Veggie Blog

Health & Healing Through Yoga by Anandmurti Gurumaa presents yoga as a wider discipline for daily well-being rather than as a collection of stretches. The book description introduces postures, breathing practices, traditional cleansing techniques and yoga nidra alongside reflections on stress and modern health concerns.

What practices does it cover?

The original description names asanas (physical postures), pranayama (breathing practices), shatkarmas (traditional cleansing techniques) and yoga nidra (a guided relaxation practice). These belong to different parts of the yoga tradition and should not all be treated as interchangeable. Readers interested in a broad overview of the practices may appreciate that range.

What do “health” and “healing” mean here?

In promotional descriptions, these words may refer to feeling calmer, sleeping better or having a greater sense of balance. They may also be used to suggest treatment of medical conditions, which requires much stronger evidence. Although the book discusses heart disease and hypertension, it should not be treated as a medical treatment manual. A yoga practice must not replace prescribed medication, preventive care or an assessment for cardiovascular symptoms.

The NCCIH overview of yoga reports possible benefits for stress and general wellness, and notes that results differ among conditions and types of yoga. It also emphasizes using qualified instruction and seeking medical advice when appropriate.

Who might find the book interesting?

The strongest audience is a reader curious about how yoga combines physical practice, rest and personal philosophy. Someone with no experience of yoga may want to begin with gentle postures and ordinary relaxation rather than advanced breath retention or cleansing methods. Such techniques can require specific precautions and qualified supervision.

Is the book still available?

Yes. A printed edition titled Health & Healing Through Yoga: A Practical Guide for Health, Wellbeing & Conscious Living is listed for purchase, with Anandmurti Gurumaa credited as the author. Availability can vary by country.

Related on Veggie-Blog: Yoga and Stress.

Book: Health & Healing Through Yoga by Anandmurti Gurumaa
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Sometimes the title on an old blog post is not the title of the book itself. This post was originally labelled “Annie Wood Besant by Annie Wood Besant,” but the quoted introduction belongs to An Introduction to Yoga by Annie Besant. The text is based on lectures presented in Benares in 1907 and published in book form in the early twentieth century.

What is An Introduction to Yoga?

Besant set out to give readers a foundation for approaching the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Rather than offering a contemporary fitness routine, she discusses consciousness, concentration, the purpose of yoga and the philosophical questions she believed a serious student should consider. The result is a historical work of spiritual interpretation.

Why does its historical setting matter?

Annie Besant was active in the Theosophical movement, and the lectures reflect that background. Their language and assumptions belong to a particular intellectual and religious conversation of the period. Reading the book can show how yoga was presented to audiences beyond its Indian source traditions, but Besant’s interpretation should not be mistaken for the only authoritative description of those traditions.

Is it useful to modern yoga students?

For readers interested in the history of yoga ideas, yes. It offers a window into how thinkers discussed Patanjali more than a century ago. Readers looking for pose illustrations, injury modifications or practical lessons for a first class will need a different kind of book. The NCCIH overview offers a short contemporary description of the physical, breathing and meditative elements of yoga.

Where can you read it today?

One advantage of this title is that a legitimate digital text is freely available through Project Gutenberg. That page provides several e-reader formats. Print reprints and other editions are also listed by booksellers, but the exact wording, layout and scholarly notes can differ between editions.

Approach it as historical reading, with curiosity about its time and context, rather than as a source of medical or exercise advice.

Related on Veggie-Blog: Origins of Yoga and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.

Book: An Introduction to Yoga by Annie Besant
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The original version of this article introduced Weight Loss – I’ll Show You How: Using the Tools of Kundalini Yoga and Meditation by Joanne Baker. The book links Kundalini yoga, breathing, meditation and eating habits to weight management. Its emphasis on changing routines, rather than chasing a dramatic short-term result, may interest readers who enjoy the reflective side of yoga.

What does Joanne Baker’s book propose?

The historical description outlines Kundalini exercises, breathing practices, meditations, mantras and practical dietary suggestions, together with lists of habits the author regards as helpful or unhelpful. It also makes bold claims about the glandular system, metabolism and weight loss. Those are the book’s promotional claims, not established medical facts. Yoga cannot guarantee that everyone will lose weight or prevent future weight gain.

