Guest guest Posted April 6, 2001 Report Share Posted April 6, 2001 What are the all time best yoga books? What book has helped you the most? I am not necessarily restricting this to ashtanga books, but any book that can help newbies, intermediate level or advanced practitioners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 6, 2001 Report Share Posted April 6, 2001 Light on Yoga<br>Yoga Sutras<br>The Heart of Yoga<br>Health, Healing & Beyond<br>The Yoga Tradition<br>All Ram Dass books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 6, 2001 Report Share Posted April 6, 2001 The books that I gain inspiration from are:<br><br>1. Bhagavad Gita<br>2. The Upanishads<br>3. Raja Yoga Sutras-Patanjali<br>4. Autobiography of a Yogi- Paramahansa Yogananda<br>5. Kundalini, the Evolutionary Energy in Man-Gopi Krishna<br>6. Yoga Mind & Body-Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center (arguably the best book for beginners because it highlights common problems)<br>7. Light on Yoga-B.K.S. Iyengar<br>8. The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga-Swami Vishnu Devananda<br>9. The Heart of Yoga-T.K.V. Desikachar<br>10. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Yoga (despite the title)<br>11. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Meditation (also despite the title)<br>12. Yoga & Ayurveda-David Frawley<br>13. Meditation and Mantra-Swami Vishnu Devananda<br>14. Awakening the Spine-Vanda Scaravelli Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 6, 2001 Report Share Posted April 6, 2001 My top-5 book list:<br><br>- The Bhagavad Gita<br><br>- John Scott: Ashtanga Yoga<br><br>- Sri K Pattabhi Jois: Yoga Mala<br><br>- Lino Miele: Astanga Yoga<br><br>- B.K.S. Iyengar: Light on Yoga.<br><br>Not that I have read them all. But those are the books I want to focus on in future, and which I consider most useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 6, 2001 Report Share Posted April 6, 2001 Today I picked up "The Yoga Tradition" by Georg Feuerstein, which I can't recommend because I haven't read it. But it appears to be a fascinating and more comprehensive study of yoga from an historical perspective than I have seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 6, 2001 Report Share Posted April 6, 2001 I have both the John Scott book and BBB's Power Yoga. They are both wonderful.<br><br>While Scott's book may be more technically complete, correct, BBB's book is great for beginners, gives lots of background info on this system and how to approach it, modifications for beginners, tips for dealing with various injuries, as well as a peek at second series work. "Power Yoga" is the one I always mention to people who seem interested, but know nothing/little about yoga, or this style of yoga. Part of that has to do with availability, they can easily pick it up at a local bookstore, but I also think it gives a fairly full look at the practice, beyond the presentation of asanas, basic yamas/niyamas.<br><br>jmho... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 8, 2001 Report Share Posted April 8, 2001 Best yoga books, eh? What a fun topic. Here's some:<br><br>15 Minute Yoga - Godfrey Devereux - not so much for the 15-minute routines, but for the wealth of general practical info on yoga asana practice. Aimed at beginners but helpful advice for anyone. All of his books are great. Dynamic Yoga has lots more "technical" info.<br><br>Yoga For Wellness - Gary Kraftsow - Great info on therapeutic yoga. Lots of specific info on conditions such as spinal curvatures.<br><br>Awakening the Spine - Vanda Scaravelli - Almost more of an art book. Beautiful and inspirational.<br><br>ExTension - Sam Dworkis - Lots of info on the physiology of yoga and stretching. Explains concepts such as stretching into the belly of the muscle instead of into joints/tendons/ligaments, the role of the fascia, and the importance of practicing appropriate yoga (some people at some times need a more gentle approach). The program presented in this book is based on breaking down the sun salutation.<br><br>Recovery Yoga - Sam Dworkis - subtitled " A Practical Guide for Chronically Ill, Injured and Post-Operative People". So anyone can do yoga.<br><br>Yogi Bare - Philip Self - Interviews with 20 yoga teachers.<br><br>Yoga - The Spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness - Erich Schiffman. Just really liked reading the first part of this book.<br><br>Moola Bandha - The Master Key - I like it when books cover a subject in great depth. This is the one for info on mula bandha.<br><br>Be Here Now - Ram Dass - haven't looked at this much for many years, but got me into it all long ago. Still very magic. And as malsag points out, includes an exceptional bibliography.<br><br>And a few not-exactly yoga books:<br><br>Conquering Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Other Repetitive Strain Injuries - Sharon Butler - The best explanation I have seen of soft tissue injuries and how to heal them, using focused gentle stretching. She emphasizes notgoing too far - finding the stretch point and waiting for release before going farther. Lots of info about fascia. A very empowering manual of self-healing.<br><br>Mindful Spontaneity - Ruthy Alon - Totally fascinating book by a master Feldenkrais teacher. Also anything by Moshe Feldenkrais. <br><br>Pain Free - Pete Egoscue - How to reengineer your musculo-skeletal system (like yoga). Interesting to read whether you do the exercises or not. Egoscue is the king of kinesiology.