Yoga, Scoliosis, Practice by Rita Lewis-Manos
Rita Lewis-Manos draws on her four decades of study with B.K.S. Iyengar and Dr. Geeta S. Iyengar to create a book that enables willing students to tailor a practice to their specific spinal curvatures. Step-by-step, yoga practitioners can pursue their process of discovery, from understanding their own shapes to developing stability, to learning asymmetric work, to integrating actions toward evenness. The author uses clear instructions so that students may experience and adapt the poses and the sequences for themselves.
About Rita
Around the age of 14, I could sense that my spine was growing a bit crookedly. At that time they were not checking students for scoliosis, as they usually do now. I also discovered I was dyslexic. I never spoke up about either of these problems. The ring on my right hand, which I could touch, helped me tell right from left. At 16, I discovered Yoga from a book and did some poses without any real guidance.
Fast forward to college. I came home with monoucleosis and was sent to the doctor. He took an X-ray of my lungs, only to discover I had scoliosis. I asked him what could be done, and he replied: You could have an operation, or be fitted for a brace, or learn to live with it. I chose the latter.
Two years out of college, I was taken to a Yoga class and at the same time introduced to the book, Light on Yoga, BKS Iyengar. Maybe a year later, I got to meet Iyengar in person and awkwardly asked him to sign my book. I asked him how I should work with my scoliosis. He said, "Come to India" And I did. My first trip to Pune was February of 1977. This changed my life. I continued to go and study with BKS Iyengar and his brilliant daughter Geeta Iyenagar until their deaths, his in 2014 and hers in 2018.
Guruji always said to pass on your knowledge before you die, so this is my attempt at fulfilling his request. Any mistakes are mine. All this knowledge came to me at the feet of these two remarkable individuals.
麗塔·凱勒-馬諾斯（Rita Keller-Manos）融合了她跟隨 B.K.S. 艾揚格（B.K.S. Iyengar）與吉塔·S·艾揚格博士（Dr. Geeta S. Iyengar）學習長達四十年的深厚底蘊，精心撰寫了這本書。本書旨在幫助有心的練習者，根據自身獨特的脊椎側彎弧度來量身打造專屬的練習計畫。循序漸進地，瑜伽練習者可以展開他們的探索旅程——從認識自己的身體形態、建立穩定性，到學習不對稱的練習調整，最終將動作整合以達到身體結構的平衡。作者運用了清晰易懂的指引，讓學生能夠親自體驗並調整適合自己的體位法與序列。
關於作者
「大約在 14 歲時，我開始感覺到自己的脊椎長得有點歪斜。在那個時期，學校並不像現在這樣會常規性地幫學生檢查是否有脊椎側彎。同時，我也發現自己患有讀寫障礙。但對於這兩個問題，我從未向任何人提起。當時，我右手戴著的一枚戒指成了我的秘密武器，透過觸摸它，我才能分辨出左邊和右邊。16 歲那年，我透過一本書發現了瑜伽，並在沒有任何實質指導的情況下開始自己練習一些動作。
時光飛逝到了大學。有一回我因為感染傳染性單核白血球增多症（Mononucleosis）回家看醫生。醫生在為我的肺部拍 X 光片時，意外發現了我患有脊椎側彎。我問他該怎麼辦，他回答說：『你可以選擇做手術、穿戴矯正支架，或者學著與它共存。』而我選擇了後者。
大學畢業兩年後，我被朋友帶去上了一堂瑜伽課，並在同一時間接觸到了 B.K.S. 艾揚格的經典著作《瑜伽之光》（Light on Yoga）。大約一年後，我有幸見到艾揚格大師本人，我有些笨拙地請他在我的書上簽名，並詢問他我該如何應對我的脊椎側彎。他只對我說：『來印度吧。』於是，我去了。我第一次前往普那（Pune）是在 1977 年的 2 月。這次旅程徹底改變了我的人生。此後，我持續前往印度，追隨 B.K.S. 艾揚格以及他才華橫溢的女兒吉塔·艾揚格學習，直到他們相繼離世（大師於 2014 年仙逝，吉塔於 2018 年辭世）。
上師（Guruji）生前總是說，要在離世前將你的知識傳承下去，因此這本書便是我履行他囑託的嘗試。書中若有任何疏漏之處，皆由我個人承擔。我所有的知識，都是在兩位如此卓越尊貴的大師膝下聆聽受教而來。」
