Path of Fire and Light, Vol. 1: Advanced Practices of Yoga


Swami Rama - 1986
    Practical information on the advanced practices of yoga presented in straightforward language.

The Power of Ashtanga Yoga: Developing a Practice That Will Bring You Strength, Flexibility, and Inner Peace--Includes the complete Primary Series


Kino MacGregor - 2013
    Here, Kino MacGregor, a disciple of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, the great modern guru who developed Ashtanga Yoga, gives a comprehensive view of the practice and shows how Ashtanga is fundamentally a path of spiritual transformation and personal development. MacGregor delves into the history and tradition of Ashtanga Yoga and reveals how its philosophy manifests in contemporary lifestyle and dietary choices. She also explains the essential connection of breath, posture, and gaze that is the core of the practice. Her clear, step-by-step instruction of the Ashtanga Yoga Primary Series—including standing, seated, backbending, twisting, hip-opening, and closing postures—is a wonderful initiation for those who are new to the practice, and it will motivate experienced yogis toward perfection of the form. Throughout, MacGregor shares her own personal yoga journey and her devotion to yoga as a path of self-realization in a way that will inspire all practitioners.

In Touch: How to Tune In to the Inner Guidance of Your Body and Trust Yourself


John J. Prendergast - 2015
    We can feel authenticity in ourselves and in others. However, this innate wisdom is obscured by our conditioning-the core limiting beliefs, reactive feelings, and somatic contractions that fuel our sense of struggle and veil who we really are. In Touch is a groundbreaking, experiential guide to the felt-sense of our "inner knowing"-the deep intelligence available through our bodies. Each chapter presents moving stories, helpful insights from spirituality, psychology, and science, and simple yet potent experiments for integrating the gifts of inner knowing into every aspect of daily life. Join pioneering psychotherapist and teacher Dr. John J. Prendergast to explore: The phenomenon of "attunement"-how we accurately sense and resonate with ourselves and others-including an introduction to attachment theory, mirror neurons, and interoception (the ability to sense into the interior of your body) Felt-sensing and the subtle body-our ability to have a whole-body sense of reality and how the seven major energy centers relate to common psychospiritual issues "Shadows as portals"-how our dark and painful feelings and sensations can point us toward an essential radiance within The art of identifying and undoing our core limiting beliefs The four somatic qualities of inner knowing-relaxed groundedness, inner alignment, open-heartedness, and spaciousness-and how these subtle signals, once recognized, can guide our choices and help us to navigate life's challenges The fruits of inner knowing-the realization of who we are in our depths and the great intimacy with life we can all enjoy "As we tune into our deepest nature, our body relaxes, grounds, lines up, opens up, and lights up," writes Prendergast. "So far this extraordinarily useful subtle feedback has been largely overlooked; almost nothing has been written about it. We need to both sense and decode these signals if we are to benefit from them. These bodily markers are here to be seen and used as guides to enable us to more gracefully navigate life and to awaken. They are part of our birthright, available to anyone." Here is his invitation to start listening in a profound new way, deeply in touch with reality and our shared journey of awakening.

Spirit Junkie: A Radical Road to Self-Love and Miracles


Gabrielle Bernstein - 2011
    Bernstein has traded self-doubt and addiction for a new kind of high. In 2005 she became a student of A Course in Miracles and since then she has been guided to teach  those spiritual principles to the next generation of seekers.

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga: A Practical Guide to Healing Body, Mind, and Spirit


Deepak Chopra - 2004
    When adhered to and practiced mindfully, yoga can unlock readers’ full creative potential, their capacity for love and compassion, and ability to find success in all areas of their lives. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga brings spirituality back to yoga. It shows how the Seven Spiritual Laws play a crucial role in yoga’s path to enlightenment while providing readers with a wealth of meditation techniques, mantras, breathing exercises, and yoga poses. Whether a newcomer to yoga or an experienced practitioner, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga is a portal to yoga’s deeper spiritual dimension and a beautiful step to a happier, more harmonious, and more abundant life.

