The Singing Dragon new titles catalogue is available to view online and download. It features our complete range of titles coming to you over the next few months. There is plenty to look out for including new books on acupuncture, Chinese medicine, Qigong, Daoism, yoga, and complementary therapies.
All the titles, author names, and covers are interactive; just click on them to be taken to the book or author page on the Singing Dragon website.
yoga
Sign up to receive the Singing Dragon New Titles Catalogue, Autumn/Winter 2013-14
Our Singing Dragon New Titles catalogue for Autumn and Winter 2013-14 is now available. With full information on our expanding list of books in Chinese Medicine, Qigong, Daoism, Yoga, Aromatherapy, and a variety of other disciplines, our new titles catalogue is an essential resource for complementary health practitioners and anyone interested in enhancing their own health, wellbeing and personal development.
To receive a free copy of the catalogue, please sign up for our mailing list
You may also request multiple copies to share with friends, family, colleagues and clients–simply note how many copies of the catalog you would like (up to 20) in the “any additional comments” box on the sign-up form. Please be sure to click any additional areas of interest as well. You should receive a copy of the catalogue within two to three weeks.
Singing Dragon Bodywork Catalogue 2013
Click on the box below to browse through our online Bodywork catalogue. Including titles on massage, reflexology, shiatsu, cranio-sacral therapy, yoga, and aromatherapy, this is an indispensable resource for anyone who cares for the human body.
All the titles, author names, and covers are interactive; just click on them to be taken to the book or author page on the Singing Dragon website.
The history and heritage of mudras – extract from Mudras of India by Cain Carroll and Revital Carroll
In this extract from Mudras of India, the authors explore the meaning and use of hand gestures in both vedic and Chinese traditions, and describes the ancient spiritual origins, and meaning of the mudras of India.
“Our hands are a source of tremendous power. With such profound dexterity,sensitivity, and utility, the human hands may be one of our most defining features as a species… With the hands playing such a central role in our experience of being human, it comes as no surprise that many of the world’s great spiritual and artistic traditions have considered the hands as sacred.”
Click here to read the extract
Mudras of India is now available in paperback, and includes a new chapter that comprehensively lists the benefits of hand mudras, covering major health concerns as well spiritual and psycho-energetic categories.
“Mudras of India is a much-needed compendium that beautifully illustrates the incredible variety and versatility of the hand gestures that play a key role in India’s sacred traditions. Every dancer, yogi, or yogini will want to keep a copy on hand!”
– Roxanne Kamayani Gupta, PhD, author of A Yoga of Indian Classical Dance: The Yogini’s Mirror
Cain Carroll teaches yoga, qigong, meditation and self-healing worldwide. He has trained extensively under the guidance of Daoist, Buddhist and Indian Yoga masters. His journeys have taken him to remote areas of India, China, Nepal, Tibet, Thailand and South America, where he received private instruction in many rare and powerful practices. Cain is co-author of Partner Yoga and creator of three self-healing DVDs. His website can be visited at www.caincarroll.com. Revital Carroll has been dedicated to the study of Indian spiritual arts since childhood. Intensive study and practice of yoga and meditation in the Himalayas led her to discover her passion for Odissi Indian Dance. She is the creator of three instructional DVDs and she offers classes, workshops and performances worldwide. Visit www.shaktibhakti.com for more information.
Play the Frog’s Breathtaking Speech Game
Bring the benefits of yoga and yogic breathing techniques into the classroom and the home with this game from Frog’s Breathtaking Speech author Michael Chissick. Based on the book, the game is a fun way to help children to recognise negative emotions and lean how to turn these into positive ones.
Simply download the game board, card set and instructions from these links and with some simple steps you’ll be ready to roar the house down with Lion, shake the walls with the Woodchopper Breath and more.
The game is at its most effective if used with the book, Frog’s Breathtaking Speech – find out more about the book here.
Michael Chissick has been teaching yoga to children in primary mainstream and special needs schools as part of the integrated school day since 1999. He is a primary school teacher as well as a qualified yoga instructor. He is also a specialist in teaching yoga to children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Michael trains and mentors students who want to teach yoga to children.
© 2013 Singing Dragon blog. All Rights Reserved
Request a copy of the UK Singing Dragon Complete Catalogue
Make sure not to miss Singing Dragon’s latest UK Complete Catalogue. If you have not yet received a copy, please sign up for our mailing list and we’ll send a free one out to you ASAP.
Readers in the UK and Europe who request a copy of the catalogue before February 15th, 2013 will also receive a voucher for a 15% discount on the entire Singing Dragon list of books, with free postage and packing.
Take advantage of this opportunity to find new, forthcoming and classic books on Chinese Medicine, Holistic Health, Taiji, Qigong, Herbal Medicine, Yoga, Spirituality and more. Also, sample health-promoting recipes with The Functional Nutrition Cookbook, and Make Yourself Better with Philip Weeks’ books. Delve into the history of Ayurvedic Medicine and the Mudras of India, and discover the Five Levels of Taijiquan, Daoist Nei Gong and Chinese Medical Qigong.
To request your copy of our Complete Catalogue, please click here. To receive your 15% discount voucher, please be sure to click the checkbox for “Singing Dragon” under area of interest or else mention this offer in the “any further comments” section.
If you have previously received a copy of the catalogue, and would like to take advantage of the 15% discount, please feel free to request a voucher via email at post@intl.singingdragon.com.
