A picture of some of my older yoga books…it’s hard to stack up Kindle yoga books…
It’s been quite a long time since I last posted about the yoga-related books I’ve been reading. There’s no doubt that my reading habits have certainly shifted the last few years. I used to always have a book on its way in the mail, which still happens sometimes, but for the most part I’ve moved away from holding a physical book in my hands to reading or listening to books on whatever device happens to be nearby. I still love the feel of paper, and for some books the digital version just doesn’t quite do the physical copy justice, but it’s a digital world we live in and so I’ve adapted. Also, the fact that I move so frequently makes it really painful to haul boxes and boxes of books back and forth across the world. For that reason alone it’s a very good thing I live in the 21st century and love my Kindle and Audible books.
This page is an ongoing work in progress to list the yoga-related books in my collection.
If the book has something to do with yoga, meditation, or mindful living I plan to include it on the list. The newest books will periodically be added to the top of the page and I’ll continue to add more detail about the books and authors and maybe include some favorite quotes or videos related to each book. The fact that a book is on the list doesn’t necessarily mean that I read the whole thing or actually recommend it, but for the most part I mainly just enjoy gleaning what I can from any yoga book and don’t really worry too much about being a literary critic… Some of these were sent to me by publishers or authors, which is great, but I bought a lot of them on my own dime.
I hope you enjoy perusing the list–it will continue to grow–and feel free to leave a comment if you have recommendations on what I should read next!
The Mindful Athlete: Secrets to Pure Performance by George Mumford
The Yogafit Athlete by Beth Shaw
Perfectly Imperfect: The Art and Soul of Yoga Practice by Baron Baptiste
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
Lilias! Yoga: Your Guide to Enhancing Body, Mind, and Spirit in Midlife and Beyond by Lilias Folan
Yoga for Sports: A Journey Towards Health and Healing by B.K.S. Iyengar
A Killer Retreat (A Downward Dog Mystery) by Tracy Weber
The Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science by Culadasa (John Yates)
Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation by Professor Mark W. Muesse (From The Great Courses series on Audible)
Krishnamacharya: His Life and Teachings by A.G. Mohan
Learn more about A.G. Mohan at his website: Svastha Yoga and Ayurveda.
Health, Healing, and Beyond: Yoga and the Living Tradition of T. Krishnamacharya by T.K.V. Desikachar
The Yoga of the Yogi: The Legacy of T. Krishnamacharya by Kausthaub Desikachar
The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards by William J. Broad
Core of the Yoga Sutras: The Definitive Guide to the Philosophy of Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar
Light on Life by B.K.S. Iyengar
Guruji: A Portrait of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois by Guy Donahaye and Eddie Stern
Yoga Mala Sri K. Pattabhi Jois
The Bhagavad Gita translated by Eknath Easwaran
The Path of Yoga: An Essential Guide to Its Principles and Practices by Georg Feuerstein
Yoga Cures: Over 50 Simple Routines for Radiant Health by Tara Stiles
Yoga for Transformation: Ancient Teachings for Healing the Body, Mind, and Heart by Gary Kraftsow
The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga by Bernie Clark
Fierce Medicine: Breakthrough Practices to Heal the Body and Ignite the Spirit by Ana T. Forrest
The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley
The Wisdom of Yoga: A Seeker’s Guide to Extraordinary Living by Stephen Cope
The Tree of Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar
The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice by T.K.V. Desikachar
Yoga as Medicine: The Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing by Timothy McCall, M.D.
There is No App for Happiness: How to Avoid a Near-Life Experience by Max Strom
Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratana
Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga by Rolf Gates and Katrina Kenison
Ashtanga Yoga: The Practice Manual by David Swenson
The Power of Ashtanga Yoga by Kino MacGregor
Ashtanga Yoga: The Definitive Step-by-Step Guide to Dynamic Yoga by John Scott
- Here’s a short, but inspiring, clip of the author demonstrating and explaining Ashtanga yoga.
Being of Power: The 9 Practices to Ignite an Empowered Life by Baron Baptiste
40 Days to Personal Revolution by Baron Baptiste
The Yoga Bootcamp Box: An Interactive Program to Revolutionize Your Life by Baron Baptiste
Journey Into Power by Baron Baptiste
Yoga for Warriors: Basic Training in Strength, Resilience & Peace of Mind by Beryl Bender Birch
Teaching Yoga: Essential Foundations And Techniques by Mark Stephens
- Uncover a ton of teaching and practice pointers on the Mark Stephens Yoga website.
Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews
- Author’s website: Yoga Anatomy
Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar
Light on Prãnãyãma: The Yogic Art of Breathing by B.K.S. Iyengar
Yin Yoga: Principles and Practice by Paul Grilley
Yoga Beyond Belief: Insights to Awaken and Deepen Your Practice by Ganga White
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Yoga and the Quest for the True Self by Stephen Cope
The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling by Stephen Cope
The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh
Mindful Movements: Ten Exercises for Well-Being by Thich Nhat Hanh
My Spiritual Journey by The Dalai Lama
Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki
Buddhist Boot Camp by Timber HawkeyeWhere
Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn
Real Happiness by Sharon Salzberg
Yoga for Dummies by Larry Payne
The Yoga-Sutra Of Patanjali: A New Translation With Commentary (Shambhala Classics) by Chip Hartranft
- Read Hartranft’s translation for free right here or via the author’s On-line Companion. Excellent resource!
The Inner Tradition Of Yoga: A Guide To Yoga Philosophy For The Contemporary Practitioner by Michael Stone
- To learn more about the author, Michael Stone, visit his website.
- Here’s a video of the author describing his approach to yoga.
The Inner Tradition of Yoga by Michael Stone from Toronto Body Mind on Vimeo.
Myths of The Asanas: The Ancient Origins of Yoga by Alanna Kaivalya, Arjuna van der Kooij
- Visit the author’s website for more information on the Kaivalya Yoga Method.
Yoga Beneath The Surface: An American Student And His Indian Teacher Discuss Yoga Philosophy And Practice by Srivatsa Ramaswami, David Hurwitz
- Learn more about Ramaswami at his website: Vinyasa Krama.
- Read Ramaswami’s article My Studies with Shri T. Krishnamacharya published in Namarupa Magazine.
The Complete Book of Vinyasa Yoga: The Authoritative Presentation-Based on 30 Years of Direct Study Under the Legendary Yoga Teacher Krishnamacha by Srivatsa Ramaswami
Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice by Mark Singleton
- Book review and some good comments on mayaland.
The Subtle Body: The Story Of Yoga In America by Stefanie Syman
- Read an interview with author Stefanie Syman at YogaCityNYC.
- Listen to author interview on On Point Radio.
The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice by Deborah Adele
- Book site: http://www.theyamasandniyamas.com/.
- Author’s blog.
Living Your Yoga: Finding the Spiritual in Everyday Life by Judith Hanson Lasater
- Author’s website.
Ashtanga Yoga: Practice And Philosophy by Gregor Maehle
- Author’s website, 8limbs.com.
Yoga And The Path Of The Urban Mystic by Darren Main
- Visit Darren Main’s companion website to the book.
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga: A Practical Guide to Healing Body, Mind, and Spirit by Deepak Chopra
The Athlete’s Pocket Guide to Yoga: 50 Routines for Flexibility, Balance, and Focus by Sage Rountree
- Take a look at Sage’s advice on Yoga for Runners on Runner’s World.
- Sage also has a great website and blog.
The Subtle Body: An Encyclopedia of Your Energetic Anatomy by Cyndi Dale
- Visit the author’s website for additional exploration.
Hell-Bent: Obsession, Pain, and the Search for Something Like Transcendence in Competitive Yoga by Benjamin Lorr
Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness by Erich Schiffmann
Bringing Yoga to Life: The Everyday Practice of Enlightened Living by Donna Farhi
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: Commentary on the Raja Yoga Sutras by Sri Swami Satchidananda
- Visit Sri Swami Satchidananda’s website.
The Living Gita: The Complete Bhagavad Gita – A Commentary for Modern Readers by Sri Swami Satchidananda
Bhagavad Gita: A New Translation by Stephen Mitchell
27 Things to Know About Yoga by Victoria Klein
- Check out Daily Cup of Yoga’s Review of 27 Things. This is really a great little yoga book!
- You will also enjoy reading Victoria Klein’s great yoga blog.
The Mirror of Yoga: Awakening the Intelligence of Body and Mind by Richard Freeman
- Author’s website: Yoga Workshop.
- I’m also a HUGE fan of Richard Freeman’s course on yoga philosophy, “The Yoga Matrix.”
The Yoga of Jesus: Understanding the Hidden Teachings of the Gospels (Self-Realization Fellowship) by Paramahansa Yogananda
How to be Happy All the Time by Paramahansa Yogananda
Man’s Eternal Quest: Collected Talks and Essays – Volume 1 (Self-Realization Fellowship) by Paramahansa Yogananda
Journey to Self-Realization – Collected Talks and Essays. Volume 3 (Self-Realization Fellowship) by Paramahansa Yogananda
Autobiography of a Yogi (Self-Realization Fellowship) by Paramahansa Yogananda
