Some yoga books I love
One of several good translations of the sutras
Every serious student of yoga needs to wrestle with the yoga sutras at some point. There are many translations. I chose this one, because BKS Iyengar writes lucidly, concisely, and with great humanity—making this timeless text accessible for all. Other translations I like are by Christopher Isherwood, B. Ravikanth, and Pandit Rajmani Tigunait.
Love the message in this book!
Stanley is kind of a bad ass. I love her. She is really clear and 100% correct that yoga is for everybody and every body. Her personal journey is inspiring, and her technique is flawless. This book would make a great gift.
This book really cleared the fog for me.
Richard and Mary Freeman are two of modern American yoga’s treasures. They teach in Boulder and all over the world. Freeman’s book is one of the best I’ve ever read about yoga, tying together the philosophy, spirituality, psychology and physical aspects beautifully.
This is the best all around book I know of for building a personal practice.
This book has a little bit of everything: asana, pranayama, philosophy, the sutras. Desikachar is the son of one of the greatest yogis in modern times—Krishnamacharya, who taught both BKS Iyengar and Prathabi Jois (most of our physical practices are based on their techniques.) Desikachar distills his father’s systems and makes the teachings practical and understandable for the typical modern student.
This a really good translation and the intro is a great overview of what it’s all about.
The Bhagavad Gita, as well as the yoga sutras encapsulate the fundamental lessons of yoga philosophy. This became a classic text of Hindu spirituality (yoga actually predates Hinduism). If you’re interested in what yoga has to say about the big questions--who am I? why am I here?—this book is for you. Plus it’s a great story!
The yamas are the first limb of yoga; the niyamas are the second limb. The third limb is poses.
While most students think of yoga as the poses, they are really the third “limb.” The yamas and niyamas are the first and second limbs. The “do’s and don’ts” are the ethical foundations and positive observances of yoga—in other words, “yoga off the mat.” Adele’s style is very accessible!
I like how he doesn’t call them chakras, because he’s drawing from different bodies of knowledge.
Tias Little explores the “subtle” from a variety of perspectives: yogic (chakras), Chinese (meridians), Native American mythology, western pathophysiology, psychological mind/body connection. Yoga is absolutely about discovering the connection between our body, mind, and spirit. Little spells it out!
I’d love to hear what your favorite yoga books are! I will add that there are many more yoga books on my shelves; I chose these are sort because I think they could be fundamental building blocks of a library.