Four Books Written By Yogis, For Yogis to Add to Your Reading List
Looking to take your yoga practice off the mat - and into your library? Here are four book recommendations for page-turners written by yogis, for yogis. Whether you’re an occasional yogi hopping on your mat here and there or a seasoned teacher with a regular class schedule, there’s something for every yogi in these books.
Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom by B.K.S. Iyengar
You may be familiar with B.K.S. Iyengar due to his namesake style of yoga, but did you also know he’s authored several books? And you don’t have to be a practicing Iyengar yogi to take something valuable from this book - in fact, you don’t have to be familiar with his namesake yoga style at all.
Iyengar’s book sheds light onto his personal life and journey into yoga. Although regarded today as a well-respected, skilled, teacher of yoga, he actually started his life as a very sickly boy and struggled with his yoga practice as well as his breath work - proving that yoga truly is for everyone! Light on Life also talks about the yogic journey and how to find peace not only in your postures but in your life.
The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga's Ethical Practice by Deborah Adele
Whether you’re a yoga teacher looking to expand your knowledge of the first two of the eight limbs of yoga, or you’re a yogi looking to learn about yoga, Deborah Adele’s Yamas & Niyamas is an absolutely lovely tool to add to your yoga toolbox. This feel-good book takes a deep dive into the yamas and niyamas, giving real-world examples of each.
Adele’s book is one that you can read over and over at different points in your life and always find something new to take away from it.
Journey Into Power: How to Sculpt Your Ideal Body, Free Your True Self, and Transform Your Life with Yoga by Baron Baptiste
If you love or are interested in strong, powerful, vinyasa yoga, Journey Into Power is a staple in your book collection. Baron Baptiste goes into great detail describing his power yoga sequence, a strong and powerful flow designed to build strength and endurance, and bring you in touch with your inner self. Each pose is discussed at length, setting you up not only for physical success but powerful spiritual change.
Baptiste’s power yoga is more than just a yoga practice - it’s a way of living, from your relationships to your diet to being in the present moment and tapping into your breath. If you’re looking to change your whole life in a meaningful way, you definitely want to give this a read.
The Accidental Yogini by Tracey Ulshafer
This last selection is a bit different from the others in that it’s a novel that tells the story of Kristin, a yogini who’s living a life she never thought would be hers. She enjoys her friendships. family, relationship, job, and yoga practice.
But it wasn’t always this way. The Accidental Yogini takes you through the journey of a young woman working in a job she hates and living a life she feels was designed for someone else. She tries yoga at the recommendation of someone close in her life to help with chronic pain, and although skeptical at first, she finds herself diving deep into the practice and everything it has to offer. Kristin might be a lot like you - did you find yoga when you weren’t looking for it? Did yoga introduce you to a tribe of like-minded individuals? Did yoga change your life in ways you didn’t expect? Did yoga help you to solve challenges in your life off the mat? More likely than not, you’ll be able to find a bit of yourself in Kristin’s journey.
Leave a comment