Prana Mudra with Cain Carroll
This is the second video in Cain Carroll’s ‘Mudra Moments’ series. See here for part 1: Apana Mudra.
In this two-minute mini-class, Cain Carroll introduces Prana Mudra, a traditional Indian hand mudra which improves overall vitality and immunity, activates the body’s self-healing capacity, improves concentration, and strengthens stamina and willpower.
More information on Prana Mudra, including technique, application, benefits and sanscrit notation, can be found in Mudras of India: A Comprehensive Guide to the Hand Gestures of Yoga and Indian Dance.
Apana Mudra with Cain Carroll
In this two-minute mini-class, Cain Carroll introduces Apana Mudra, a traditional Indian hand mudra which improves digestive health and elimination (including easing constipation and hemorrhoids), and helps to regulate the menstrual cycle (alleviating cramping, dryness and clotting).
More information on Apana Mudra, including technique, application, benefits and sanscrit notation, can be found in Mudras of India: A Comprehensive Guide to the Hand Gestures of Yoga and Indian Dance .
Look out for more videos in the series of Mudra Moments coming soon to the Singing Dragon blog.
Revital and Cain Carroll on Hand Mudras
Singing Dragon authors Cain and Revital Carroll (Mudras of India) recently gave a one-hour webinar on hand mudras with Friends Health Connection. In this presentation, the Carrolls described the health and spiritual benefits of hand mudras as well as historical background and instructions on technique and application.
Click the image above to view the webinar or click this link to view the video on the Friends Health Connection site.
Mudras of India has been called “a much-needed compendium that beautifully illustrates the incredible variety and versatility of the hand gestures.” Click the link below to order or for more information about this book which appeals to spiritual seekers, students and teachers of yoga and Indian Dance, scholars and lay people, and anyone interested in transformative effects of these powerful hand gestures.
Find out more about Mudras of India by Cain and Revital Carroll.
Teaching Yoga to Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders? A Piece of Cake!
By Michael Chissick, qualified yoga instructor, primary school teacher and specialist in teaching yoga to children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, and author of Frog’s Breathtaking Speech.
Exciting New Training Project
An exciting new initiative which delivers the benefits of yoga to hundreds of children with autism will be the cherry on the cake. The project will be in action at a Special Needs Academy in Lincolnshire, UK, after Easter with more to follow.
Over the past thirteen years I have developed a model of how to teach yoga to children with autism. The model can be used by class teachers and teaching assistants with no previous experience of yoga. The structures, activities and postures are easy to learn and are safe to teach. The model is suitable for children across all key stages.
Special schools that have a high proportion of children on the autistic spectrum will use the model. The advantages are that teaching and training are geared to the specific needs of their pupils, and staff can be trained economically without time away from school; and the icing on the cake is that staff can use the model immediately.
How did we reach this point?
I have been teaching Yoga to KS1, 2 & 3 pupils as part of the integrated day at Special Needs School for thirteen years. Many of the children I teach have autism and sensory processing disorders. During each thirty minute session I work with the whole class, class teacher and teaching assistants. Time restraints make it impossible for me to teach all classes in my schools, so I tend to alternate classes every half term.
I had noticed that when I returned to a class to continue after a 5/6 week break there was a need to start over again, which can be frustrating. For many years I simply regarded it as part of the job of teaching pupils with ASD.
However over the last couple of years I have noticed that some classes had retained what I had taught them and were as enthusiastic as ever for their yoga. So what distinguishes the ‘ready-for-more-class’ from the ‘let’s-start-again-class? The answer is that the class teachers and teaching assistants have been teaching their pupils yoga without me… and doing a brilliant job at it too!
Why does it work?
The answer also lies in the fundamentals of my highly structured approach. For example, the children are seated on chairs in a circle. I use a visual timetable and posture cards to keep my verbal input to the minimum. Within the structure I target several layers or elements simultaneously; it’s like a multi-tiered cake. These layers are easily recognised by colleagues who are already experts at working with children with ASD and are using similar models in other curriculum areas.
The Layers
- Engagement tactics are, for example, encouraging children to choose from posture cards hanging from an umbrella; or children throwing tiny bean bags into the holes on a colourful board as a means of choosing a posture.
- Fun is key! Children eagerly get out of their chairs and into the posture because it’s fun; if it continues to be fun then they will want to stay in the posture.
- Repetition of postures over the weeks is a crucial; as children become more at ease with the posture leading to improved skills and greater confidence.
- Every child Achieves in the lesson.
- Social Skills like waiting, listening, speaking, helping each other, taking turns and following rules are targeted.
- Fitness Flexibility and improved co-ordination are the layers that tend to hit the news.
- Sensory is the sweetest layer. The vestibular system ‘tells us if we are moving or still, while our proprioceptive system is the unconscious awareness of our body position’ (Yack et al 2002). A combination of both systems gives us vital information about movement and where we are in relation to, for example, the floor. I teach many children whose vestibular and proprioceptive systems are dysfunctional. Using yoga postures I help to regulate those dysfunctions.
Feedback
Feedback from the Academy in Lincolnshire was wonderfully positive describing the day as excellent and staff commented that the model:
‘…does away with many pre-conceptions and prejudices – it helps make different types of movement accessible to all.’
It is early days in Lincolnshire, but soon the children and staff will be enjoying their yoga while I’ll be teaching 175 miles away. Seems like I’ll be having my cake and eating it.
Copyright © Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2012.