What do you think?
Rate this book
Yoga for Wellness: Healing with the Timeless Teachings of Viniyoga
A world-reknowned teacher shows how Yoga can not only make you feel better - it can make you feel well
Yoga offers a great, low-impact way to increase flexibility and reduce stress. It also provides an alternative or augmentation to mainstream medicine. This classic fully illustrated and easy-to-follow guide draws on both the physical and spiritual components of Yoga therapy to show how you can use Yoga to heal any number of afflictions. Some of the areas covered
- Common Aches and neck and shoulders, upper and lower back, hips and knees
- Chronic digestive and respiratory problems, cardiovascular, lymphatic, and endocrine systems
- Emotional stress and disease,mental illness, anger, anxiety, and depression
Yoga for Wellness presents specific case studies and specific sequences, which can be adapted to your individual needs. And with photographs illustrating each step of every sequence, it the perfect book for beginners as well as experienced practioners including teachers.
"I highly recommend this fascinating, practical guide to the ancient art of Yoga." - Mitchell L Gaynor, M.D., Director of the Strang Cancer Prevention Center and author of Sounds of Healing
Yoga offers a great, low-impact way to increase flexibility and reduce stress. It also provides an alternative or augmentation to mainstream medicine. This classic fully illustrated and easy-to-follow guide draws on both the physical and spiritual components of Yoga therapy to show how you can use Yoga to heal any number of afflictions. Some of the areas covered
- Common Aches and neck and shoulders, upper and lower back, hips and knees
- Chronic digestive and respiratory problems, cardiovascular, lymphatic, and endocrine systems
- Emotional stress and disease,mental illness, anger, anxiety, and depression
Yoga for Wellness presents specific case studies and specific sequences, which can be adapted to your individual needs. And with photographs illustrating each step of every sequence, it the perfect book for beginners as well as experienced practioners including teachers.
"I highly recommend this fascinating, practical guide to the ancient art of Yoga." - Mitchell L Gaynor, M.D., Director of the Strang Cancer Prevention Center and author of Sounds of Healing
352 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1999
109 people are currently reading
910 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 25, 2015
I had to learn some of the concepts in this book for an upcoming dance training intensive, so I decided to go ahead and read the entire thing.
There's a couple of things I like about this book:
The author is all about encouraging yoga practitioners to modify each posture as needed to accommodate their own body. He spells out how strict adherence to "textbook perfect" form can result in injury, or just a less-efficient practice for your body. He also discusses common "release valves" where postures lose integrity as we try to force ourselves to look just like the teacher or the person next to us. Reading this book and comparing it to what I know about my own body has caused me to pay more attention to my approach to yoga and stretching and to make sure that I honor my own body and work in the way that is best for it.
I also appreciate the thorough discussion of anatomy, because I like knowing how and why the book works.
However, the section on healing is a bit tedious, as almost every case study also talks about a problem in the student's life and how through their yoga lessons, the author also gave the student advice and they fixed their other problems as well as their physical problems, yay. While sometimes I could see how it made sense to include it in the book (student had a lot of stress, teacher gave them breathing exercises and such to manage stress, student had less stress, it's related to yoga, ok), other times I really felt like it was just the teacher tooting his own horn and/or trying to falsely conflate a regular yoga practice with improving your relationships and such.
I did appreciate that although there are yoga practices in here designed to help with various health problems, the author states repeatedly that they should be used alongside whatever treatment you're receiving from your doctor.
However, he also states repeatedly that each sample practice was designed for that student based not just on the health problem in question but the over-all condition of their body, and that it is not considered prescriptive. As such, it seems like this book is better suited to the teacher or very experienced yoga practitioner as inspiration for developing their own "healing" practice than for the average beginner to intermediate student.
And while there are photos of every asana mentioned in the book, and the modifications used in the healing section, I generally feel like it's less than ideal to learn movement of any sort from photos alone. As such, I would consider this book a useful supplement to yoga classes or videos rather than a substitute for them.
A little aside, because this book is a little older, it's funny to see that in the photos, all of the students are wearing leotards or shorts and t-shirts, instead of the now-ubiquitous "yoga pants."
There's a couple of things I like about this book:
The author is all about encouraging yoga practitioners to modify each posture as needed to accommodate their own body. He spells out how strict adherence to "textbook perfect" form can result in injury, or just a less-efficient practice for your body. He also discusses common "release valves" where postures lose integrity as we try to force ourselves to look just like the teacher or the person next to us. Reading this book and comparing it to what I know about my own body has caused me to pay more attention to my approach to yoga and stretching and to make sure that I honor my own body and work in the way that is best for it.
I also appreciate the thorough discussion of anatomy, because I like knowing how and why the book works.
However, the section on healing is a bit tedious, as almost every case study also talks about a problem in the student's life and how through their yoga lessons, the author also gave the student advice and they fixed their other problems as well as their physical problems, yay. While sometimes I could see how it made sense to include it in the book (student had a lot of stress, teacher gave them breathing exercises and such to manage stress, student had less stress, it's related to yoga, ok), other times I really felt like it was just the teacher tooting his own horn and/or trying to falsely conflate a regular yoga practice with improving your relationships and such.