Deep Listening: A Healing Practice to Calm Your Body, Clear Your Mind, and Open Your Heart


Jillian Pransky - 2017
    For much of her life, she subscribed to a relentless work hard/play hard mentality, burying parts of herself beneath the pursuit of busy-ness and accomplishment. It wasn’t until a devastating personal loss and health crisis thrust her into suffocating anxiety that she stopped racing around. As she began to pause and examine her actions and emotions, she found herself able to unlock deeply seated tension in her mind and body. Since then, Pransky has been devoted to studying and teaching mindfulness practices, deep relaxation, and compassionate listening.In Deep Listening, Pransky presents her signature Calm Body, Clear Mind, Open Heart program—a 10-step journey of self-exploration that she’s taught around the world. Derived from the techniques that healed her, the practice of Deep Listening invites you to pay close attention to your body, mind, and heart. You’re taught how to tune inward and relax into a state of openness, ease, and clarity. This is the new frontier in integrative wellness—mindfulness designed for healing.Pransky doesn’t ask you to “be your best self,” or “do more!” She asks you to “be here” and “do less.” She guides you gently through the stages of Deep Listening, from being present and noticing your tension to welcoming what you discover with softness and compassion. She integrates tools like guided meditations, journaling prompts, and restorative yoga poses to help you regard yourself with kindness and curiosity. Immersing yourself in the practice of Deep Listening will allow you to nurture your own well-being.

The Secret Power of Yoga: A Woman's Guide to the Heart and Spirit of the Yoga Sutras


Nischala Joy Devi - 2007
    In The Secret Power of Yoga, world-renowned Yoga expert Nischala Joy Devi interprets Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the principles at the basis of Yoga practice, from a heart-centered, intuitive, feminine perspective, resulting in the first translation intended for women. Devi’s simple, elegant, and deeply personal interpretations capture the spirit of each sutra, and her suggested practices offer numerous ways to embrace the spirituality of Yoga throughout your day

Karma and Chaos: New and Collected Essays on Vipassana Meditation


Paul R. Fleischman - 1999
    Drawn from the personal experiences of a therapist and practitioner of Vipassana meditation, this work explores meditation’s similarities and differences with psychotherapeutic and scientific endeavors. In the title essay, parallels are drawn between the atomic synthesis of free choice and lawful consequence in Chaos Theory and karma, offering contemporary insights into one of Buddhism’s core concepts. The empirical roots of meditation, its relevance to daily life, and the challenges and benefits of daily practice of Vipassana meditation are also addressed. Practical examples for continued observation outside of formal meditation retreats guide readers in incorporating Buddhist practice into daily life.

How Yoga Works


Michael Roach - 2004
    The Sanskrit text is written in 210 brief, cryptic verses whose meaning has long ago sunk into darkness; the many, confusing modern attempts to explain them bear little resemblance to each other, which is just a sign of how difficult this priceless little book can be. Geshe Michael Roach is an honors graduate of Princeton University and the first westerner in the 600-year history of Sera Mey Tibetan Monastery to be awarded the degree of Geshe, or Master of Buddhism. He is known for his business bestseller, The Diamond Cutter: The Buddha on Managing Your Business & Your Life. Using a database of almost half a million pages of ancient Asian literature, Geshe Michael has produced a fresh, clear, and immediately usable translation of the Yoga Sutra in the form of a wonderful novel about a young Tibetan woman who uses the wisdom to transform the corrupt world around her into a paradise on earth. How Yoga Works has been acclaimed as a must-read for anyone who does yoga and who wants to know what the Yoga Sutra really says. It is an especially popular reading for yoga teacher training courses throughout the world, and as a personal daily guide for spiritual inspiration.

