(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best books about yoga

Warning: wall of text. For realz. I'm not sure I've ever gotten this close to the 10k character limit before. And because I wanted this to be useful both for you and in general, it may meander a bit. I am ABSOLUTELY open to adding to this (w/in 1k characters) to get things I've missed. Let's make a list, people!

Finding the right one for you, given that you are already teaching, is going to be different than for someone else, but only in that your list will look different. But making a list- a list of your strengths and weaknesses- should be something that most people thinking about training should be doing.

You may also find that to get the absolute most from your training that you need to reframe your approach to one that covers concepts but also bolsters your outside study. My hope for my second YTT (I had been teaching for 3 years) was to address gaps I knew existed and to make for a more cohesive body of knowledge, giving me the chance to address anew topics that were either not on my radar or I was not yet at a place to soak in at the time of my first training.

It's probably fair to argue that anyone unable to make a list of their strengths and their gaps in knowledge is not yet ready to choose a training. Not that they're not ready for YTT, but that they need to do more self-study on what there is to know so as to build a list of gaps. For people looking at doing a training that don't know what that is, simply looking at the suggestions here for books will give an idea about the fact that there are Sutras, and a Pradipika, as well as the numerous resources about alignment and anatomy. From there, comparing the 200hr requirements for YA and some syllabi will further allow someone to consider what other gaps they need to address.

For the people answering the gaps question with, 'I don't know anything about anything outside of asana'... I'd suggest that you start reading, and focus on finding teachers you connect with whose syllabus is solid. Know that it's quite likely that you will need to do a significant amount of work outside of your 200hr (and that those already possessing the information you are lacking have probably already had occasion do to that work.) You'll learn more from teachers you connect with. I'd only suggest intensives for those with an incredibly solid base of knowledge (I'd been practicing for over 10 years, and though the training itself was an intensive, it was followed up by a practicum in which we did our observations/assisted classes, and our practice teaching). I'd only suggest trainings abroad/you'd travel to with a similar base, unless you already know that teacher well.

For you I'd suggest a list of your strengths, your weaknesses... and your passions. Those things that, even if you consider them to be strengths, that you are passionate about and hope that you get more information about.

I'd suggest taking that list and, again as objectively as possible, determine how many of those things are reasonable to expect in a 200hr training. I think this is probably most important for the last item on that list. You'll want to consider that the things you are passionate about and want to learn more about, given that you are already teaching, may well be outside of the scope of a 200hr training for you to really gain depth.

Keep in mind that as you well know, many 200hr trainings are impacted most noticeably by the fact that they don't set the bar as high as you and I would expect to allow those 200 hours to actually focus on training amazing teachers.

So... with your list in mind (I tried to keep it both general enough that others will find it useful but also address things specific to where you're at)...

• What are the requirements of the training? Do they have requirements? (Hint: They should!) Understand that trainings that don't have baseline requirements are then forced to start from the ground up, which directly impacts the amount of valuable information you will receive.
  
• Do you connect with the vibe of the studio or, in the case of an apprenticeship, the people you'll be learning from?
  
• Do you respect their level of knowledge?
  
• How many people are in each class? Is there a limit? Is this what you imagined?
  
• How many trainings do they do a year/have going on at once?
  
• How many teachers are involved, and how available are they to you throughout?
  
• How do they handle missed hours? (Yes, it's reasonable that at a certain point you're charged extra for contact hours you need to make up. Start doing the math and you'll quickly understand why.)
  
• How much teaching will you be doing as part of the training? At what point? Doing what? Who is observing?
  
• Are you expected to be practicing with a wide variety of teachers during your training?
  
• What other activities are you expected to be doing during your training?
  
• Is the opportunity to observe/assist available/required?
  
• Are you ok with the fact that these people are human beings with flaws and they may not live up to whatever lofty ideals you would like to project on them? (This is most certainly for newer students, but as someone with a long practice history, I found myself having to ask, 'does this person have information that I want/need/do they have enough experience to add to what I have already learned?' - it kept me focused on waiting for the right training.)
  
• Is this a training that will address your gaps in a meaningful way?
  
• How do they approach adjustments? (This is important if you come from an adjustment-heavy lineage and the trainers feel it's wrong to touch people, for instance- and can be an issue vice versa if you are not willing to be open to learning the value of adjusting and whether there's a way to do so that takes into account your feelings about consent/contact.)
  
