Yoga as Medicine: The Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing

by Timothy McCall

The definitive book of yoga therapy, this groundbreaking work comes to you from the medical editor of the country’s premier yoga magazine, who is both a practicing yogi and a Western-trained physician.

Beginning with an overview of the history and science of yoga, Dr. McCall describes the many different techniques in the yoga tool kit; explains what yoga does and who can benefit from it (virtually everyone!); and provides lavishly illustrated and minutely detailed instructions on starting a yoga practice geared to your fitness level and your health status. Yoga as Medicine offers a wealth of practical information, including how to:

•Utilize yogic tools, including postures, breathing techniques, and meditation, for both prevention and healing of illness

•Master the art of becoming more in tune with your body

•Communicate more effectively with your doctor

•Adopt therapeutic yoga practices as either an alternative or a complement to surgery and to expensive, sometimes dangerous medications

•Practice safely

Find an instructor and a style of yoga that are right for you. With twenty chapters devoted to the work of individual master teachers, including such well-known figures as Patricia Walden, John Friend, and Rodney Yee, Yoga as Medicine shows how these experts have applied the wisdom of this ancient holistic practice to twenty different conditions, ranging from arthritis to chronic fatigue, depression, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, infertility, insomnia, multiple sclerosis, and obesity. Defining yoga as “a systematic technology to improve the body, understand the mind, and free the spirit,“ Dr. McCall shows the way to a path that can truly alter your life.

An indispensable guide for the millions who now practice yoga or would like to begin, as well as for yoga teachers, body workers, doctors, nurses, and other health professionals.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Reference, Self Help, Fitness, Medical, Spirituality

592 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Ashley Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive guide- extolling the virtues of breath work and meditation- that offers advice for specific health complaints.

[Lesli Banek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! This book taught me so much about using yoga as a healing modality. The information was well organized and backed by numerous studies and anecdotal evidence. I highly recommend this book to anyone in the medical field, people looking to deepen their yoga practice, or someone looking for alternative treatments for a medical condition.

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important book for all.

"Critical to understanding the mind's contribution to perpetuating bad habits is what the ancient yogis called samskaras. Samskaras (sahm-SCAR-ahs) are habits of action and thought that get deeper all the time, like grooves in a muddy road. From a yogic perspective, every time you do or think something, you increase the likelihood that you will do or think it again. That's true of both desirable and undesirable thoughts and actions." (p. 20)

""Take care of the present," the twentieth-century yoga master Ramana Maharshi said. "The future will take care of itself." (p. 24)


"...if you are to understand what the ancient yogis thought, some knowledge of Ayurveda is essential." (p. 82)


Sanskrit words from the Sanskrit Glossary:

Ahimsa: Nonviolence to yourself and others. The first of Patanjali's yamas and the foundation of the practice of yoga.

Guru: One who removes darkness. A teacher.

Tantra: An ancient yogic path that stresses that enlightenment can come through the body, and not just by transcending it as is taught in the more ascetic, classical yoga.

Yoga: The state of connection or union. A technology of life transformation. Also often used as shorthand to refer to the practices, particularly asana, that comprise yoga.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the modifications and foci for different diseases and conditions in this book really interesting. The chapter on asthma was very informative for me. I knew I breathed funny because of my asthma, but this book not only told me all the ways I was breathing wrong, but had exercises to help correct my problems. I'm trying to breathe through my nose instead of my mouth now, and to breathe more slowly when I exercise. A good book if you want a more naturopathic way to deal with a specific illness or condition, or if you're a yoga instructor.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was required for Yoga Teacher training in anatomy and I’m very impressed by the vast amount of information I leaned as a layman without medical background. It was clear, understandable and had hundreds of practical applications for all kinds of medical issues, many of which I have encountered as a yoga teacher and had not known how to offer help. Excellent book!

[V Massaglia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as a part of a course I took at the University of Minnesota: "Yoga: Ethics, Spirituality, and Healing." The class was designed using evidence-based research and methods and truly opened my eyes to the practice. McCall presents yoga as "a series of practices that allow you to steadily gain discipline, strength, and self-control while cultivating relaxation, awareness, and equanimity."

I recommend this book, especially for those interested in learning how yoga can support one's overall health and wellbeing.

A few quotes:

"Yoga is all about balance" (p. 8).

What the practice of yoga does is challenge you whenever you need it, transforming liabilities into strengths, making you a more balanced person (p. 8).

"The part can never be well unless the whole is well." - Plato

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the introductory chapters (the first 7 or 8) and then quite a few of the chapters on specific yoga sequences created by famous yoga teachers in the West to treat various ailments. Yoga therapy as laid out in this book is not rocket-science, it's merely the practical application of a few basic hatha poses to heal the patient afflicted with said diagnosis. McCall is a long-time editor of Yoga Journal so he has every reason to promote yoga as therapy because it's good for business. It's not as if the culture doesn't need a better fix for our problems than the current corrupt healthcare system, but there is so much more to yoga than the poses.

