.com) from Akron, OH United States
I read at least 10 books on Yoga at a local bookstore, and I can ensure that this is the best. It is set up so you can set it next to you to glance at while doing the movements. As for Yoga, I am a bodybuilder and adding this to my routine has been fantastic. The increased flexibility and the relaxation that results from this is awesome. Doing just five minutes in the morning and again in the afternoon really can help you out. Now, I'm at the more advanced level, but the book is still perfect that. You'll love the book, and most importantly, what Yoga will do for you.

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Yoga For Equestrians
by Linda Benedik, Veronica Wirth

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From the Publisher
Whether one rides Western reining patterns, dressage, or the trails, this new program of yoga for equestrians will help every rider build a stronger mind-body connection for improved performance. Yoga integrated with horsemanship produces desirable rider qualities, such as enhanced awareness, flexibility, balance, and correct breathing in rhythm with movement. The book begins with an introduction to the practice of yoga and the roles of meditation and visualization. The authors then move on to basic yoga positions (asanas) and breathing exercises (pranayama), followed by exercise routines that focus on body areas that are key to improving the rider¹s seat and communication with the horse. All exercises are demonstrated with detailed photos, and there are warm-up and cool-down routines that can easily be performed at home, at the barn, or at shows. The book concludes with some specially designed routines for mounted yoga. Linda Benedik is the director of Harmony with Horses Balanced Riding Program and a long-time yoga student. Veronica Wirth is founder of Integrated Yoga* and rides for pleasure. Both authors live and teach in Southern California.

Reader Review
This is a wonderful book!, February 25, 2001
Reviewer: clayhorses from Blacksburg, Virginia United States
Yoga for Equestrians has transformed my riding. I highly recommend it. I'm getting back into riding after two bad falls, a broken nose and cracked ribs. One instructor told me I should take a Valium before my lesson, I was so tense. Instead, I found Linda Benedik (who teaches balanced riding and the classical seat) and her book Yoga for Equestrians. The exercises have helped deepen and balance my seat, release my hip joints, relax tense muscles and deepen my breathing. My sweet Quarter Horse, who used to stumble while I trotted, and whose circles were of an indefinable shape, took a sigh of relief, and moved out in the largest walk and trot I had ever experienced, and trotted a surprisingly good circle. The book teaches the art of breathing; visualization techniques that professional riders use; lower body, upper body, symmetry, self-carriage, and mounted exercises. It takes you step by step through floor exercises, stable-side exercises, and in-saddle exercises. Mounted exercises describe the recommended gait, rider benefits, a thorough and easy explanation of how-to's, and tips for trainers or assistants. The photographs are beautiful --clear and vivid and with real life models. My 10 year old niece enjoyed the book so much that she did the exercises with me.

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The Golfer's Book of Yoga: Bring Your Game to the Next Level
by Drew Greenland

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Reader Review
A great way to improve your golf mindset, April 29, 2003
Reviewer: A reader from Columbus, OH, United States
The physical stretching exercises illustrated in this book are great for strengthening your back and improving your balance. But golfers wants to go beyond a well-stretched and flexible body. Having a strong mental is equally as important.
Of all sports golf can truly be a mental minefield. Golfers who don't grasp the nuances of the mental aspects of the game never master it and often give it up. By incorporating the essential elements of yoga that THE GOLFER'S BOOK OF YOGA presents, you can develop the concentration that golf demands.
Learning the postures and breathing techniques is at the core of THE GOLFER'S BOOK OF YOGA. But first the reader will find chapters in which yoga is defined, the mind / body connection is discussed, the power of the breath is explored and the foundation qualities of the swing laid out.

Time invested in the practice of Yoga will make your other time more valuable. Golf may indeed be "the greatest game ever created" And, the practice of yoga will prepare you to play it better and enjoy it even more.

