Yoga for Pain Relief: Simple Practices to Calm Your Mind and Heal Your Chronic Pain

It's no secret that yoga increases muscular flexibility and strength, but you may not know that yoga is a proven treatment for back pain, knee pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other chronic pain conditions. Yoga also helps to ease the stress, anxiety, and depression that can create and reinforce pain, making you feel more comfortable in both your mind and your body.

Written by a yoga instructor and former chronic pain sufferer, Yoga for Pain Relief is packed with gentle postures and practical strategies for ending pain. This complete mind-body tool kit for healing also includes deep relaxation practices drawn from the yogic tradition and psychological techniques for helping you make peace with your body and dissolve pain. As the ancient practice of yoga releases the hold that chronic pain has over your life, you will begin to feel more like yourself again.

Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., is an award-winning instructor at Stanford University, where she teaches yoga, psychology, and healthy back classes. She is a leader in mind-body science and practice, and provides teacher trainings and continuing education for yoga, fitness, and health care professionals. McGonigal is editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy and a frequent writer for publications such as Yoga Journal and IDEA Fitness Journal. Visit her online at www.kellymcgonigal.com.

Foreword writer Timothy McCall, MD, is a board-certified internist, medical editor of Yoga Journal, and author of two books, Yoga as Medicine and Examining Your Doctor. He currently lives in the San Francisco Bay area, and presents lectures, seminars, and yoga workshops internationally.