• How much emphasis is there on the 8 limbs/spirituality? Is this in line with where you are right now? Example: my 500hr was with someone that was a direct disciple for nearly a decade. It had a huge impact on what he taught and how. Had this been the case in my first training it would not have been something I was ok with. For my 500hr it was a perfect fit.
  
• How do they approach ethics? I'd ask specifically what they teach here. If it's a glossing over, honestly I'd ask why. This may be something that longtime teachers don't think as much about covering situationally and in-depth, because for them it's so... common sense. Don't discount those people out of hand, but perhaps suggest that discussion about potential issues is invaluable and that you as a student would find it very useful. I highly recommend this book, though when I first encountered it, as one of the above people, initially felt that it was silly and SO very obvious: https://www.amazon.com/Teaching-Yoga-Exploring-Teacher-Student-Relationship/dp/1930485174 - the reality is that as new teachers it's important to think ahead toward how you'd handle the questionable situations you will likely eventually encounter.
  
• Are you ok with the training being a little lighter on the items you are already strong in, if that training also meets your gaps?
  
• Do you realize that as a 200hr training it really is a foundational training, and for someone already teaching, it may be a good amount of review?
  
• Are you open to the notion of 'making your own depth' - be that asking the next question, or doing additional reading based on the topics or concepts covered? Keeping in mind that there's a limit to the time that can be spent in class on topics broader than the intended scope, good teachers will suggest or do some digging for suitable suggestions.
  
• Is some sort of trauma-sensitive training covered or offered?
  
• How much is accessibility discussed?
  
• How is anatomy covered? Is functional anatomy part of that conversation?
  
• Especially for long-time practitioners and those already teaching- are you willing to practice beginner's mind?
  
• Also for those long-time people- do you want to do a training focused on your primary practice? Or do you want to branch out?
  
• Have you considered how you'll respond/handle information that is different- be it a little or fully at odds- with what you have already learned?
  
  
  Other things to consider:
  
  
• Are they excited about training teachers?
  
• What do they love about offering TTs?
  
• Are they open about what they cover?
  
• Can they speak to why/how they have set up the training the way they have? (Example: I cover accessibility because I have training specific to it and it's something I am passionate about.)
  
• If you ask about the program's strengths, can they tell you what and why?
  In short... ask about the program with some direct but open-ended questions. The answers should give you some insight into what's important or at least some opening to ask the questions that will get you to those answers.
  
• Are they open to questions/have they left some time in the syllabus for the specifics of their group?
  
• Should you be looking for a class, or an apprenticeship?
  
  edit 1- a word
  

Please go through these books, I don't quite know if this is against subreddit rules, but these are some of the most authentic texts on Yoga, of which meditation and pranayam are different aspects.

Light on Yoga - BKS Iyengar

The Heart of Yoga - TKV Desikachar

Also, highly recommended: Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy

To answer your questions specifically, first of all, I am just a beginner in the path and only an Enlightened Guru can give answers with clarity, but

> Do I breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth?
>Do I breathe in through the nose and out through the nose?
> In through the mouth and out through the mouth?


It is clearly stated in all ancient Yogic texts that 'Nasika' [The Nose] should be the only organ used in Breathing, because the 'Prana' [Life] absorbed through this natural pathway directly energizes 'Ida' and 'Pingala', and through them the 'Sushumna'; the Yogic interpretation of the Central Nervous System.

The mouth should never be used to breathe in Yoga. However there are a specific set of Breathing Exercises [Pranayamas] and other techniques that use the Mouth for Inhalation and Exhalation such as 'The Khechari mudra'. Please be mindful and seek out proper instructions before engaging in these practices.


> Are there any cognitive differences between these methods or are they all the same and simply up to preference?

There are a lot of differences between different practices and methods. The Body is a fantastically complex machinery, and that is just a part of the story.There's a lot going on. For a beginner, the simplest way is this: study different methods, and pick one that you can easily settle into. The most important thing now is to DO. Focus on your breath, focus on an idol, a mathematical symbol, a meaningful song, a black dot in a light coloured wall, anything that resonates with you. This is 'Dharana', the awakening of consciousness, of which your concentration is a part. When you are comfortable in the physical aspects of it, then comes the stillness, the 'Samadhi'. But that will happen when it will :)


> Should I hold my breath at any point during the breathing, such as "box breathing" which is a mediation breathing pattern used by the Navy seals.

