From a fitness instructor to a top international fashion model and a danseuse - a range of people have penned books to make yoga relevant to modern lifestyles and help to cope with everything from trauma to weight loss.
Bollywood's celebrated Yoga guru Payal Gidwani Tiwari who is credited for the sculpted looks of various celebrities such as Kareena Kapoor, Malaika Arora Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sri Devi, and Saif Ali Khan among others has written "Body Goddesses: The Ultimate Yoga Guide" for women.
Payal's essential mantras guarantee not just weight loss but also promise a healthier lifestyle. Designed for all age groups, the book by Penguin Random House comes enriched with easy to follow exercise regimes and tips.
"It's ironic that Yoga was taken from India to the West, where it was adapted brilliantly by everyone, from Madonna to Beyonce, and only accepted by us when it gradually made the full circle, even though it has been our legacy for ages," says Payal.
Payal's book is set to be released on June 21 designated as the International Day for Yoga.
Earlier this month, a yoga manual in braille titled "Yogikasparsh" written by Nivedita Joshi was released.
Bharatnatyam dancer Yamini Muthanna in her book "The Power of Yoga" published by OM Books suggests a practice to prepare people to be alert and aware of the ever changing circumstances of life. Yoga, she says can help negotiate the many ups and downs of everyday living, big and small.
Yoga stimulates glands, facilities cell replacement, improves blood circulation, increases flexibility, detoxifies the system, stalls ageing, keeps one energetic, calms the mind and strengthens the body and helps to connect with the deeper self - all without making one sweat!
Yoga asanas, says Yamini can be sequenced to suit each person, an exclusive vinyasa (flow) specifically to cater his or her day's schedule.
For instance, if an individual needs to make a presentation at a conference - a couple of asanas could be sequenced to help calm the nerves and concentrate better.
These 'asanas' or pranayams are directed to activate certain nerve points governed by energy centers within the body called 'chakras'. These chakras are aligned along the length of the spine and networked to various auxiliary 'chakras' which controls the body's reflexes and improve functions.
Yamini's book aims to guide a sequence of asanas to cope better with daily lives characterized by various situations.
It comprises of an instructional manual and a pack of flash-cards containing photographs of asanas and illustrations indicating the chakra positioning and direction of energy fields.