[A.C. Bux · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a handy reference. Timothy Mccall details a wide array of symptoms that can be addressed with yogic principles. He underpins with scientific fact. There's plenty of accessible asanas and breathwork outlined for health and well being. It is the type of book which I would go back to time and time again.

[Savsandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Yoga as Medicine: the Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing" is on the required reading list for the 200 Hour SPRY Yoga
Teacher Training course at Savannah Power Yoga in Savannah, Georgia, a Baptiste affiliate studio. This wonderful reference is now a permanent part of my library.

[MarleneBuettner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book!

For anyone who is skeptical that Yoga is Medicine there is proof in scientific studies done to back it up. As an RN and a Yogi I was very excited to read this book! yoga is a powerful life altering medicine

[Valary Nekesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. I love the fact that there are some yoga exercises to be done.
It really expanded my knowledge on the importance of yoga and how it grows your mental and physical being. And health too

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good foundation info; I studied yoga therapy a bit in India, and this book has lots of great advice. It would be helpful if you were new to yoga and trying to heal your health. Lots of great info.

[Filis (Cadar) Omer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mixing of yoga practice with research proven benefits

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent textbook for the yoga therapist. Highly recommended

[Frederike Pracht · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the beginning I had to get used to the euphoric writing style, but because the content is so good and inspiring I can only be enthusiastic about this book. The topic “overweight” and the tips for postures are very usefull.
The pictures show the diversiteit of yoga practitioners.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read on the use of yoga to heal and rehabilitate.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually read this book last year (2020) when I was studying and preparing for my 200hr RYT training. I refer back to it often when forming my own flows and prescriptions for specific healing.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars
Very good yoga book.

Good at showing different yoga
poses that help with various but
different diseases.

[Ashlyn Cox · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a DNF. There is some good info to it, but it very much reads like a medical textbook with some medication inserts/side effects added in.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly inaccurate and irresponsible. To report as "evidence" unpublished "studies" that asked people's opinions about interventions is irresponsible. To state that a yoga instructor has the background to examine musculoskeletal function (by observation no less) is malpractice. To state that yoga as medical intervention requires an individual approach yet provide prescribed sequences for different medial conditions - none with any evidence to support them - is unconscionable. At best the meditation and breath work have positive effects but none of the physical practices was tested.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written and well structured book. Frequently return to it as a reference. Gives solid and understandable synopses of common conditions and a yogic approach to working with these conditions, each approach from a different yoga therapist from a different tradition. A bit Iyengar-centric, but that's understandable given the background of the author and the place of Iyengar in the world of yoga therapy and restorative practice.

[Sirpa Grierson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exceptionally fine book on treating specific conditions with the practice of yoga. The original intent of the practice was to heal the body, mind, and spirit through the 8-fold path. In the West, yoga has become popular and many new practitioners (and teachers) see it as another exercise routine, when it is so much more. If you want to dive deeper into the practice, it has the potential to change the way that you live.

[Brooke]

Brand new on the market as of Sep 8, '07 and absorbing material if you want to take responsibility for your own health. Don't leave it all up to your doctor to decide what is best for you! Yoga is relaxing, challenging, uplifting, invigorating, exciting... I can't say enough about what it has done for me.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yoga as Medicine is a great book, a little theory, practice and personal stories of how yoga can help anyone through many of the challenges that life sends our way. My favorite parts of the book were the reader’s digest version of many diseases and the example practices for each of these diseases.

[Zachariah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is easy to understand and very interesting. The author didn't just decide to write a book, he did copious amounts of research.

As explained in this book, you don't need to be the most flexible person in the world, you just need to try. It is definitely worth checking out by people with a general interest in yoga, a genetic abnormality, or just looking for a healthy medium.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to be very into yoga this year. Though I already have been practicing for awhile, I really want to learn more, so I'n trying to read one new book each month, as well as practice. This is a great one to start with.

[Ariele · Rating 4 out of 5]

You don't need to read the book cover to cover, but it has chapters on different medical issues. There is also good information on many different styles of yoga and how to choose one that's right for you (although I am a big fan of Anusara yoga).

[Colette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is AWESOME. Obviously I already knew that yoga is extremely beneficial, but this spells it out in western science black and white. I'm just about to begin the last section where yoga is applied to specific illnesses and conditions.

[Lynda Meyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful reference full of great information. As a nurse I really appreciated the solid foundation of anatomy and physiology presented in this book and how it looks at functional movement in the environment of chronic disease.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another excellent resource.