Relax and Renew: Restful Yoga for Stressful Times Paperback – September 10, 2005

I cannot praise this book enough. I have a quite demandig job that often leaves me exhausted by the end of the day. There are days I come home with breathing difficulties, hurting eyes from sitting in front of the computer, headache, and tension in my whole body.I am so grateful for this book! The author says she was inspired to write this book after a person close to her died, and when she had insomnia.I believe she put her heart into it, because the book is really fantastic.I use it every day, and it covers the most important issues related to stress that you may have problem with.I use the basic routine with chosen 4-5 poses every day right after work. Sometimes, as today, I felt my breath was a little bit disrupted, and I did some poses from the routine for difficulties in breathing. It really worked miracles!I got rid of this heavy feeling in my chest, my eyes don't hurt anymore and energy level is so much higher, just after about 20 minutes!The poses are thoroughly explained and the pictures show the poses. You don't need a lot of props, but you should have basic ones like yoga bolster or strap. Although, Judith has som alternative ideas if you don't have them.The only drawback is that some pages fell out quite soon after I started using the book. But this is the publisher's fault, so it is still 5 stars, and I would give 10 if I could! This book helps me to mantain mental balance and renew my body every day. Thank you Judith...

This is an excellent book about restorative yoga. It is not yoga book that has you doing a head stand as your second pose, in other words, it is realistic and very doable. Three cheers for the author.

Judith Lasater is known as the Queen of Restorative Yoga - and she doesn't disappoint! For anyone that has an interest, passion, or simple curiosity about Restorative Yoga, this book is your bible.Like most (younger) folks, I didn't pay much attention to Restorative Yoga ... that was, until I came across this book & tested out a few of the poses for myself.First, Lasater's writing style is very informative without being complicated. You feel supported & encouraged by her simply intelligent choice of words.Second, though most of the poses in the various chapters are just slightly different versions of the ones before it, the variety of sequences & their supportive purposes are good for a lifetime.Third, the poses work, plain & simple. Try them all & I'm sure you will find a favorite (mine is Supported Bound-Angle Pose using sandbags instead of a strap). Whether you are used to practicing with a live Yoga teacher or not, Lasater's details for setting up, moving into, settling into, and coming out of each pose leave you confident that you can practice any restorative sequence on your own.I haven't had the pleasure of reading any of Lasater's other 7 books, but I certainly want to read them all after my delightful experience with this tome. This is one of those books that you keep on your shelf for life, re-reading & using it more than often.

I and many of my friends are aging, and have various disabilities, including CFIDS/CFS/ME and, in one case, PPS. This is about the only yoga book I use now! I think Judith Lasater may have invented "relaxation yoga"; if not, then she certainly put out the best book for it.She is extremely detailed about use of props (and how to make your own), how to safely get into the position; what to pay attention to, how to breathe while in the position, how to vary it for various needs, and the length of time to spend in it; and how to get safely out of the position. She puts the asanas together in various workouts (which I tend to ignore), and notes which ones are key and can be used on their own as a relaxation yoga session (which I appreciate!).The whole book can be viewed as relaxation poses, for those who want something more than corpse pose! I HIGHLY recommend this to friends and relatives, especially those who cannot handle the type of exercise (yoga or otherwise) that they used to.

No problems with the seller. I found the Yin Yoga book itself to be more useful but that was entirely a matter of personal preference. The seller did a great job.

I am going through YTT this fall and want to focus on restorative. This book is perfect for beginners. It is full of so much useful information. The step by step walkthrough on the poses is so helpful too. I will definitely be adding the author’s other books to my library.

I recently took a restorative class and this book was suggested. The pictures are clear, easy to follow directions and helpful when teaching classes to refer to specific poses.

Of all the Judith Lasater books, this is my personal favorite. This is a book for anyone and everyone. This book allowed me to continue to practice yoga during a severe medical crisis. I was told to do very little because of the catabolic state my body was in. I brought this book to my Doctors and received the ok. Daily practice helped me both physically and mentally. It is important to understand the effects a small amount of movement can have. This book illustrates that beautifully. Anyone who works with severely I'll or unhealthy individuals will gain insight from this book on how to transition these people into exercise they can do safely. This book also addresses the mental component of healing through breath and meditation. This book is vital for anyone.