Yoga Books:

Ryan Munevar's List:

I've read a lot of books on Yoga. But these are my top 4. These are the ones that I keep on my desk next to the computer I program this site with...

	It's good to start out with a very basic book to get a sense of what is out there.
	You should then understand the actual science of yoga. This is also better than almost all the standard anatomy books our there they use in Pre Med classes.
	This is one of the most illuminating books on the asanas of yoga from one of the greatest modern day legends of our time.
	This is one of the best translations and insightfull books on the Sutras of Patanjali. Indespensible.

Now there are a million more books in my list, but these are the top over all books. Below is the breakdown for the lists of books on each type of yoga out there. I am including the actual product descriptions for them, not my own.

Note: The list is no where near complete. We are always looking for good books on any of the styles listed below. Feel free to email your suggestions to us.

 

Ananda: Forum...

	This is an unparalleled, first-hand account of the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda, featuringnearly 500 never-before-released stories, sayings, and insights. This is an extensive, yet eminentlyaccessible treasure trove of wisdom from one of the 20th Centurys most famous yoga masters.One of Yoganandas closest disciples, Kriyananda faithfully recorded these words of his guru,giving us this intimate glimpse of life with Yogananda, as never before shared. Also features 25photos of the yoga master, many of which are previously unreleased.
	The scope of this book is vastit offers as complete an explanation of lifes true purpose, and the way to achieve that purpose, as may be found anywhere. A few of the chapters include The TruePurpose of Life On Meditation How to Pray Effectively The Law of Karma The Lesson ofReincarnation and Ways in Which God Can Be Worshiped. Filled with lessons and stories thatYogananda shared only with his closest disciples, this volume offers one of the most insightfuland engaging glimpses into the life and lessons of a great sage. Much of the material presentedhere is not available anywhere else.
	"It is doubtful that there has been a more important spiritual writing in the past 50 years than this soul-stirring, monumental work. Through a mind blessed with special clarity, Swami Kriyananda has brought us his most vivid memories of the explanations by Paramhansa Yogananda of the Bhagavad Gita, allowing us to hear with greater vibrancy than ever before the Melodies of the Divine. At last the "Lord’s Song" is not a mystery to our mind, but music to our ears! What a gift! What a treasure! My personal gratitude to Swami Kriyananda shall be everlasting." —Neale Donald Walsch, author of Conversations with God" From the Publisher.

 

Anusara: Forum...

The book is honest and heartfelt and it hit home with how we all deal with weight and self-image issues. The book shares her experiences with weight loss and gain and overexercise, as well as, other yogis experiences with eating disorders and how yoga can heal your spirit. Through the practice of the Anusara Principles of Alignment, we can set our spirit free by safely practicing yoga. Along with this freeing of our spirit comes acceptance and surrender as we let go of this constant battle we wage against our body and ourselves. I think this is an excellent addition to anyone's library and clearly illustrates that yoga is a spiritual path, more than the physical asanas and more than looking good.

 

Ashtanga: Forum...

	This is the most user-friendly yoga book available! It contins the entire Primary and Intermediate series of Ashtanga Yoga with three options for every asana. It is spiral bound to easily remain open while practicing. It contains over 650 photos with clear instructions and commentary. It is a great book for all levels of practitioners to enjoy and teachers will find it to be an invaluable tool for teaching their students.
	John Scott's Ashtanga Yoga draws on his expertise as a teacher of this most energetic form of yoga. An easy-to-use guide, it features color photographs and a series of step-by-step exercise sessions -- starting with a simple sequence designed for beginners that, once mastered, provides the foundation for moving to the next cycle.
	Ashtanga is the most dynamic form of yoga around, and now you can enjoy all its benefits--including increased flexibility, improved strength, and enhanced calm. From beginning sun salutations, through standing and seated postures, to the finishing positions, these pictures guide your body while the captions instruct you on proper breathing. One spread, for example, takes you smoothly through a forward bend into the basic "downward dog" posture, finally ending on the ground with a stretched out, arched back "cobra." You won't miss out on a single segment of the motion.

 

Bikram: Forum...

Bikram Choudhury, author of the newly revised Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class and yoga guru to the stars, is on a mission to heal America through yoga. Bikram claims that faithfully doing his yoga routine, which consists of 26 hatha yoga asanas (postures) set down by Patanjali over 4,000 years ago, can fix everything from chronic diseases (like heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis) to obesity and depression. According to Bikram, his beginning yoga class exercises 100 percent of the body, increases energy, and leaves you looking and feeling fantastic.

 

Hatha: Forum...

	Experience the physical benefits and body awareness from hatha yoga—the most popular form of yoga today. Hatha Yoga Illustrated presents nearly 650 full-color photos to visually demonstrate 77 standard poses from hatha yoga that apply to all major hatha styles including Iyengar, Astanga, Anusara, and Bikram.
	Featuring over 150 yogic postures from the main schools of yoga, including Iyengar and Astanga Vinyasa, this guide provides a comprehensive illustrated step-by-step book to achieving the postures and advice on altering them where necessary with easier postures highlighted for beginners. The book also includes more advanced positions for experienced yogists, which will inspired them in developing their practice.
	One of the simplest yet most comprehensive yoga books to be published in recent memory, Miller's work could become a classic. Using elegant, gentle prose and graceful line drawings to illustrate poses, the book serves as an excellent introduction for those unfamiliar with or just getting used to breathing in downward facing dog position. Miller, who has been practicing yoga for over 25 years and [has written] for Yoga Journal and other publications, takes a three-pronged approach to teaching yoga, focusing on the equally important components of breathing, poses and meditation. She doesn't spend much time on the history and origins of yoga, and quickly moves to technique. Focusing on hatha yoga, Miller teaches readers breathing exercises and how to warm up, and then proceeds to standing, seated, prone, supine and inverted poses.
	The postures act as energy templates, he explains, but it's necessary to understand the lines of flow and circulation. He makes this very easy to understand and apply. And when you do, the external technique improves and you become precise without thinking about every distracting detail. Also, Schiffman's approach is beautiful. He teaches you to sense your limits and learn when you want to stay well within them, and when you want to push them.

