“…when you’re over 50 I think it’s critical to adjust your routines to fit your body. And it’s equally important to know that such adjustments in no way diminish the fundamental concepts of Yoga practice or philosophy.” ~ Larry Payne
In 1999 the original “Yoga for Dummies” by Georg Feuerstein and Larry Payne changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people by making this ancient Indian practice easily accessible for Americans. Now Larry Payne has done it again by carefully tailoring yoga for people over fifty in his new masterpiece “Yoga After 50 For Dummies.”
Larry Payne, Ph.D. is the founding president of the International Association of Yoga Therapists. Named “one of America’s most respected Yoga teachers” by the Los Angeles Times, he also developed yoga programs at the UCLA School of Medicine and Loyola Marymount University.
Edited by Yoga Therapist Don Henry, “Yoga After 50 For Dummies” will help older people improve balance, flexibility, mental clarity, balance, agility, and overall well-being. This book takes the guesswork out of starting or continuing yoga at 50 and beyond. Readers will learn how to adapt postures and breathing to their changing bodies to reap the benefits of this ancient practice and use it to calm their minds and improve their bodies.
I was extremely impressed in how comprehensive “Yoga After 50 For Dummies” is. I am 54 and like many over-achievers injured my shoulder doing chaturanga dandasana into upward dog about ten years ago. In their new book, I greatly appreciated how Larry and Don focused on safety and proper sequencing first and provided explicit instructions on how to have my spine and limbs properly aligned with the aid of photos.
According to Larry, “The goal of this new book is to make yoga accessible to almost everyone. You don’t need to be athletic, flexible or strong to do Yoga after the age of 50 — all you have to do is concentrate, breathe and relax!” Whether it is in his Prime of Life Yoga™ approach, or in his new book, Larry’s basic premise is that you do not have to do the difficult poses (the ones that hyper-mobile former-ballerinas often demonstrate on Instagram) to receive the benefits of yoga.
Larry and Don are dedicated to the concept of creating yoga practices that are accessible to anyone at any age. This is a book about accessibility. It is a book about modifying yoga instead of abandoning it.
Endorsed by the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons), “Yoga After 50 For Dummies” is beautifully and clearly written and will help an underserved population gain easy exposure to life-enhancing exercises, practices, and philosophy.