Threads of Yoga: Themes, Reflections, and Meditations to Weave into Your Practice
Pamela Seelig
Publisher Shambhala (September 28, 2021)
Language : English
Paperback : 240 pages
ISBN-10 : 1611808790
ISBN-13 : 978-1611808797
Item Weight : 8.8 ounces
Dimensions : 5.51 x 0.7 x 8.49 inches
Yoga draws many practitioners because of its physical benefits, but it is often the experience of peace that people return for. Threads of Yoga supports those seeking to learn more about yoga’s deeper spiritual teachings, helping to deepen and enliven your yoga practice with 30 themes based on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras that can inspire on and off the mat.
Each short chapter introduces a foundational yogic theme, such as letting go, the breath, the yamas and the niyamas, and the chakra system. Each theme is accompanied by practices, including meditation, complementary poses, breath work, or quotes to contemplate.
Threads of Yoga is an ideal guide for both practitioners and teachers who want to connect with the spiritual wisdom of yoga, deepen their personal practice, or develop and support a theme for a yoga class.
Review: Threads of Yoga Pamela Seelig
I was pleasantly surprised when Michelle asked if I would review Pamela Seelig's book Threads of Yoga: Themes, Reflections, and Meditations to Weave Into Your Practice.
Many people come to yoga from the perspective of health improvement. Taking time for ourselves helps us sharpen our mental and physical health through better self-esteem, stress management, and overall well-being.
Practicing Yoga is not new to me. I can’t remember exactly how it was that I first came across Yoga but recall I started it back in the 1990’s because I was searching for a way to obtain therapeutic benefits with more flexibility and strength.
Not long after starting Yoga, I realized, it is encompassing and inclusive. It’s allowed me to work on my approach to life - balancing stress as well as gaining flexibility, focus, and strength.
Threads of Yoga provide the scope of the meaning behind the movements and look beyond the postures to explain the themes and practices inspired by the Sutras. You will learn what asanas (poses or postures) can be used.
Seelig gives insight into meditation and breathwork and encourages trying different yoga styles. She provides advice on how to move your body and the chapters are rounded out with Quotes to Contemplate.
Taking time for ourselves is a great way to improve our minds and body. And breathing exercises alone are an excellent mechanism for coping with things we deal with daily. Breathing exercises can help control the respiration process, improve lung function, lower anxiety, and blood pressure, help with circulation, etc.
Seelig’s breathwork exercises allow one to connect more closely to their sense of purpose!
What I like best about this book is that Seelig informs my thinking. She reminds us of the vulnerability we all face and shares how life is ever-changing. She showed us how her struggle with Bell's palsy ( paralysis or weakness of the muscles on one side of the face ) lead to her inspiring others by teaching yoga.
She lets us know that by addressing difficult emotional and psychological, or social issues, we can find a more harmonious or focused state. We are able to acknowledge that when we open our hearts it’s easy to encourage others. And, by quieting our mind we recognize a feeling of gratitude for things we may have taken or granted.
I received a copy of this book from Michelle Fitzgerald, Publicity Director, FSB Associates.