 

Iyengar: Forum...

	The definitive guide to the philosophy and practice of Yoga--the ancient healing discipline for body and mind--by its greatest living teacher. Light on Yoga provides complete descriptions and illustrations of all the positions and breathing exercises. Features a foreword by Yehudi Menuhin. Illustrations throughout.
	There are not many sources for the westerner who wishes to explore the depths of pranayama.This book is an exhaustive look into the art of breathing.It is complete,it is detailed and technical and it comes from an acknowledged guru.It is more than any other "modern" guru or yoga organization has put out in book form about the subject.For anyone who wishes to investigate and practice pranayama this is the classic.
	A fresh translation of the writings of Patanjali, the first man to record the ancient practice of yoga, by B. K. S. Iyengar, the man who introduced yoga to the West.
	Master yogi Iyengar offers what may turn out to be his last written words on the discipline that he helped popularize with Light on Yoga. Published in 1966, that first book became yoga's "bible" and set the standard for yoga books, providing pictures and instructions. The 86-year-old teacher here expounds the philosophy of yoga—its metaphysics, of which yoga poses, or asanas, represent the physical component. Iyengar yoga is vigorous because it involves the body, mind and spirit, and the master explains those interrelationships clearly. Chapters elaborate on aspects of yoga—the physical, energetic, mental, intellectual and divine, showing the architecture of the comprehensive system of spiritual teachings that lead to samadhi, the state of blissful absorption. Yoga is about health and purity, flexibility and divinity. While this book underlines the intellectual aspect of yoga, it is insufficient for a new yoga student, no substitute for yoga sadhana, practice that requires and integrates body and mind. Not the book with which to begin the yoga journey, it is highly recommended for those advanced on the path and interested in learning from a master of flexibility and wisdom.
	Iyengar developed a form of yoga that focuses on developing strength, endurance, correct body alignment, as well as flexibility and relaxation. The Iyengar method integrates philosophy, spirituality, and the practice of yoga into everyday living. In The Tree of Yoga, Iyengar offers his thoughts on many practical and philosophical subjects including family life, love and sexuality, health and the healing arts, meditation, death, and Patañjali's Yoga Sutras. This new edition features a foreword by Patricia Walden, a leading American teacher of the Iyengar style.
	In Yoga: The Path to Holistic Health, 82-year-old Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar (Light on Yoga; The Tree of Yoga), one of the world's leading yoga teachers, makes it even more accessible, offering detailed instructions for postures of all levels of difficulty, illustrated by color photos and accompanied by helpful explanations of their health benefits. The basic Adhomukha Svanasana (Sanskrit for "downward-facing dog posture") stimulates the nervous system, while the more daunting Salamba Sirsasana (headstand) promotes clarity of thought and improves your memory. Other postures, according to Iyengar, boost the respiratory and immune systems, tone muscles and, most important, relieve stress. Not only a how-to, Iyengar's book also includes a concise explanation of yoga's spiritual dimension.

 

Kripalu: Forum...

From the senior teachers of the world-renowned Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health–the largest yoga and retreat center in North America–comes this comprehensive guide to the unique and influential Kripalu method, which emphasizes individual growth over outward perfection of form, making it accessible to people of all ages, fitness levels, and body types.

 

Kundalini: Forum...

This is a university textbook from the University of Alaska, from classes taught by Yogi Nirvair Khalsa. If you have had the opportunity to view these classes (also available through Amazon), which were part of an actual Distance Learning college-level course, you know you are in for a treat. Nowhere else will you find such a complete guidebook to Kundalini Yoga.

Kundalini comes from the Indian word kundal, which means "lock of hair from the beloved." The uncoiling of this "hair" is the awakening of the kundalini, the creative potential that already exists in every human. The yoga in this book is a sampling of the vast wealth called Kundalini Yoga. Here you learn about the branch of yoga based on the teachings of Yogi Bhajan, Ph.D., who brought Kundalini Yoga from India to the West in 1969. Master yoga teacher and author Shakta Kaur Khalsa demonstrates how Kundalini Yoga works for everyday life and every person. You are not required to be in perfect physical shape or share any particular belief system. Kundalini Yoga works for you if you can breathe and move your body! In this type of yoga, the most important thing is experience. Your experience goes right to your heart, your core. These ancient teachings are designed to give you a hands-on approach to experiencing your deepest emotions and highest consciousness. By approaching Kundalini Yoga with openness and respect, and by following the steps included in this book, you can change and enrich your life.

 

Viniyoga: Forum...

There's more to yoga than stretching and bending and twisting. In Yoga for Wellness, one of America's top yoga teachers gives a clinic on the holistic nature of yoga practice, especially in regard to healing and well-being. With over a thousand photographs, Gary Kraftsow covers the basic postures, the specific movements of each posture, and how to sequence postures in a routine. More importantly, he moves from form to function, showing how sequences of postures can alleviate ailments in each system of the body, from lower back pain to hypertension--even depression and multiple sclerosis.