Yoga for You

A Woman's Book of Yoga
by Machelle M. Siebel, M.D., Hari Kaur Khalsa

Interest in yoga is at an all-time high, especially among women. Whether readers wish to begin the practice or are already involved in yoga, this innovative book will help them understand the unique benefits yoga provides for a woman's health and mental well-being.

The authors lead women of all ages through the health and life cycles specific to females by illustrating the spiritual and physical advantages of Kundalini yoga, as taught by yoga master Yogi Bhajan. Hari Khalsa applies ancient wisdom to explain how to determine and enhance one's own special relationship with the mind, body, and soul. Using his expertise on women's health issues, Dr. Siebel reveals the scientific basis for yoga's positive effects on the brain. Together, Dr. Siebel and Hari Khalsa create a dialogue of spiritualism and science, elucidating how every woman can reap the rewards of yoga for a lifetime.

Chapter 1

"Kundalini Yoga will teach you the secret of how to be Healthy, Happy, and Holy. Kundalini Yoga will make out of you a complete, happy human being. It will develop your undeveloped corners. It will give you Grace at the weakest points of your life. It will give you what you have thought not to achieve. Kundalini Yoga is the science of living as a complete woman."
— Yogi Bhajan

Yoga is for everyone. Yoga is for you. You can begin your yoga practice at any age, in any physical condition, and in any place where you can take a deep breath. For women, the benefits of yoga are vast, limited only by the degree of time and regularity that a person has to practice it. Even for the busiest women, a few minutes of yoga practice each day can bring benefits. Moreover, it can be easily integrated into your daily schedule. You can enroll in a yoga class and benefit from the power of group practice and the social aspect of classes; or, you can do yoga wherever you are at home, while the kids are napping, while nursing your baby, or in a hotel room on a business trip.

Most women who practice yoga do not have years of technical training or extraordinary flexibility. What women who practice yoga-"yoginis"-do have is the tools for accessing the depth and reality of their inner selves. Through the physical and mental practices of yoga, a woman can achieve deep relaxation that helps maintain inner peace and a positive self-image.

Yoga is especially helpful for the natural transitions of life. In this book, you will find many simple practices to help you stay healthy, calm, and strong, and to carry you forward in a natural progression towards wisdom, real beauty, and the strength of realized grace that belongs to all women.

This book is divided into sections so you can readily choose certain aspects of yoga practice that most apply to your individual situations and needs. Here is what you will find in the book:

• How to use breathing, postural, and meditation exercises to optimize your health, and how to adapt them into busy schedules. (We will suggest both minimum and ideal amounts of time for the different exercises.)

• Specific sections and activities for general female health, menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth, perimenopause and menopause, natural beauty, and self-healing.

• Explanations of yoga exercises and meditations, accompanied by their benefits.

• The science of stress, and how yoga can help relieve stress.

• The scientific basis for the beneficial effects of yoga.

• How to determine and enhance, according to ancient wisdom, your own unique female relationship with your body, mind, and soul, and the cycles you experience.

• How to use yoga for improved sexuality and intimacy.

• How, from the yoga perspective, to improve nutrition and digestion, both vital factors for good health.

This book's unique female orientation comes from the rich tradition of Kundalini yoga. Kundalini means "the curl of the lock of hair of the beloved," a metaphor to describe the presence of universal energy and consciousness within each one of us. The Kundalini energy is feminine in nature and is often referred to as Mata Shakti, the feminine Mother energy of creation. The practices described here enhance the process of merging our individual awareness with this universal Self within — how we can uncoil and awaken that feminine energy and integrate it into our lives. While yoga is essentially a spiritual path, it is at the same time a process that contributes to better physical, mental, and emotional health. Some practitioners seek the spiritual benefits. Others seek the relaxation and stress relief it brings. Others practice it for specific health benefits. The choice is yours.

In the Indian tradition, the merging with of individual universal consciousness is said to create a "divine union." In ancient Sanskrit, the word for union is "yoga." In this sense, Kundalini Yoga is totally universal and nondenominational, and the students who practice it represent all religions, races, and ethnic groups.

In the chapters to follow, you will encounter much new information that, at first, may seem a bit overwhelming. Although the technical details of all aspects of yoga practice seem complex, it all comes together naturally and easily in an actual practice session. Assimilate the technical information in A Woman's Book of Yoga as best as you can but focus on developing a simple practice. Don't be concerned if all the subtleties and aspects of yoga are not clear to you at first. Yoga practice is in the experience, not in the intellectual knowledge gained along the way. Use the Yoga At Home guides at the end of each chapter to help you simplify your approach and take your time absorbing the depth of the Kundalini Yoga tradition.

Here, we will concentrate on some of the primary aspects that make up the rich tradition of Kundalini Yoga.

Copyright © November 2002, Avery Books, a member of Penguin Putnam, Inc., used by permission.

About the Author

Machelle Siebel, M.D., is a reproductive endocrinologist at the Fertility Center of New England and a clinical professor of gynecology and obstetrics at Boston University School of Medicine. He is an expert in alternative and nutritional approaches to gynecology.

Hari Kaur Khalsa, one of the most respected Kundalini yoga and meditation teachers in the world, has created specialized programs for pregnant women, senior citizens, and youngsters. She is the Director of International Teacher Training in the United States and India.