Mind-Body Fitness for Dummies.

I borrowed this book to read. I am so pleased with it that I am ordering it. Therese Ikonian is a superior writer. She writes clearly and logically. This book summarises a great number of different exercise/fitness methods in a clear coherent manner. It gives enough examples of the exercises so that the reader can select what he/she needs. For example her discussions of the Feldenkrais and Alexander methods are the best I have seen. There are a slew of web sites listed so that it is easy to get more information on any and all of the desciplines discussed. (Of course you can first take a look in the public library or a warehouse bookstore.)

This book wins the "fitness relevance" award for being virtually the first to apolitically and respectfully describe the major mindful exercise modalities that exist in the West today - in one concise volume. There are hundreds of yoga, tai chi, Pilates, martial arts and derivative publications today each extolling the papal and fitness-related virtues of their own species of mind-body exercise. Therese has put together a utilitarian compendium of the classical and contemporary forms, yes in somewhat abstract form, but always with skillful instruction and quite meaningful resources. This is a wonderfully organized reference for those desiring a wide-angle and descriptive view of the major players in mind-body exercise modalities.