Confession time: I’m a huge bookworm. I LOVE to read! Whether I’m looking to get lost in a fictional world, or learn more about a subject or hobby I’m passionate about, the first thing I do is dive into a book (or two, or three…) that will satisfy that craving.
The same, of course, is true of yoga.
I have a growing collection of yoga books, from anatomy to philosophy to the classic “how to do yoga” guides. (and if you have any recommendations for yoga books I should add to my collection, please throw them my way!)
Here’s my list of eight books that I myself turn to again and again, whenever I’m in need of a little mental TLC:
Yoga for Depression by Amy Weintraub
While I myself don’t suffer from depression (though I do have anxiety), many of my closest friends and loved ones do, and I initially bought this book to better understand those around me. Weintraub is living proof that yoga heals—she overcame severe depression herself—and this book is a treasure trove of yoga poses, breathing exercises, and philosophical concepts that can help those on the long road to recovery. Plus, Weintraub speaks to readers with the kind assurance that one would use to speak to a friend, while offering tools and techniques that are grounded in both yogic wisdom and Western medicine and psychology.
Yoga Therapy for Stress and Anxiety by Robert Butera, Erin Byron, and Staffan Elgelid
Remember I mentioned my own struggle with anxiety? That’s what motivated me to buy this book in the first place! Now that I’m a yoga teacher though, I still believe this book is a valuable resource for those dealing with chronic stress and/or anxiety.
Yoga Therapy is a discipline that’s a little bit different from traditional yoga. Yoga Therapists use yoga practices to help their clients cope with a variety of injuries and health-related issues: including stress and anxiety.
Similarly to Yoga for Depression, the authors of Yoga Therapy for Stress and Anxiety walk the reader through various practices and mindset shifts to help cope with a variety of stress-and-anxiety-related situations and triggers, from work to relationships to general feelings of overwhelm.
The Self-Love Experiment by Shannon Kaiser
Though not a yoga book, per se, I am a fan of Kaiser’s positive, can-do philosophy. I actually wrote a full review of The Self-Love Experiment on my old book blog, Totally Wrighteous, a few years back (click here to read that review in full), but here’s a little bit of what I had to say about it:
After battling with depression, drug addiction, and eating disorders, Shannon Kaiser quit her soul-sucking job in advertising to become a globe-trotting writer and lifestyle coach. Yet despite living the life she's always dreamed of, Kaiser was still unhappy with her body, her weight, and her status as a single woman. She'd heard that finding self-love was the secret to inner peace and happiness. If only she knew how to find it.
But that's the thing about this book--it isn't a self-help guide, not in the traditional sense. Rather, THE SELF-LOVE EXPERIMENT is a conversation: a self-help/memoir hybrid that challenges us to shift our perspective on how we see ourselves, and how our happiness doesn't need to depend on the people and things and circumstances outside of ourselves, because everything we could ever need is already with us, and within us.
Dancing Light by Tao Porchon-Lynch
The late Tao Porchon-Lynch was famous for holding the Guinness world record of the world’s oldest yoga teacher. Unfortunately she passed away this past February at the incredible age of 102. But while she was still alive, I had the pleasure of meeting Tao at a yoga workshop she led (for the last few years of her life, she lived about twenty-five minutes away from me!), where I splurged on a copy of her autobiography.
From surviving World War 2, marching with both Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr, to falling in love with the glitz and glam of Hollywood, this book is a fun story of an incredible life well-lived—and the yogic principles that guided her along the way.
Yoga and the Quest for the True Self by Stephen Cope
Technically, I’m still reading this book! But I’m far enough in that I know it’s a keeper, and a must read for anyone on the journey of yoga and self-discovery.
The book follows the author, Cope, as he finds himself in the middle of a mid-life crisis. Taking a sabbatical from his psychiatric practice, he decides to enroll in a residency program at The Kripalu Yoga and Wellness Center in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. And though Kripalu has changed significantly when he was there in the 1980’s, Yoga and the Quest was written with the modern reader in mind.
Using his knowledge of yoga philosophy and Western psychology, Cope highlights the experience of what it means to be a human being on a journey to find freedom and purpose through the ancient practice of yoga.
Living the Sutras by Kelly Dinardo and Amy Pearce Hayden
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is the classic, “traditional” guide to all things yoga philosophy. It’s been translated many times, and there are lots of fantastic translations out there, but Living the Sutras is one of my two favorite transations.
I use this book in my yoga classes all the time, and here’s why: it’s a clear, concise “crash course” on what the sutras are, and how we can apply them to our daily lives. Often, the translations of yogic texts can be dense and difficult to follow, especially for beginners. But Living the Sutras is easy to follow, and makes these ancient teachings feel very modern and fresh.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali translation and commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda
That said, if you’re looking to dive a little deeper into your studies of the yoga sutras, then Satchitananda’s translation is a classic. His commentary can be rambly, even “out there” at times, but if you can look past some of his stranger ideas, there’s quite a lot the budding “yoga philosopher” can learn from this book.
Bhagavad Gita translated by Stephen Mitchell
I was first exposed to the Gita during my Yoga Teacher Training, and I’ll be honest: I initially thought it was strange, confusing, and irrelevant.
Well, here we are, about five read throughs later (and counting!), and I have grown to love the Gita! Just a tiny part of the Mahabarata (which you could think of as like the Indian equivalent of Homer), this long poem follows the human warrior Arjuna during a moment of crisis, and he turns to his charioteer, who is actually the Hindu god Krishna, for advice. What follows is an exploration of yogic philosophy.
Mitchell’s translation of the Gita, though, is my absolute favorite, as it reads more like a delightfully compose poem than a dry, dense translation of an ancient text.
Even if you yourself aren’t an avid reader, there are lots of books out there on yoga philosophy, psychology, and just general inspiration that can serve as a great pick-me-up for those days when you need a little TLC. They are also helpful if you’re curious to learn more about the philosophical side of yoga, or, if you’re a yoga teacher (or thinking of becoming one!), they can add to your arsenal of wisdom to impart to your students.