I did appreciate that although there are yoga practices in here designed to help with various health problems, the author states repeatedly that they should be used alongside whatever treatment you're receiving from your doctor.
However, he also states repeatedly that each sample practice was designed for that student based not just on the health problem in question but the over-all condition of their body, and that it is not considered prescriptive. As such, it seems like this book is better suited to the teacher or very experienced yoga practitioner as inspiration for developing their own "healing" practice than for the average beginner to intermediate student.
And while there are photos of every asana mentioned in the book, and the modifications used in the healing section, I generally feel like it's less than ideal to learn movement of any sort from photos alone. As such, I would consider this book a useful supplement to yoga classes or videos rather than a substitute for them.
A little aside, because this book is a little older, it's funny to see that in the photos, all of the students are wearing leotards or shorts and t-shirts, instead of the now-ubiquitous "yoga pants."
August 13, 2009
We're using this book as our text for my Viniyoga teacher training classes. At first it seemed like an enormous amount of information, but as we utilize it in class I'm finding that it barely scratches the surface. It's a really good basis for learning the basics of Viniyoga (a therapeutic form of hatha yoga).
September 3, 2013
This is a mandatory textbook in my yoga teacher training program. I agree with other reviewers that in places it barely scratches the surface, and there are a couple of mistakes that I'm sorry weren't fixed in later editions.
However, as a teacher training reference, it's one of the best.
However, as a teacher training reference, it's one of the best.
December 19, 2014
Really nice book of case studies in Yoga for rehabilitation and treatment of injury and other conditions. The author is very humble and provides a great host of reference material to look back on as a yoga instructor.
October 15, 2025
I recommend this to people constantly. It's a favorite of mine. It breaks down yoga sequences into something that's easy to understand/follow. There's a yoga practice for anything and everything. I LOVE THIS BOOK!
January 10, 2017
An excellent resource and quick read. Something to go back to again and again to instill an understanding of yoga therapy and the most subtle processes of sequencing.
August 17, 2017
So many great thought and truths, not to mention the poses.
It's the process, not the product. I've been practicing yoga postures for 40 years and I learned something profound from this book.
It's the process, not the product. I've been practicing yoga postures for 40 years and I learned something profound from this book.
March 28, 2020
This was one of my text books in yoga teacher training last year. We weren't required to read it, but it was a suggested book. I finally got around to reading it and I'm so glad I did! It is full of so much good information and a great explanation for the practice of viniyoga specifically. I agree with other reviewers that this book just barely scratches the surface. It is a great introductory book to anyone interested in deepening their yoga practice.
December 26, 2025
This book is a resource that I continuously refer to when working with clients or when I want to add unique variations of movements to group classes. I have returned over and over to various chapters when needing to build a sequence or workshop. This is one of the most referenced books I speak about when talking with movement professionals. Very well written and straightforward.
August 12, 2022
Vini Yoga is a form of yoga therapy of which I am fond of because yoga therapy is adaptable and works holistically with all body types and abilities. Yoga therapy adapts to where the individual is at mentally and physically. This is a much loved book on my shelf.
December 30, 2018
This was one of the first books I read during my registered yoga teacher training in 2010. It served as a wonderful companion to what I was learning on my mat.
July 6, 2019
I took Yoga teacher training a few years ago and this book was required reading. Excellent book and I am still using it for reference.
November 23, 2019
Kinda of old fashioned
July 18, 2020
A reference book for me - I have read sections many times, but not cover to cover.
August 1, 2021
Great book on alignment and postures. Also good reference for sequencing
October 24, 2010
This book has a lot of good information. The instructions for the poses and the photos showing them are very good.
The one thing I didn't really like about this book was the use of all the long foreign words for the names of the poses. I like seeing that, but I'd also have like to have seen what we normally call the pose in Englis. When I go to yoga class the instructor doesn't tell us to move into Adho Mukha Svanasana, she says to move into Downward Facing Dog.
The one thing I didn't really like about this book was the use of all the long foreign words for the names of the poses. I like seeing that, but I'd also have like to have seen what we normally call the pose in Englis. When I go to yoga class the instructor doesn't tell us to move into Adho Mukha Svanasana, she says to move into Downward Facing Dog.
November 16, 2012
A great resource for understanding the yogic principles and the value to mental, physical and spiritual well-being. Gary Kraftsow is my teacher and writes with the depth of knowledge he has learned over 40 years of study.
Read
May 17, 2013Used this a few times, there's even a practice specifically for Crohn's, but I've always found yoga from a book less fulfilling, so it ended up stuck in a box for years and now gets to go to someone else, hopefully help them.
Currently reading
February 2, 2009Teacher Training
August 28, 2015
a good book for teachers who deal with students who have health problems.
a book to keep, and reread, reference, learn and teach from.
a book to keep, and reread, reference, learn and teach from.
July 14, 2015
Exceptionally useful book. Thoughtfully written
November 23, 2015
I'm taking vini yoga so found this book very enlightening. Enjoyed learning about the practice.
September 5, 2007
it helped deepen my understanding of my own practice
August 17, 2008
using this one all the time!!!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews