Adaptive Yoga

The massive growth in the popularity of yoga as a form of exercise and as a method of maintaining whole-body wellness has led to thousands of published research studies confirming what yoga practitioners already know: Yoga relieves stress, improves mental and emotional health, enhances sleep, relieves low back pain and neck pain, promotes weight loss, and even enables smoking cessation. Further study has proven that yoga helps individuals with disabilities improve their functional activities of daily living, recover from injuries, gain mobility, experience less pain, and manage anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Adaptive Yoga takes these studies out of the research labs and onto the yoga mat to empower individuals with disabilities or chronic health conditions to create an effective and safe yoga practice. If you work with these special populations as a yoga teacher or rehabilitative therapist, you will find guidance and recommended poses for some of the most common conditions and disabilities, including these:

• Low back pain
• Hip, knee, and rheumatoid arthritis
• Spinal cord injury
• Stroke
• Cerebral palsy
• Lower limb amputation
• Parkinson's disease
• Multiple sclerosis

Each pose is presented in detail so you fully understand how it helps the student improve functionality. The text instructs the reader on how to enter, hold, and exit the pose safely, as well as why the pose is beneficial for that condition. When appropriate, contraindications are presented so the yoga practice can be tailored to address any additional conditions or limitations. Challenge variations and restorative modifications for many poses make further individualization possible.

In Adaptive Yoga, authors Ingrid Yang, MD, and Kyle Fahey, DPT, have combined their extensive backgrounds in yoga, medicine, and physical therapy with their unique insights and passion for movement and rehabilitation to present an essential guide for helping those with chronic conditions experience the countless physical and mental benefits of yoga practice.

CE exam available! For certified professionals, a companion continuing education exam can be completed after reading this book. The Adaptive Yoga Online CE Exam may be purchased separately or as part of the Adaptive Yoga With CE Exam package that includes both the book and the exam.
This resource will help yoga teachers, physical therapists, and individuals with disabilities create safe and effective yoga practices that accommodate conditions such as low back pain, arthritis, spinal cord injury, stroke, cerebral palsy, limb amputation, Parkinson's, and multiple sclerosis.
"Although the benefits of adaptive yoga for people with unique physical abilities are being increasingly recognized, there are no published guidelines for safe implementation. Dr. Yang's and Dr. Fahey's expertise in Adaptive Yoga fills a much-needed void. This will be a go-to guide--not only for people with disabilities but also for yoga instructors and for health care professionals hoping to integrate holistic interventions with their patients."
--Kelly Krese, DPT, NCS, Neurologic Physical Therapist at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab

"In this important work, Dr. Yang and Dr. Fahey invite you to come back to the essence of yoga, illustrating in a clear and comprehensive way how the postures can (and should) be adapted to each person according to their specific needs. This guide is an essential contribution to the field of yoga therapy, outlining safe and effective practices to promote healing and optimal well-being."
--Rachel Krentzman PT, C-IAYT, Physical Therapist, Yoga Therapist, and Author of Yoga for a Happy Back and Scoliosis, Yoga Therapy, and the Art of Letting Go

"As a physical therapist and yoga and movement educator, I get goose bumps thinking about the power of this book's message and the overall work of Dr. Ingrid Yang. Ingrid is defying convention in her field to amplify and lead with a simple, noninvasive, nonpharmaceutical approach that could enhance the quality of life for those experiencing challenging and sometimes disabling conditions. This is a well-referenced guide to understanding how and why to apply yoga asana under a wide range of circumstances."
--Ariele Foster, DPT, PT, E-RYT 500, Founder of YogaAnatomyAcademy.com

"This detailed yet accessibly written book is a gift for curious students of yoga, a resource for yoga teachers, and a primer for rehabilitation professionals seeking to understand the use of yoga asana as a targeted means of increasing strength and flexibility. It is also, crucially, a welcome portal to further exploration: As Dr. Yang and Dr. Fahey remind readers, "The goal of adaptive yoga is not only to modify yoga poses but to use yoga as a tool to improve mobility, function, and quality of life."
--Laurie Hyland Robertson, Editor in Chief of Yoga Therapy Today

"This book is an amazing effort and accomplishment to help fill a void our health care system is not always able to fill."
--Bijal Patel, MD, Nephrologist, Patient Advocate, and Physician Advocate

"Adaptive Yoga is a well-thought-out introduction to yoga posture variations to help both yoga professionals and health care providers serve wider audiences. The book is an important bridge that will allow many more individuals to safely access the important health benefits of yoga asana practice."
--Matthew J. Taylor, PT, PhD, C-IAYT, National Yoga Safety Expert, Past President of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, and Board Member of Accessible Yoga