03.23.26 Book Recommendations
There are a lot of different books out there in the world on yoga, health, and wellness. And sometimes it can be really overwhelming trying to figure out what to buy. Buying books can be an investment as they can be very pricey. I like to get my books from ThriftBooks.com - if you have never visited the site, I highly recommend it. It will save you a TON of money-plus this helps the planet as we recycle books rather than buying things brand new.
So let’s start with yoga books, specifically on sequencing and the poses. I like Mark Stephens’ books “Yoga Sequencing” and “Teaching Yoga”. These books can be helpful for new teachers but I feel like experienced yogis can also benefit. After all, we are always constantly learning with yoga and through yoga. :-)
If you’re looking for yoga philosophy and stories, I would recommend these books: “The Yamas & Niyamas” by Deborah Adele, “The Heart of Yoga” by T.K.V Desikachar, “Autobiography of a Yogi” by Paramahansa Yogananda, “Bhagavad Gita” by Stephen Mitchell. Although, Bhagavad Gita is technically a poem, it is over 200 pages but a great one to read time and time again; especially as your personal yoga or meditation practice deepens in your life.
When it comes to Restorative Yoga, I only own one book - BUT - it’s a good one! “Relax and Renew” by Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D.,P.T.
If Yin Yoga is your thing, I’ve got one book I highly recommend. It’s called “The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga Philosophy + Practice” by Bernie Clark. There is a revised edition that I recommend, it’s 328 pages.
I’m sure there are a ton of books out there on the breath and Pranayama but during my YTT, I studied and read a book called “Science of Breath” by Swami Rama, Rudolph Ballentine, MD, and Alan Hymes, MD. It’s really interesting in how it was wrote and explained very well for beginner teachers to understand quite easily. It’s also a great book for anybody though whose curious about your own breath. I mean, how cool is it that we have this natural tool, our breath, and we can regulate our blood pressure, pulse, nervous system-just with our own breath! So even if you don’t teach yoga, I think it’s a great read overall.
Lastly, I’ll give some recommendations for TCM. There are not a lot of books out there in regards to TCM but these are good “beginner” books… “Voices of Qi” by Alex Holland, M.Ac., L.Ac. , “Between Heaven and Earth” by Harriet Beinfield, L.Ac. and Efrem Korngold, L.Ac., O.M.D., and “The Tao of Healthy Eating” by Bob Flaws.
So there you have it. It’s been a lengthy one but I hope you check out some of the books if you’re drawn to one or a few of them. :-)
With love,
Alesia