Yoga Abs ─ Moving From Your Core

A unique vocabulary exists that ascribes a variety of emotions to the belly: "my guts are in a knot," "I knew it in my gut," "gut-wrenching," and "no guts, no glory." Yet too often, more emphasis is placed on the way the abdomen looks than how it feels and functions - a sterling six-pack can mask true abdominal trouble. Yoga Abs outlines a series of exercises, yoga poses (asana), and breathing practices designed to achieve optimal health for this crucial area, which houses the organs of both digestion and procreation. Drawing on her experience as a yoga instructor and physical therapist, Judith Hanson Lasater discusses the anatomy and philosophical aspects of the abdomen and offers a set of movements that create awareness of important muscles while developing and maintaining abdominal strength. Each exercise and asana lists the props or supports needed, safety guidelines, and practice instructions, and the book includes practical guidelines for moving mindfully through everyday tasks.

Judith Lasater has taught yoga since 1971. She holds a doctorate in East-West psychology and is a physical therapist. Dr. Lasater is the president of the California Yoga Teachers Association and serves on the advisory boards of Yoga Journal and the Yoga Research and Education Center.

Her yoga training includes study with B. K. S. Iyengar in India and the United States. She teaches ongoing yoga classes and trains yoga teachers in kinesiology, yoga therapeutics, and the Yoga Sutra at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco. In addition, she leads workshops and retreats throughout the United States and abroad.

Dr. Lasater writes extensively about yoga. Her feature articles, columns, and essays appear in numerous books, magazines, and anthologies. She is the author of Relax and Renew: Restful Yoga for Stressful Times, the first book devoted to the supported yoga poses and breathing techniques called restorative yoga.

Judith Lasater lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and three children.