Based on the popular Mindful Yoga program developed at Duke University, this book will help you soothe your body and calm your mind--bringing gentle relief to the physical and mental suffering caused by chronic pain.
If you live with chronic pain, you need solutions now to help you feel better and get back to living your life. If you're looking for an alternative to pharmaceutical pain medication, yoga is powerful practice for managing pain and building resilience. Based on the proven-effective Mindful Yoga program developed by the authors at Duke University, this safe and easy-to-use book--accessible for all levels of fitness and mobility--has everything you need to get started today.
In this workbook, you'll find an eight-step, integrative approach drawing on both modern western medicine and the ancient wisdom of the yoga tradition. The gentle poses and practices in this book are informed by a state-of-the-art understanding of physiology, and can be safely used to help alleviate pain associated with several common health problems, such as arthritis, osteoporosis, cancer, and more.
This is not a book about getting into pretzel positions or sitting on a yoga mat for hours. This is a book about gentle, easy, and calming yoga that will help you manage your pain and improve your overall well-being.
About the Author: Jim Carson, PhD, is a former yogic monk (swami) who has taught the practices and philosophy of yoga worldwide for more than forty-five years. Jim is now a clinical health psychologist; and associate professor of anesthesiology, and of psychiatry at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) in Portland, OR. He has applied his expertise to the development and evaluation of yoga and meditation-based clinical treatments, including the first mindfulness program for couples, the first loving-kindness meditation program for medical patients, and the Mindful Yoga program. Jim also works extensively with patients suffering from persistent pain, including those with fibromyalgia, low back pain, and cancer pain. Jim codirects national professional trainings for yoga teachers and allied health professionals at OHSU, Duke Integrative Medicine, and VA Centers. To learn more, visit www.mindfulyogaworks.com.
Kimberly Carson, MPH, C-IAYT, is a mindfulness educator and yoga therapist at OHSU; specializing in the therapeutic use and scientific study of mindfulness and yoga for people with medical challenges. Kimberly currently offers mindfulness and yoga programs to chronic pain, cardiac, oncology (inpatient and outpatient), and internal medicine patients, and has taught mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for more than twenty years. In addition to codeveloping the Mindful Yoga program--which has been shown in research trials to significantly reduce pain, fatigue, and distress in those living with chronic pain--Kimberly consults on mindfulness and yoga clinical research trials, has coauthored dozens of peer-reviewed articles, and codirects professional trainings for yoga teachers and allied health professionals at OHSU, Duke Integrative Medicine, VA Centers, the Kripalu Center, and other locations around the country. With Carol Krucoff, Kimberly coauthored Relax into Yoga for Seniors. To learn more, visit www.mindfulyogaworks.com. Carol Krucoff, C-IAYT, E-RYT, is a yoga therapist at Duke Integrative Medicine in Durham, NC; where she offers private sessions, workshops, and classes for people with health challenges. An award-winning journalist, Carol served as founding editor of The Washington Post Health section, and her articles have appeared in numerous national publications, including The New York Times, Yoga Journal, and Reader's Digest. She is author of several books, including Yoga Sparks and Healing Yoga for Neck and Shoulder Pain. She is codirector, with Kimberly Carson, of Yoga for Seniors Professional Training, and they are coauthors of the book (and DVD), Relax into Yoga for Seniors. She has served as a consultant on several yoga research studies, and coauthored articles in peer-reviewed medical journals. For more information, visit www.healingmoves.com.