Help finding literature =)

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

New User

Posts: 1

Greetings, dear yogis.
I was wondering if anyone of you, dear friends, could help me out finding a book(or a number of books) that could give me as a beginner a good introduction on yoga and a great basement starting with Hatha.
Not only Im interested in Hatha in particular but also in everything that has to do with breathing techniques(hatha too no?) and energy flows(chakras etc…)

I have had trouble finding a good quality literature since there are so many books and I suspect that most of them can turn out to be a waste of time in a long run.

Something tells me that there are really good and famous books on the market that most of you might know about that could lead a beginner through the basement to a nice level without a need of finding a studio.
I live in a very small town where people believe that yoga is either some kind of woodoo or a sport he-he =)

Many thanks in advance!

#2

[QUOTE=Dudesome;22107]New User

Posts: 1

Greetings, dear yogis.
I was wondering if anyone of you, dear friends, could help me out finding a book(or a number of books) that could give me as a beginner a good introduction on yoga and a great basement starting with Hatha.

Many thanks in advance![/QUOTE]

a)
For Hatha Yoga it is widely accepted as the best book:

B. K. S. Iyengar- Yoga, the [path to holistic health. You can buy it through

To see how Hatha Yoga was practiced by real yogis centuriea ago you can go to the classic

b) For pranayama you can see a good video by Swami Ramdev

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-386913693756370208

A classic book is :

The science of Pranayama by Sivananda

The video above will suffice you though for quite a while.

c) Spiritual books

There are classics like Yoga Sutras by Patanjali, Bhagavad Gita and many others. You might get lost in them all.

My personal recommendation is the book:

The Second Coming of Christ by Yogananda. It is a monumental opera in two volumes, which explains both Yoga and Christianity. I am reading this book and finding answers to all questions. Clear, comcise, deep answers.

#3

My new favorite book…Hatha Yoga Illustrated by Martin Kirk & Brooke Boon
Simple, easy to understand .

#4

starting at home I would recommenend AYP yoga by yogani. He seems to cover the bases is easy to read. belives you have the guru within, and that your practice can be done at home within a very reasonable time. www.aypsite.org
My best to you
brother Neil

#5

alot of thanks!

#6

Hello Dudesome,

Are you interested in yoga or are you interested in asana?
If you are interested in Yoga you’ll need a book on living. If you are interested in asana then a book on poses and postures.

It might be helpful to begin by browsing the Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga authored by Georg Feuerstein. It is a comprehensive glossary of terms that will be plucked off your shelf many times over.

My teacher, Aadil Palkhivala, has also mindfully written a book. It is called Fire of Love: for Students of Life, for Teachers of Yoga. There is not one posture in the entire book as it is all about living. It wil only change your life. Your hamstrings may remain the same.

If you fancy going into the Yoga Sutras and doing so a bit deeper than the average bear who would likely pick up the Swami Satchidananda version, try The Science of Yoga by I.K. Taimni. This is one of the most probing, insightful, discourse on the sutras I’ve ever seen.

Asana books abound. And while Light on Yoga is the definitive text on asana it is a bit dangerous in the hands of a beginner. It wold be difficult to discern what is for you now and what is not when you have the entirety of asana in one collection.

Pranayama or the direction of breath should be learned from a teacher please. Once again, it would be difficult to discern what is and is not for you without some guidance and book guidance is often both indirect and misdirected. If you must start on your own - and I understand that “must” - please begin with gentle pranayama and do not advance until you’ve mastered them over the course of several years, if not longer.

gordon

#7

Welcome Dudesome,

Excellent advice so far…

I would like to suggest the inspiring classic,
[I]Autobiography of a Yogi[/I], by Paramahansa Yogananda.

…and a rare text, [I]Bliss Divine: A Book of Spiritual
Essays on the Lofty Purpose of Human Life and
the Means to Its Achievement[/I]
by Sri Swami Sivananda, published by The Divine Life Society, India

As I always tell my students:
Listen to your intuition! Read what you are guided to on the shelf…

May your practice be strong, your heart open,
and your mind calm and clear.

Best with Blessings, Namaste,
Nancy

#8

Thanks everyone! Great information! Awesome forum.
A lot of respect!
Namaste