The Yoga Tradition: Its History, Literature, Philosophy and Practice


Georg Feuerstein - 1998
    This is a work of impeccable scholarship by a person who has dedicated his life to the understanding and practice of yoga. The book offers a complete overview of every Yogic tradition, from the familiar to the lesser-known forms. It also covers all aspects of Hindu, Buddhist and Jaina Yoga, including history, philosophy, literature, psychology and practice. In addition, included are translations of twenty Yoga treatises and the first translation of the Goraksha Paddhati.

Yoga Mind, Body Spirit: A Return to Wholeness


Donna Farhi - 2000
    Integrating the teachings of every tradition, internationally renowned yoga instructor Donna Farhi reveals how yoga enhances the connections between the mind, body, and spirit. She outlines the seven simple movement principles that underlie all human motion and provides exercises to help readers understand how they can achieve all yoga postures. She also discusses the ten ethical precepts that are the foundation of all yoga teachings and explains how to incorporate them into a spiritually and emotionally rewarding inner practice.At the heart of Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit are more than seventy-five yoga asanas or postures. Each is one pictured and described in detail, and they are arranged into related groups--including standing postures, sitting postures, arm balances, and breathing practices--or easy reference. A selection of yoga practices of varying lengths and levels of difficulty provides challenges and inspiration for beginner, intermediate, and advanced students.A huge resurgence of interest in yoga is sweeping the country. With its broad scope and holistic approach, Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit is the ideal book for today's mainstream audience.

Yoga of the Subtle Body: A Guide to the Physical and Energetic Anatomy of Yoga


Tias Little - 2014
    Tias Little is a master teacher, and he brings his precise instruction to the wisdom teachings and philosophy of hatha yoga. He offers us a guided tour of the body's structure and physical anatomy, then uses this new structural awareness as grounds for exploring the subtle body. In a meaningful and pragmatic way, the book maps the connection between the body and the rich symbolism that pervades the yogic imagination, including the chakras, nadis, and koshas. We come to see how the (yoga) body cannot be seen apart from the psycho-spiritual forces that animate it. Further, Tias offers readers clear, illuminated instruction for yoga, pranayama, and meditation techniques that apply these body-mind principles. This book is essential reading for all serious students and teachers of yoga.Each chapter focuses on one of the eight key energetic/anatomy centers of the body: feet/base, pelvis, sacrum, belly, diaphragm, heart/lungs, throat, and crown. The book is organized literally from the ground up, and figuratively from physically basic to conceptual/subtle. Each chapter has a list of poses for activating and applying the lessons, guided meditations, and excerpts from yogic texts. These practical exercises allow readers to immediately integrate the chapter's lessons into their practice.

Yoga for Transformation: Ancient Teachings and Practices for Healing the Body, Mind, and Heart


Gary Kraftsow - 2002
    In Yoga for Transformation, Gary Kraftsow introduces techniques that treat not only the physical body but also the emotions, mind, heart, and soul of the practitioner-the places where real transformation can take place. There are breathing techniques to control energy levels, exercises to train and sharpen the intellect, and meditative practices to help increase self-awareness. With more than 350 black and white photographs throughout, this unique and accessible book is dedicated to strengthening the whole self-body, mind, and spirit.

The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga: The Philosophy and Practice of Yin Yoga


Bernie Clark - 2011
    One big difference noticed by students of Yin Yoga is the long-held, passive nature of the posture, which gives time for a deeper journey to unfold, a journey into the meditative aspects of yoga, a bridge to living life mindfully.Clark presents comprehensive information on how to do the practice, including a deep look inside over two dozen Yin Yoga postures showing the benefit of the pose, how to get into and out of the pose, contraindications and warnings for those who may have trouble with particular aspects of the posture, and other important information. The benefits are explored in three main sections: the physiological benefits, the energetic benefits and the mental/emotional benefits.