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Improve Your Golf With Yoga Techniques
by Ashok Wahi, Stefani Pappas, Megan O'Malley

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Book Description
Relates specific selected yoga techniques to golf from the perspectives of physical and mental focus. Using easy to read, non-technical descriptions, illustrations and photographs. Douglas Mochrie, a Class "A" teaching golf pro has endorsed the book: saying "Hit your...ball farther. Enjoy golf more!...Learn how yoga can improve your game. The pictures clearly illustrate examples of the body positions and motions that correlate well with swings, chips, and putts."


Reader Review
Skip the driving range, do the yoga, August 16, 2001
Reviewer: Roger Long from Hamilton, NJ United States
If golf is the most mental of sports, and yoga the most mental of exercise, it makes a lot of sense to fuse the two. I have tried it and took 6 strokes off my game the first time after doing the exercises. And the beauty is, you can do the exercises at home, and some can be done in the car on the way to the course, such as the deep breathing, relaxation techniques. And on the course many yoga exercises can be snuck in while others just wouldn't be appropriate outside a gym. Before I hit the links tomorrow, I'm going to hit "The Missing Peace" and do those loosening warm-ups. The book is well-organized, well-illustrated, easy to use, but most of all it satisfies a need in many golfers that often has gone unmet--unless they've read the book or practice yoga.

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The Runner's Yoga Book: A Balanced Approach to Fitness
by Jean Couch, Ellen Susaki (Illustrator), David Madison (Photographer), Fred Stimson (Photographer)

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Reader Review
Excellent guide to stretching the whole body, July 24, 1999
Reviewer: A reader from Baltimore. MD
Jean Couch gets you off of the mat and into the tight spaces of your body in a way that really works. This book was first published in 1979 and later revised in 1990 to incorporate additional insights Ms Couch had gathered after practicing Iyengar yoga for another decade. I found the informaton timeless and believe the book to be useful for all active people, not just runners. As a serious practitioner and a teacher of yoga, this book has become an important reference guide to help me release the tightness in my and my students' bodies in a safe and effective way. I highly recommend it to students of all levels as a must have for their yoga reference library.

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Surf Flex: Flexibility, Yoga, and Conditioning Exercises for Surfers
by Paul Frediani, Peter Field Peck (Photographer), Jim Lucas

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Book Description
Surfing is one of the fastest growing recreational sports in the United States. More than 5 million men and women regularly pick up a surfboard and hit the waves. Surf Flex is the first book to address the fitness and conditioning requirements of this popular sport. Perhaps no other sport requires more agility and flexibility than surfing. Wiping out is no fun and a solid flexibility program will help prevent injuries, and keep you surfing longer and stronger. So before you hit the water, try the exercises in Surf Flex. It's guaranteed to keep your Wednesdays big and your summers endless. Whether you are a beginning or advanced surfer, Surf Flex will get you in top form to ride the waves. With contributions by leading surfers from around the world, Surf Flex includes sections on: yoga-based pre- and post-surfing stretches, cardio and strength conditioning, balance and coordination training, swimming, injury prevention and more.


From the Author
"If you want to attain your highest level of performance you better be conditioned. Surfers who are at the cutting edge of performance must make training and conditioning a conscious part of their lives" Fred Hemmings former world surfing champion and current state senator of Hawaii. Well that pretty much sums it up! Although the number of surfers that surf for a living is small, the greater portion live to surf. Maintaining a high level of fitness will keep a surfer healthy and in the water. If your a young surfer, establishing a solid fitness program now, is a blueprint for your future. If your a older surfer getting back to the water or feeling pains in the joints and lower back, the flexibility and exercises in Surf Flex will serve you well. Some of the world top surfers who are in theirs 40's are surfing the biggest waves of their life's. From the conventional to the cutting edge,the workouts in Surf Flex are designed specific for surfers. So surf long! and surf strong! Because the only thing that bums a surfer out more than bad surfing conditionings, is having great conditions but being injured or not fit to surf.

Aloha Paul Frediani


About the Author
Paul Frediani is a nationally recognized fitness trainer and educator. He is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine as a Medical Exercise Specialist and by the American Council on Exercise. He is affiliated with the Equinox Health Club in New York, and is president of Box Athletics, a fitness training company.

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