Sweet Kula,
Hello! I’ve received several messages lately requesting book lists, so I’m putting together a few year on the blog.
As I’ve mentioned many times here, in class and on social media, BOOKS ARE VITAL to my practice and process. When I invite a book into my life, it is a RELATIONSHIP, much like those I have with other beings. If you’ve ever seen my copy of books like emergent strategy or Original Yoga or Ravi Ravindra’s Yoga Sutras, you know that my books emerge from these relationships CHANGED: the are dog-eared, tagged, written in, drawn on, accidentally dripped with tea, stuffed with ephemera and, above all, EXPERIENCED.
I urge you to cultivate your own practice library. It doesn’t need to be big. It doesn’t need to be fancy. It definitely won’t happen overnight, so let the books find you when the time is right (or when they jump off the shelf or out of the free-pile at you).
BOOKS FOR BEGINNING
I am ALWAYS beginning. The minute I think I’m an expert is the minute I know I need to go back a beginning and refine. THUS, these books are good for starting your practice, re-starting or doubling-back when your thinking-mind *thinks* you know everything. I’ll categorize them in ways that make sense to me, but feel free to add your own descriptors.
MEDITATION
–The Miracle of Mindfulness, by Thich Nhat Hanh
–Wherever You Go, There You Are, by Jon Kabat-Zinn
–Original Yoga, by Richard Rosen.
The first two are Buddhist books, though Jon Kabat-Zinn shares a highly secularized version of Buddhism. They give extremely practical advice on the path toward meditation, which is helpful whether you ascribe to Buddhist beliefs or not.
The third book is not really a book for beginners, but it is essential for incorporating yogic techniques into your practice. It’s an amazing synthesis of the primary Hatha yoga texts.
YOGA ASANA
–Welcome to Yoga, by me (digital download)
–Yoga: The Practice of Moving into Stillness, by Erich Schiffmann
–Awakening the Spine, by Vanda Scaravelli
I consider all of these books practice companions. None of them (especially Scaravelli) are about micro-managing the physiological aspects of yoga postures. My Erich’s book give wonderful sequences
PHILOSOPHY
–Yoga FAQ, by Richard Rosen
-The Great Work of Your Life, by Stephen Cope
-The Wisdom of the Yoga Sutras, by Ravi Ravindra (This book is not easy to come by now, but it is (in my opinion) the very best (oh my gosh!) rendition of the Yoga Sutras. If you can find it, snatch it up!
There you have it! I’ve done my very best here to distill my own library down to the most fundamental books to assist the entry to the practice. Please share if you’ve read any of these volumes. I’m sure you have additions! Please share in the comments if there is a book that has helped you with the essence of this practice.
I’ll post a follow-up list for continuing and advanced practitioners soon.
LOVE TO ALL! kelly
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