Yoga Summer Reads – Favorites from Online Yogis
by Charlotte Bradley on July 9, 2009
I don’t really like shopping. Unless it’s for books. I am completely addicted to browsing for, buying, scanning, flipping through, highlighting and reading yoga books. I love hearing recommendations from others on their favorite reads. Today I thought I would share some interesting links and recommendations that I came across these past few days.
A really cool idea, the Namaste Book Club is an online forum for discussing yoga books. The group meets each Sunday (online here) between 6 and 9 PM CST. I just picked up the first book, The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice
by T.K.V. Desikachar. The second discussion is this Sunday, July 12th. Find thought questions for this session (chapters 3-5) at the Namaste Book Club Blog. Hope to see you there!
On The Everything Yoga Blog, Diane Cesa shares her favorite recent reads including this one which intrigues me – Path of Least Resistance: Learning to Become the Creative Force in Your Own Life
. Also find out what’s up next on her reading list and what cool sounding yoga app for the iPod Touch or iPhone she is trying out (now there’s my reason to get an iPhone!)
Erin of OnTheYogaMat, shares a list of favorite summer reads(recommended by Yoga Journal) for yogis. From her list, I have read The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science (James H. Silberman Books)
and Yoga as Medicine: The Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing
. These are both excellent books that I highly recommend. Have a look at the rest of the list here.
YogaDawg reviews Stephen Phillips’ Yoga, Karma, and Rebirth: A Brief History and Philosophy
and says ”… this book takes an honored place among the books that I read slowly and often.” High praise indeed – I will definitely be checking this one out.
What’s on your yoga bookshelf? Share your favorites in the comments below – I’d love to hear.
Related posts:
- Does Music Inspire you During your Yoga Practice?
108 Yoga Pose Drawings
If you're a yoga student or teacher looking for a way to illustrate yoga sequences, this collection of 108 yoga pose drawings may be just what you need. Design your sequence, then use the pose images to create "notes" to take to your mat.
This makes it easy to follow along and not lose your place. Learn as you go - the name of each pose is written below in Sanskrit and English.
With 108 Yoga Pose Drawings, you can:
- Create yoga sequences
- Get organized - save your sequences for future use
- Learn posture names in Sanskrit and English
- Make class handouts
- Get inspired
Click to find out more: 108 Yoga Pose Drawings
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
For those of you who have always wanted to absorb the spectacular wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, but have found it difficult, I highly recommend Bhagavad Gita: A New Translation by Stephen Mitchell. This is my fourth version and sixth reading of the Bhagavad Gita. I have gotten a lot from all four versions, but Mitchell’s is clearly the most accessible and enjoyable, without sacrificing any of the meaning.
The Bhagavad Gita is quite literally about falling in love with the indescribable wonder of the universe, that is to say, God. These two are synonymous in the Gita. (Believe it or not, the text itself says that you can approach God as either an unfathomable cosmic life force or as an intimate personal diety. Either leads you to the same boundless love and joy.)
The Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutra are two of the most important ancient texts of Yoga. They could not be more different. The Yoga Sutra is mostly secular in nature, and mentions God only briefly and perfunctorily. The Bhagavad Gita, in contrast, is literally “The Song of the Beloved Lord”, and most of the text is the word of God himself.
The Yoga Sutra is a cookbook for achieving inner peace. The Bhagavad Gita, in contrast, won’t settle for anything less than ECSTATIC UNION WITH THE DIVINE. Put them together and you have the astounding whole of Yoga philosophy in two relatively short texts.
Try Mitchell’s version of the Bhagavad Gita. You’ll be glad you did.
Thank you for your insight into the Gita and the Sutras. I agree that this is an excellent version of the Bhagavad Gita
(although I don’t have much to compare it to as it is the only version I have read). I have a friend who makes it a goal to read a different version each year and she recommended Stephen Mitchell to me.
I am currently reading Nischala Joy Devi’s interpretation of the Sutras – “The Secret Power of Yoga” and I really love this heartfelt take on Patanjali’s writings.
You’re welcome, Charlotte. See if you can get your friend to write a comment here about here favorite versions of the Gita. I think you happened upon one of the best already, but I know I want to read others, too.
Thanks again for you fun site.
Bob W.