Ayurveda


Sahara Rose Ketabi - 2017
    The sister science of yoga, Ayurveda provides us with the framework of how to care for our bodies for beauty, balance and longevity. Ayurveda's core belief is that we each have our own unique path to health, which Idiot's Guides: Ayurveda will help you reveal. Author Sahara Rose focuses on the mind-body connection and explains that our food and lifestyle choices are metabolized into molecules in our bodies, actively creating who we are.Sahara brings the age-old wisdom of Ayurevda into relatable terms and shows you how easy it is to integrate ancient Ayurvedic wisdom into your modern lifestyle so you can finally look, feel and eat exactly the way your entire being has been craving.The book includes: Discovering your unique Dosha (Ayurvedic Mind-Body Type) and how it shows up in your physiology, metabolism, digestion, thought patterns, personality and even dreams. Learning how your body's needs change according to the season, environment, time of day, lifestyle habits, stress, sleep and exercises levels and as you age Easy-to-make plant-based recipes and yoga poses specifically for your Doshic constitution Establishing an Ayurvedic morning and nighttime ritual, including oil-pulling, dry-brushing, tongue-scraping and self-oil massage for optimal balance and beauty Home remedies to heal digestion, candida overgrowth, intestinal parasites, skin problems, headaches, PMS, hormonal imbalance, colds, flus and other ailments How to incorporate Ayurvedic practices into your lifestyle, no matter how little time you have or experience in the kitchen Author Bio: Sahara Rose is an expert in the mind-body connection. She's a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, Holistic Health Coach, Sports Nutritionist and Plant-Based Chef infusing ancient Ayurvedic wisdom with modern nutritional science and plant-based recipes. She's the founder of EatFeelFresh.com, a one-stop-shop for all things holistic wellness and offers a 12-Week Eat Right For Your Mind-Body Type Program, teaching you step-by-step how to include Ayurvedic practices into your lifestyle and heal your relationship with food once and for all.Sahara leads workshops and retreats across the world sharing her love of natural food, beauty and health. She had the honor of being the featured Nutrition speaker for Michelle Obama's Let's Move Campaign Event at Harvard Medical School and has been published on Yoga Journal, Mind Body Green, Elephant Journal, LA Yoga Magazine, Yogi Approved and India.com.Sahara is Certified in Ayurvedic Nutrition and Cooking from the Sri Kaya Kalp Ayurvedic Hospital and Institute in India, Plant-Based Cuisine from Matthew Kenney Culinary, Sports Nutrition from the International Sports Science Association, Holistic Health Coaching through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and has her BA from Boston University. She is a board member of the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine (CAAM) and the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP).Discover your Ayurvedic Mind-Body Type on Sahara's free interactive quiz at www.eatfeelfresh.com and delve into her humorous holistic health and beauty articles, informative Ayurvedic guides and colorful Earth-inspired recipes. Sahara is all about bringing the sacred to social media. For wellness inspiration and a rainbow of recipes delivered fresh daily to your newsfeed, follow her on Instagram and Facebook @EatFeelFresh.

Mantras: Words of Power


Sivananda Radha - 1980
    This helpful guide to the practice of chanting is useful for both the beginner and the experienced yogi.Mantras: Words of Power, now in its beautiful third edition, teaches how Mantra practice can be used to focus the mind and increase awareness. Each chapter of the book builds on learning from the previous chapter, beginning with an explanation about what Mantra is, how to practice, and then giving specific instruction for twelve mantras. It also includes chapters on Mantra and Healing, and Mantra and Initiation.

A Life Worth Breathing: A Yoga Master's Handbook of Strength, Grace, and Healing


Max Strom - 2010
    We all know it, we all wish for it, but just how to do it—that eludes us. In his new book, A Life Worth Breathing, internationally renowned yoga teacher and spiritual philosopher Max Strom shows us the way. His groundbreaking book reaches past expected dogma in a language that is vital, inspired, and accessible. Strom leads us on a journey of self-discovery as we excavate our past in order to have a better understanding of our present. According to Max Strom, “We live in fear of terrorism but in actuality the most devastating terrorism comes from within us as we sabotage ourselves.” With practical techniques, A Life Worth Breathing offers us a path to transformation with visionary insights on forgiveness, gratitude and self-empowerment. The teachings are rooted in Yoga, Sufism and Eastern philosophy, but make no mistake, this is not just another yoga book of postures, it is a guidebook for living. A Life Worth Breathing teaches us that by healing our past emotional wounds, silencing the inner critic that cripples us, and cultivating a yoga and breathing practice, we can elevate ourselves from the mindset of a reactionary victim to a higher level of awareness and empowerment. With these life skills we can achieve our true destiny, that of a fully integrated soul living an authentic life of meaning, success and joy. A life worth living, a life worth breathing.

Yoga Sequencing: Designing Transformative Yoga Classes


Mark Stephens - 2012
    Addressing one of the most popular topics in the yoga profession, this book offers sixty-seven model sequences of yoga poses (asanas) that cover the broad range of yoga student experience, including multiple sequences for beginning, intermediate, and advanced students; yoga for kids, teens, women across the life cycle, and seniors; classes to relieve depression and anxiety; and sequences for each of the major chakras and ayurvedic constitutions. Each sequence provides guidance for teaching the different breathing (pranayama) and meditation techniques that give yoga its transformative power. Enhanced with over 2,000 instructional photos and an elaborate guide to the constituent elements of over 150 yoga asanas, the book draws equally from ancient yoga philosophy and contemporary insights into functional anatomy, biomechanics, and kinesiology. The nuanced interrelationships among asanas within and between the seven asana families are explored and the anatomy of opening and stabilizing each pose is explained for sequences designed around specific needs and intentions. A comprehensive appendix includes a glossary of yoga-related terms, an alphabetical asana index with thumbnail photographs of each asana, a class planning worksheet, representative sequences from several popular styles of hatha yoga, and a list of resources for further exploring sequencing and the larger practice of teaching yoga.

The Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali: A New Translation with Commentary


Chip Hartranft - 2003
    Compiled in the second or third century CE, the Yoga-Sutra is a road map of human consciousness—and a particularly helpful guide to the mind states one encounters in meditation, yoga, and other spiritual practices. It expresses the truths of the human condition with great eloquence: how we know what we know, why we suffer, and how we can discover the way out of suffering. Chip Hartranft's fresh translation and extensive, lucid commentary bring the text beautifully to life. He also provides useful auxiliary materials, including an afterword on the legacy of the Yoga-Sutra and its relevance for us today.

The Kundalini Yoga Experience: Bringing Body, Mind, and Spirit Together


Dharma Singh Khalsa - 2002
    But yoga isn’t only about increasing flexibility and holding onto that youthful glow. As yoga becomes more popular, much of its original spirit is disappearing. While every yoga class includes a period of meditation, the majority of classes focus on learning postures to tone and strengthen the body. The Kundalini Yoga Experience teaches practices that equally target the body, the mind, and the spirit to improve every aspect of your health and tap into your own unique stores of healing energy. Professional Kundalini instructors Guru Dharma Khalsa and Darryl O’Keefe offer a balanced step-by-step program based on breathing, poses, and meditation to help you become the best person you can be—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Beautifully illustrated with more than fifty full-color photos and line art, The Kundalini Yoga Experience reveals the purest form of yoga—one that combines physical fitness with emotional health and spiritual satisfaction.

Awakening Shakti: The Transformative Power of the Goddesses of Yoga


Sally Kempton - 2013
    Yet most of us, women as well as men, have yet to experience the full potential of our inner feminine energies. When you know these powers for what they are, they heighten your capacity to open spiritually, love more deeply and fearlessly, create with greater mastery, and move through the world with skill and delight. In Awakening Shakti, you will learn how to recognize and invite:Kali, bringer of strength, fierce love, and untamed freedomLakshmi, who confers prosperity and beautySaraswati, for clarity of communication and intuitionRadha, who carries the divine energy of spiritual longingBhuvaneshvari, who creates the space for sacred transformationParvati, to awaken creativity and the capacity to loveWith a wealth of meditations, visualizations, mantras, teachings, and beautifully told stories, Awakening Shakti provides a practical guide for activating the currents of the divine feminine in every aspect of your life.

The Art and Business of Teaching Yoga: The Yoga Professional's Guide to a Fulfilling Career


Amy Ippoliti - 2016
    Many want to make yoga teaching their full-time career, but most training programs fall short in covering business acumen, and they may not equip graduates with the entrepreneurial skills and savvy they need to make a go of it. This indispensable and inspiring book guides both new and established professionals toward maximizing their impact as teachers and achieving their career goals. You’ll learn to: • build a loyal student base• plan dynamic classes• optimize your own practice • become more financially stable• maintain a marketing plan• use social media effectively• create a unique brand identity• inspire even more students to embrace yoga

Yoga: The Iyengar Way


Silva Mehta - 1990
    K. S. Iyengar. Featuring one hundred key postures with detailed step-by-step instructions and photographs--from Silva Mehta, a disciple of Iyengar and cofounder of the the Iyengar Yoga Institute in Maida Vale, London; and Mira Mehta, founder of and teacher at The Yogic Path in London, who studied with Iyengar from childhood.

Roots of Yoga


James Mallinson - 2016
    Yoga arises from yoga. One who is vigilant by means of yoga delights in yoga for a long time'Yoga is hugely popular around the world today, yet until now little has been known of its roots. This book collects, for the first time, core teachings of yoga in their original form, translated and edited by two of the world's foremost scholars of the subject. It includes a wide range of texts from different schools of yoga, languages and eras: among others, key passages from the early Upanisads and the Mahabharata, and from the Tantric, Buddhist and Jaina traditions, with many pieces in scholarly translation for the first time. Covering yoga's varying definitions across systems, models of the esoteric and physical bodies, and its most important practices, such as posture, breath control, sensory withdrawal and meditation, Roots of Yoga is a unique and essential source of knowledge.Translated and edited with an introduction by James Mallinson and Mark Singleton