The Pure Heart of Yoga: Ten Essential Steps for Personal Transformation


Robert J. Butera - 2009
    Perfect awareness. True beauty. Yoga is much more than just a physical activity. It is a conscious lifestyle that brings about a profound spiritual and personal transformation. This book on yoga invites you to experience yoga as the ancient masters intended it--a holistic way of life that unites the body, mind, and spirit for complete health and well-being.With clear instruction, Dr. Robert Butera guides you through ten steps on the path of yoga that are based on traditional yogic principles and practices, yet designed to fit seamlessly into your life. Yoga enthusiasts of all kinds will discover effective tools for creating a life of healthful beauty and inner peace.Understand the role of physical poses within the larger, holistic system of yoga Practice breathing techniques (pranayama), work with your energy centers (chakras), and develop your concentration Overcome psychological blocks, balance your emotions, and grow emotionally and spiritually Visit www.pureheartofyoga.com for free video clips of demonstrated yoga postures.Praise: "The Pure Heart of Yoga will bring increased depth to your yoga practice...It is an excellent book: thoughtful, reflective, deep, and accessible."--Eleanor Criswell, Ed.D., author of How Yoga Works"That he's able to instruct and inspire with a warm heart and skillful direction, without judgment or prejudice about the "style" or your yoga of choice, is good reason to believe this book will bring life to your practice."--Yoga Journal

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.

Soul-Centered: Transform Your Life in 8 Weeks with Meditation


Sarah McLean - 2012
     Each of the 8 weeks that follows explores a variety of meditation practices thoroughly supported by research, insights, stories and exercises.  The theme of each week reflects a benefit derived from meditation: Awareness, Peace, Freedom, Compassion, Intimacy, Authenticity, Receptivity, and Nourishment.            This easy to follow program inspires you to confidently practice meditation and develop a new perspective.  In the process, you'll become more-self-aware, more peaceful, and more compassionate: a way of life that can truly be called soul-centered.

Yoga Girl


Rachel Brathen - 2014
    In Yoga Girl, Brathen takes readers beyond her Instagram feed and shares her journey like never before—from her self-destructive teenage years in her hometown in Sweden to her adventures in the jungles of Costa Rica, and finally to the beautiful and bohemian life she’s built through yoga and meditation in Aruba today. Featuring spectacular photos of Brathen practicing yoga with breathtaking tropical backdrops, along with step-by-step yoga sequences and simple recipes for a healthy, happy, and fearless lifestyle—Yoga Girl is like an armchair vacation to a Caribbean spa.

The Art of Effortless Living


Ingrid Bacci - 2000
    After embarking on a journey of healing using mind-body techniques, she realized the secret to health, happiness, and success was to let go of trying so hard and face the fear that had ruled her life. Many of us are addicted to struggling and trying so hard to make things happen. We feel emotionally dissatisfied and physically exhausted or even ill. We have a nagging sense that there must be more to life than what we are getting. We apply ourselves to reaching our goals, only to find out that we pay a price in the form of stress and tension. In The Art of Effortless Living, Dr. Bacci presents clear, simple techniques for developing an effortless lifestyle. Through breathing exercises, meditation, visualization, bodywork and tapping into unconscious guidance, you can learn how to achieve a more fulfilling life—by doing less.

Yoga Mala: The Seminal Treatise and Guide from the Living Master of Ashtanga Yoga


Sri K. Pattabhi Jois - 2000
    Pattabhi Jois is at the heart of it. One of the great yoga figures of our time, Jois brought Ashtanga yoga to the West a quarter of a century ago and has been the driving force behind its worldwide dissemination. Based on flowing, energetic movement, Ashtanga and the many forms of vinyasa yoga that grow directly out of it--have become the most widespread and influential styles of practice in the United States today. Mala means "garland" in Sanskrit, and Yoga Mala--a "garland of yoga practice"--is Jois's distillation of Ashtanga. He first outlines the ethical principles and philosophy underlying the discipline and explains its important terms and concepts. Next he guides the reader through Ashtanga's versions of the Sun Salutation and its subsequent sequence of forty-two asanas, or poses, precisely describing how to execute each position and what benefits each provides. Brought into English by Eddie Stern, a student of Jois's for twelve years and director of the Patanjali Yoga Shala in New York City, Yoga Mala will be an indispensable handbook for students and teachers of yoga for years to come.