Here is our latest editor's pick! Acquisitions Assistant Editor Angela Autry Gorden shares why she enjoyed Yoga for Pain Relief: Simple Practices to Calm Your Mind and Heal Your Chronic Pain :

Sometimes, when you're suffering from chronic pain, you can feel that things will never get better. It's tempting to fall into despair and self-pity and never emerge. For the past few years, I've been coping with chronic pain in my back, shoulders, and arms caused by repetitive stress. However, I have found that gentle, steady practices from yoga, massage, and meditation have made a huge difference for me, physically and emotionally.

In Yoga for Pain Relief, Kelly McGonigal, an experienced yoga teacher and psychologist, gently guides you through easy-to-understand exercises to alleviate chronic pain. It's almost like having your own yoga therapist. She provides a nice blend of asanas, meditations, and explanations for aspects of yogic philosophy that help you have more compassion for yourself and get to know your body. The book builds from an introduction to the basic concepts behind yoga's ability, to helping you heal physically, soothe your emotions, and learn more about your mind. The tone of the book is hopeful and supportive, which I found to be refreshing and helpful when dealing with my chronic pain.

One aspect of the book that I really appreciate is the focus on helping you create healthy rituals, like a certain sequence of poses and meditation that you do every morning. Making self-care a core ritual can be a powerful antidote to the harmful habits that we often don’t even notice, such as slouching or overusing technology. With consistent self-care, it becomes second nature to slow down, listen to your body, and tune into what you need. This book offers important skills for creating a personal practice of your own, like the one that continues to help me heal mentally and physically.