<br><br>Also, any good atlas of human anatomy (Clemente, Netter, Sobotta, maybe Grant's)<br><br>Why no Ashtanga books? I have them all and they are pretty much all good. But I think I learned way more about Ashtanga yoga from practicing (going to classes daily) than from books. Whereas, the other yoga books bring different perspectives to the practice. But I would definitely recommend get one or two or all of these four - Yoga Mala, John Scott's book, Lino Miele's book, David Swenson's book. <br><br>Being a book maniac, I have a list of yoga books on the web here: <a href=http://www.ionet.net/~tslade/yogabook.htm target=new>http://www.ionet.net/~tslade/yogabook.htm</a> with more info on the above and many other favorite and recommended yoga books, mainly dealing with asana practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2001 Report Share Posted April 9, 2001 Here's 2 more to add to the list -- they're not books about asana but they are definitely about the yogic path.<br><br>The Razor's Edge -- by Somerset Maugham -- it's a work of fiction but the main character is definitely a yogi. This is one of those books that has stuck with me years after reading it.<br><br>It's Still Here...Are YOU? by Bhagavan Das -- I just finished reading this and in some ways it blew me away. Bhagavan Das was the great American yogi Ram Dass writes about in BE HERE NOW. The book is really interesting. Bhagavan spends 7 years in India having every spiritual experience you can imagine, getting exposed to every spiritual traditon on the planet, and having the grace of a real live guru. On his return to America he totally loses his way. It just really makes you think how easy it is to lose your way. I guess that's why they call the spiritual path the razor's edge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2001 Report Share Posted April 9, 2001 typo: the book is IT's HERE NOW...Are YOU??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2001 Report Share Posted April 9, 2001 two books that shead some light on the yogic practices in Tibet.<br><br>1)<br>Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines or Seven Books of Wisdom of the Great Path <br>by W. Y. Evans-Wentz(Editor), Donald S., Jr. Lopez (Paperback - September 2000) <br>First published in 1926, Evans-Wentz presents translations and commentary on very detailed yogic techniques. This new edition comes with a forward by Buddhist scholor, Donald Lopez Jr. that sheds some light on the life of Evans-Wentz and his very specific focus on esoteric Buddhism. Evans-Wentz was the first to translate The Tibetan Book of the Dead for western readers.<br><br>2)<br>The Dalai Lama's Secret Temple: Tantric Wall Paintings from Tibet <br>by Ian A. Baker, et al (Hardcover - October 2000) <br>A glorious coffee-table art book of tantric wall paintings from a small temple located in the center of a lake behind the Potala Palace. A good visual companion to the above book illustrating visualization and breathing techniques of secret Tibetan practices that embodies Dzogchen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2001 Report Share Posted April 9, 2001 Speaking of which, "The Tibetan Book of the Dead" really ought to be on this collective list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2001 Report Share Posted April 9, 2001 O child of noble family....<br>Get the book on tape.<br><br> The Tibetan Book of the Dead : The Great Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo<br>by Francesca Fremantle (Translator), Chogyam Trungpa (Translator), Richard Gere (Narrator)<br><br>The relationship between Ashtanga & TBotD is they both serve as a guide for living and a preparation for dying. Facing and overcoming fears in a controlled enviroment on the mat is a fine practice for what the TBotD calls for in terms of "yogic abilities". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2001 Report Share Posted April 9, 2001 I did just look up this book at Amazon, found about 3 different translations, any recs. on which is best, any to avoid? I've got this one in my shopping cart:<br><a href=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0195133129/102-8975477-0045702 target=new>http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0195133129/102-8975477-0045702\ </a><br><br>I'm not looking to get an audio version.<br><br>E. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2001 Report Share Posted April 9, 2001 And as diet is so important may I suggest:<br><br>The Ayurvedic Cookbook by Amadea Morningstar with Urmila Desai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2001 Report Share Posted April 9, 2001 These same authors also have a book on Ayurvedic Cooking for westerners, which according to the Amazon info, uses ingredients more common in the west, with the same Ayurvedic principals. Have you seen that one, know if it's any good?<br><br>The Sivananda people also have put out a cookbook, it's: The Yoga Cookbook : Vegetarian Food for Body and Mind : Recipes from the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers by The International Sivananoa Yoga Center, Swami Vishnu-Devananda, <a href=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684856417/qid=986839056/sr=1-3/ref=\ sc_b_4/102-8975477-0045702 target=new>http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684856417/qid=986839056/sr=1-\ 3/ref=sc_b_ 4/102-8975477-0045702</a> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2001 Report Share Posted April 9, 2001 >found about 3 different translations, any recs.<br><br>I would go with the Trungpa version, the Evens-Wentz is a bit heavy due to clumsy tranlsation. <br><br>>I'm not looking to get an audio version.<br><br>Traditionally the Bardo Thodhol is read aloud to the dead or dying person... so with that in mind it makes perfect sense to lay back with headphones on and let Richard Gere read it to you.<br><br>3~* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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