What does the research say about yoga and weight?

According to the NCCIH summary of yoga research, some studies suggest yoga may contribute to modest weight reduction, particularly when it helps people become more physically active and develop sustainable eating habits. The evidence does not support a promise that breathing exercises alone will change someone’s hormones or reliably produce weight loss.

Body weight is influenced by many factors, including health conditions, medication, sleep, food environments and individual biology. The World Health Organization recommends individualized, long-term care rather than one-size-fits-all solutions. A yoga book can contribute to a routine, but it is not a replacement for nutrition support or medical treatment when these are needed.

A practical, gentler approach

Instead of treating yoga as a test of willpower, begin with sessions that suit your mobility and experience. Combine them with enjoyable movement, nutritious meals and adequate rest. It may also help to notice whether stress changes your eating habits, without turning every meal into a judgment about yourself.

Can you still buy the original book?

I could confirm that the title and its earlier Kindle edition exist, but not that the original edition is currently purchasable. As with any weight-loss book, assess its specific claims critically.

Book: Weight Loss – I’ll Show You How by Joanne Baker
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What can yoga possibly have to do with billiards? In The Yoga of Pool: Secrets to Becoming a Champion in Billiards and in Life, Paul Rodney Turner explores that unusual connection. His book is about the mental side of pool: focus, confidence, visualization and the habits that can make a player more consistent. It is not a manual for yoga poses, nor does it pretend that flexibility alone will improve your cueing.

The inner game of billiards

A good pool player needs more than a technically sound stroke. A crowded room, a missed shot or a tight match can interrupt concentration. Turner’s approach invites players to notice these reactions instead of letting frustration decide the next shot. The author’s own account links his years of billiards practice with time spent studying spiritual teachings in India. In the book, that experience becomes a framework for discussing composure and self-development.

What can readers expect?

On his official book page, Turner describes concise chapters about the ingredients of a good billiards game, including the practical use of visualization and mental management. This makes the book particularly relevant to regular pool players who already know basic mechanics but want to work on their match temperament.

Does visualization guarantee better performance?

No. Visualization can be one part of a practice routine, but it does not replace coaching, sound technique or hours at the table. Players can experiment with a simple pre-shot routine: check the line, settle their breathing, picture the intended contact and then commit to the stroke. Improvement still needs to be tested during actual games rather than assumed from a book’s claims.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health explains that relaxation techniques may help people manage stress. That supports the idea of learning to settle one’s nerves, but it does not establish that a particular pool method creates champions.

Is this book still available?

Yes. At the time of this review, the author offers The Yoga of Pool in digital and printed formats through his own store. That is a more reliable purchasing route to check than assuming a historical Amazon edition is still in stock.

Related on Veggie-Blog: Sports Fitness.

Book: The Yoga of Pool: Secrets to Becoming a Champion in Billiards and in Life by Paul Rodney Turner
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From the creator of the bestselling “Office Yoga” comes the ultimate guide for harried travelers and commuters, with 50 tips and techniques for relaxation and rejuvenation.

Ease the aches, ease the pains, and ease on down the road. From the creator of the best-selling Office Yoga comes the ultimate guide for harried travelers and commuters. Taking the age-old practice of yoga and adapting it for our modern lives, author Darrin Zeer has compiled more than 50 techniques to help travelers relieve muscle tension, master the art of waiting, create hotel room harmony, blow off steam, and arrive revived. The removable guide in back is especially useful for frequent fliers, outlining stretches perfectly suited for small spaces. Packed with playful illustrations by Frank Montagna, Travel Yoga offers a host of techniques guaranteed to soften any landing.

Darrin Zeer spent seven years in Asia studying the Eastern arts of healing. An advocate for a more balanced workplace, he has appeared in Time, on NPR, and in hundreds of other media outlets. He lives in California.
Frank Montagna is a Los Angeles–based illustrator whose work has appeared in New York Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, Cosmo Girl, Modern Bride, and several other publications and books

Book: Travel Yoga by Frank Montagna
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