A complete manual to learn, practice and teach the “Puja Method”
A complete manual to learn, practice and teach the “Puja Method”
More than 38 years ago I began to deepen the practice of yoga while embarking on my journey along the “path of love” with the Kripalu Yoga Center in the United States.
There I immersed myself in a yogic way of life and began my studies of Kripalu Yoga for 6 amazing years. After leaving the center I went on to study and further my development as a yogini diving into; Iyengar, Ashtanga (Mysore style) and Anusara all led by wonderful teachers.
I had already been introduced to Restorative Yoga by Eileen Muir at our yoga studio in Amherst MA. USA and I practiced and taught restorative yoga, it was in the late 1990s at our yoga studio that I fell deeply in love with Restorative Yoga.
I was deeply moved by the teaching methods and expertise of one of the teachers who we invited to teach at our center.
Judith Lasater, a pioneer in bringing Restorative Yoga to the west, had just published her first book on restorative yoga, Rest and Renew. She was a stand out teacher for me. I had the pleasure of learning from her. She impacted me in such a way that from then on, yoga restorative became an integral part of both my practice and my teaching.
I have had the opportunity to patiently and lovingly guide a wide variety of students, and with time and experimentation I realized that I wanted to share all that I had learned with other teachers.
I began to focus on the art of teaching it in various workshops and practice sessions for teachers, but still felt the desire to create something deeper, broader, something that would include both the core and the complexities of this unique focus of yoga.
I have integrated much of my learning of the human body/mind over the years of yoga practice and my experience as a massage therapist into a restorative yoga method that I call the Puja Method, or Puja Yoga.
This method is explained in my book “Restorative Yoga with Assists”.
Built on decades of experience teaching at all levels of practice, this book offers a clear training manual to deepen and understand the teaching and practice of The Puja Method of Restorative Yoga.
AN ESSENTIAL BOOK IN YOUR LIFE
By reading this book, you will master the art of teaching and practicing restorative yoga and deep relaxation.
This is a great resource for yoga teachers and students who are either teaching or practicing Restorative Yoga .
It includes a chapter on pregnancy, from conception to postpartum poses, and sequences for a variety of conditions.
THE MANUAL FOR MY TRAININGS
In addition to the detailed explanations, the book has more than 100 photos to help you understand each position, and a set of assists to take your students to a deep level of relaxation.
With this book I refer to restorative yoga not as a new style or school of yoga, but as a selection of poses, many of which use props to help the practitioner explore deeper relaxation, stillness, and inner peace along with the many physical benefits of the practice.
My method of teaching restorative yoga combines postures (asanas) with props, mindful breathing (pranayama), relaxation, hands on assists and techniques to calm the body and mind.
Restorative yoga explores each student’s individual ability to relax deeply, to understand their bodies and minds more intimately, and to open their hearts more fully to love.
Generally speaking, in the restorative practice we move through a progressive series of postures using various props to support us.
When the body is supported by these props (blankets, pillows, blocks, straps, eye bags, walls and chairs) the body, mind and spirit receive the message to let go of deep tensions that can be held within.
Each pose has a variety of benefits that are explained in detail in this book, and with each pose, students learn the “art of relaxation” that leads to a place of peace and quiet.
When it comes to experiencing deep relaxation, recovery to health can occur on many levels.
This unique approach allows you to explore the very essence of yoga as a unifying process.
Learning the art of relaxation is like working a muscle. We can relax more easily when we have previously paved the way to facilitate it.
Restorative Yoga and working with the mind using the techniques offered in this book will give you the necessary tools to promote relaxation in both others and yourself.
I would like to invite you to explore the capabilities for personal transformation of this beautiful practice using these steps with your students and in your own exploration.
What readers say…
What I really like about the book is that it’s clear, you know where to find what, in the book.
The book has a lot of poses explained in detail. It has a chapter on how to prepare for a Yoga class as a teacher. But you can definitely use this book when you’re interested in practicing Restorative Yoga by yourself.
Also some information and sequences about pregnancy. It has about 13 different sequences for various things (i.e.: depression, pregnancy, anxiety, exhaustion, menopause, etc).
I use this book myself for my own practice, but we also used it during the Teacher Training I did with Sue.
She’s such a great Yoga teacher. She has a real talent of making people at ease in class and also a lot of experience in the Yoga field.
You can also experience her personality in her writing. It’s very approachable.
Restorative yoga is a deeply nurturing practice for beginning and experienced yoga students. As a nurse and yoga teacher I am always seeking good reference resources for adapting practice for yoga students living with illness or injury. Puja Sue Flamm has brought so much together in this book. It’s a great addition to my yoga library, and it’s also deepened my personal practice. This book is a valuable contribution to yoga literature for individual practitioners and teachers; I also recommend its use in yoga teacher training programs and health care settings that incorporate yoga.
Beautiful instructional book on restorative yoga! Great recommendations inside on books and authors for further study!
I am yoga instructor and this is a great guide for a me to add poses to my class. Very clear and simple explanations. I enjoy it and use often.
The book also arrived quick
