| asanas - postures |
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Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness by Erich Schiffmann.
An in depth view of the practice of yoga from movement to meditation. Very detailed descriptions of the postures he covers. Useful daily practice guides in the back for 3 levels of practice. His book is a wonderful guide into why we put ourselves into these odd postures and what it might do for us if we continue on a daily basis. He's my favorite teacher. |
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Stretching and Flexibility by Kit Laughlin.
Yoga is a mind/body/spirit practice but you won’t find meditation instruction or yoga philosophy in this book. What you will find are some great insights into how to work your body more efficiently in your asana practice. Many of the exercises Kit Laughlin uses are similar if not exactly like yoga postures you are familiar with. You’ll find information about how to bring specific intention into how you move your body for a particular effect on a particular muscle or muscle group. |
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Yin Yoga by Paul Grilley.
The Yin Yoga practice reaches into deeper connective tissues in the body…keeping them strong and pliable. On a deeper level still, the practice works on keeping the flow of prana, our life force, moving and preparing us to sit comfortably in meditation. This book is a small, concise introduction to this style of yoga. It includes some background information on the practice, posture descriptions (with photos) and a few sample practice sessions you can incorporate into a home practice. A discussion of pranayama and meditation follows the postures for a well rounded practice. Even though Kit Laughlin (see above) and Paul Grilley are working different aspects of the body, they seem similar in the sense that their work is about intention and effect rather than aesthetics. We’re reaching for how the work feels rather than simply how it looks. |
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Kundalini Yoga by Shakta Kaur Khalsa.
A nice introduction to the practice of Kundalini Yoga with plenty of practice sets and meditations to work with. |
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Yoga for Women by Shakta Kaur Khalsa.
While Shakta Kaur’s main practice is Kundalini Yoga, in this book she incorporates some Hatha Yoga practices as well. There are also some supportive dietary and lifestyle hints to support women in the various stages of life. The individual practices she includes are fairly short which makes them useful if you would like to add a home yoga practice to your life. |
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| philosophy |
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The Heart of Yoga by T.K.V. Desikachar.
One of my favorite books on Yoga. Its not so much a book about postures as it is a book about, well just what the title says, the heart of yoga. A great book for anyone who would like to begin to explore the theory behind yoga. The book also contains a translation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. The sutras are the first written information on the practice of yoga. This book is also a wonderful introduction to the teachings of Krishnamacharya (Desikachar’s father) who was the teacher of B.K.S. Iyengar (Iyengar Yoga) and Patabhi Jois (Ashtanga Yoga). |
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| pranayama - breathing and meditation |
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Wherever You Go There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Every Day Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn.
A wonderful book that addresses the issue of being awake and alive in life. Once you get it, it will become battered and dog-eared like my copy. Based on the Buddhist practice of mindfulness, it’s a perfect complement to yoga practice. |
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The Tao of Natural Breathing: For Health, Well-Being and Inner Growth by Dennis Lewis.
I love this book. It will take you into an intimate relationship with your breath with very simple practices. The Tao of Natural Breathing shows how we can incorporate natural (whole-body) breathing into our lives to improve our health, increase our energy, and support our quest for self-knowledge and inner growth. I’ve added many of the "exercises" into my personal practice as well as my teaching. |
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The Yoga of Breath: A Step-By-Step Guide to Pranayama by Richard Rosen.
As he says in his introduction, there are many ways of approaching the practice of pranayama. His is a very methodical approach which includes learning to map the body, to be aware of sensations of breathing and to observe the affects of breath on your body and mind before you get to the formal practice of pranayama. It’s a book you might be tempted to read through quickly but I’d encourage you to spend time doing the work along the way…going deeply slowly rather than getting a superficial taste and tossing the book aside. |
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