Product Description: Sometimes called "yoga in action," Thai massage has worked its relaxing wonders for more than 1,000 years. Explore its secrets with a detailed program that includes ten complete lessons, each concentrating on a particular part of the body. Like other forms of massage, it employs a flowing sequence of stretches, but instead of using only your fingers, pressure is applied with the thumbs, palms, elbows, knees, and feet. Full-color photographs of every move match still shots with superimposed artwork that indicate the direction of the movements. Each technique is clearly explained and its benefits--from improved flexibility to increased vitality--detailed.

Thai Massage Manual: Natural Therapy for Flexibility, Relaxation, and Energy Balance (Paperback)

Fit to a Tee: The Ultimate Endurance, Strength & Flexibility System for Golfers of Every Ability (Paperback)

Product Description: A warm-up routine prepares the athlete for more intense movements requiring speed and strength. It is designed to gradually adjust his/her organism to more effectively cope with relatively high physical demands. Therefore, an adequate warm-up is important for all athletic activities, whether it be a training session or a competition.

In any athletic activity, it is important to gradually increase the intensity of effort, so that the gradually prepared organism is less susceptible to injury of muscles and related tissue, and capable of much higher levels of performance.

All activity necessitates an increased rate of fuel consumption, specifically in the muscles involved. This is above the normal metabolic processes at rest. An ongoing, increased rate of fuel consumption is only possible when the arteries deliver the nutritive material at a faster rate. This can only be achieved gradually by following a well-designed warm-up routine. It is the easily begun, gradually increased activity during warm-up that stimulates the nervous system and gives it time to set into action this delivery process. As the body temperature rises, the heart rate is increased, and the arteries and capillaries are opened with a resultant increase in the volume of blood flowing to the muscles and delivering nutritive material (oxygen and fuel foods) at a higher rate. This brings about an equal response in the nervous system to more quickly remove metabolic wastes from the muscles.

Warm-Up and Preparation for Athletes of All Sports: A Complete Book of Warm-Up and Flexibility Exercises (Paperback)

Product Description: Tens of thousands of athletes know Beryl Bender Birch, Wellness Director for the New York Road Runners Club, as the teacher who showed them that yoga could protect them from injuries and improve their athletic performance. In Power Yoga, the first book on astanga yoga, a unique form of hatha yoga designed to build strength and stamina, Birch brings the ancient spiritual and physical practice to the West. Through anecdotes, detailed instructions, and hundreds of illustrations, Birch provides a total workout plan that's perfect for elite athletes, weekend warriors, and people just starting a fitness program. The Power Yoga workout combines dynamic breathing with a series of strong, flowing movements that create a high-heat, high-energy workout. "It (Power Yoga) will work on your body, your mind, your whole self," says Birch. The end result is a stronger, more flexible body; increased endurance, discipline, and self-awareness; and better overall health and fitness. -- Ellen Albertson

Power Yoga: The Total Strength and Flexibility Workout (Paperback)