Sunday, April 6, 2014

Yoga Sparks by Carol Krucoff


For the past three-plus years I have attended a once-a-week yoga class. Not the hot and sweaty, downward dog type of class, but a gentle yoga workout that focuses on breathing, flexibility, and strength.

The class is made up of women of a certain age - although the occasional man does show up. It is a small group, perhaps six or seven regulars, and we are all just trying to stay limber and balanced.

We started out doing the poses in a chair, but now we have graduated to the mat. There is no competition, we laugh often, and breathe, breathe, breathe. 

I am not one for group workouts, but I enjoy this class, rarely miss it, and have seen some healthful changes in all parts of my life. The instructor is calm and soft-spoken and I trust her.

So I was attracted to a small book on the library's New Book shelf: Yoga Sparks - 108 Easy Practices for Stress Relief in a Minute of Less. It is written by Carol Kurcoff, a yoga therapist at Duke Integrative Medicine in Durham, North Carolina.  Her book incorporates not only physical Sparks - simple poses that can be done anywhere from at your desk to in your car to standing at the kitchen sink - but spiritual and mental practices as well. 

There are five main sections outlining practices that can be performed: Anywhere, Around the House, At Work, On the Go, and With Others.

Within each section are the Sparks that focus on four aspects of yoga practice: Posture (with helpful drawings), Breathing, Meditation, and Principles. So not only did I learn a few new stretching poses, but I also got tips on deep abdominal breathing to relieve stress, how to still my mind (I need a lot of work on that one!), and thoughts on the ethical and moral values in the yoga tradition. 


I was delighted with this book. It reinforces some of the techniques that I have learned in the class and offers some new poses. The author is clear with her instructions and encouraging with her words so it is perfect whether you are a beginner or have been going to formal classes for some time. I have already added some of her practices to my own daily round.

No special clothing or yoga mat needed.

10 comments:

  1. Thanks for another book I hope I'll enjoy and use. I've just ordered a copy. I have several yoga books and took one yoga class (at which I felt totally overwhelmed). I need a way to de-stress and stay relatively fit, so this may be the one!

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    1. Joan, I think you will find Yoga Sparks to be helpful. I had wanted to take a gentle yoga class for many years and finally found one that didn't begin at 8:30 in the morning! This is an mid-afternoon class and suits my schedule much better.

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  2. Well done Belle,
    For some years I have attempted to read (and practice) as much as I can on “mindfulness” or to try to be fully in the moment, as you say….“Anywhere, Around the House, At Work, On the Go, and With Others” . Some wise sage said: “If you are chopping the carrots….just chop the carrots!” Unfortunately these days constant distractions are overwhelming and we can allow precious moment ( the now) to be lost, or underappreciated. I recall many years ago while riding (a bicycle) through the Rockies we had stopped for lunch at a spectacular river convergence just as a tour bus stopped. Out spilled the contents that literally fell over each other getting their cameras, cell phones and misc. recording devices to capture the beauty. It struck me that I saw very few who simply stood, and absorbed this wonderful beauty. In a society that has the ability (electronically) to connect us yet how many times do we see people gathered together yet choosing to try to connect with others simultaneously? We lose much by not being in the moment Your Haiku experiment, a few months ago, is this principal in action. I’ll get off my soap-box now and commend you for your efforts and good luck.

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    1. Thanks, Tullik. I too have witnessed the mass taking of photos and missing the actual beauty or event. I am conscious of that when I travel and try to limit my photos. I much prefer sketching - although I am not very accomplished - as it makes me slow down and really look at what I want to capture.

      Staying in the moment is so tied to our breath and is always available. I just need to remind myself of that...often!

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  3. I started doing yoga to relieve stress years ago and it totally works. I'm a big fan. This book sounds awesome. Can't wait to give it a read.

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    1. Lark, if you are already practicing yoga I think this book will reinforce what you are doing. I liked the way the author brought in the meditative and principle traditions along with the physical poses of yoga. And you are right, yoga works.

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  4. This post is almost spooky, Belle. I also attend a once a week gentle yoga class! I've done yoga off and on for years, mostly using DVDs until this class came along. I love it--of all the things I do, yoga makes me feel the best.

    I also already have this book on my TBR list. It sounds great, exactly like something I'd enjoy.

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    1. Hi, Kathy. I have dubbed my class The Yoga Lilies! It took me a long time to find a group that didn't meet at the crack of dawn! I have worked up a 20-minute routine that I practice in the mornings and that has helped so much. I am not into calisthenics so the gentle stretch that yoga offers is just my cup of tea. I think you will find the book helpful and it will reinforce what you are learning in your class.

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  5. Belle, I love the idea of your gentle yoga class. There is a yoga center in my neighborhood and if I could sleep-walk to the 7:30 a,n, class, it would be fine. Somehow I don't do it.:). Yoga would be so good for me, because I am less flexible as I get older. Occasionally I do a Sun Salutation (a very slow one), but I'm sure the poses in this book would help me. What a good reminder that we need to slow down!

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    1. Kat, I don't know what yoga teachers are thinking when they schedule a 'gentle' class at the break of day! Don't they realize that we of a certain age don't like to leave our homes before noon?! Anyway, this is a lively book and helpful in so many ways.

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