In Yoga, these breath control methods are known as 'Bandh' ; [loosely translated - 'Closing the Gates']. Again, my advice is to study, research, meditate, seek out an enlightened Guru. The books listed above are great resources to learn more about these ancient techniques.


> From an experienced meditators perspective this must seem awfully comical so sorry if I come across as dumb or uninformed but I would like to know each of your specific preferences to breathing in meditation.
Thank you for reading this, it means a lot.



Your questions carry a lot more depth than you think, or I may know. What I know from my Guru is this: The Yogic Sciences are 100% empirical, and 100% experimental. It encourages you to be conscious, present. Do, and see results. I wish you joy, and Good luck!

> I am a Vaisnava Brahmin myself, everyone in my family is religious, except they don't really know what our religion talks about.

I can identify with this to some extent. My wife's family is Brahmin Hindu (albeit more followers of Ganesh) and despite having a large shrine, gathering for pujas and bhajans, and turning their noses up on "lower" castes, they are largely ignorant of the lessons and content of the Vedas and Bhagavad Gita. I've noticed that in today's world - at least among the diaspora Indian population in the U.S. - "Hinduism" is often more of a cultural identity, tradition, and way to unite a community for events. Many know a few folkloric tales, some procedures for ceremonies, basic conceptual framework of the religion - but few actually walk the path, few practice meditation, few have studied the Upanishads or Gita and appreciated the messages of mysticism contained therein. This is even more true for second generation Indian-Americans. That said, the same could be said for almost any religious group; you can't tell me that every Methodist Protestant can recite the book of Luke or Jesus's Sermon on the Mount.

>I wish I could actually understand sanskrit(the language the scripts are written) so I could have my own perception of the scripts rather than translations.

I recommend these translations of Sankaracharya's 6th-7th century commentary of the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads. These do a rough breakdown of the words, gives an idea of how the Sanskrit breaks down, and gives a pretty true representation of one of the oldest translations from Sanskrit into vernacular tongues.

If interested, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Sri Swami Satchidananda are great as well. They give the original the Sanskrit, the direct transliteration, a translation into coherent English, and then a commentary. However, this book is more an instruction manual on yoga practice (unitive and meditative exercises and broader lifestyle, not American stretch class); though still a great read for someone looking for a practical approach to mysticism.

You can always go to the horse's mouth and pick up a copy of this:
Yoga Mala: The Original Teachings of Ashtanga Yoga Master Sri K. Pattabhi Jois

It's not a book on yoga theory - it's a technical guide on how to execute all of the poses in the primary series. Even within this stripped down, secular context, the primary series layers are fascinating to me, and meaning and understanding within the poses are constantly evolving. You will read and re-read this book.

You'll notice with experienced and knowledgeable teachers, their verbal queues will reiterate some of technical aspects written in the book, but never all, because the text is pretty exacting in detail. Some of the specifications are hard AF to me, and require super human ability (transition of 9th vinyasa in upavishta konasana). I'll probably never be able to do some of that but it sure is fun trying to figure it out .

In my experience, given the differing ranges of ability with practitioners, the expectations of students by the teacher may vary (ie - not all students are conditioned enough to do vinyasas on each side of every seated postures, or the exercise of pick up asana as a stepping stone to jumping back from seated). This is done to make the practice accessible to a broader audience.

You'll deepen your practice by doing it at home.

I use the time at the studio in guided classes to get help and encouragement, reinforce the attention to detail (ritual, and consistency, and pace), and enjoy the company of other ashtangis.

I'm not in any hurry to get through the primary series, but once you burn through it, just know there are 5 more series to go.

OK, so shaking when doing crunches isn't because you're stretching something, it's related to contracting muscles (ie your abdominal muscles tighten to pull your chest closer to your knees) and your muscles not being used to that movement. You can google it and see that it's a fairly common issue for people.

BUT since it aggravates your head injury, I agree with the other person - maybe ask for a referral to a physical therapist or someone else who can guide you to restoring normal physical activity safely.

I know it may sound lame, but there's some pretty good chair yoga out there for people who can't invert. Also this Iyengar book is really great, it breaks down all the common poses and has many sequences in the back for various ailments. It doesn't have one specifically for your situation but it might be useful.

If your daughter doesn't want to go to yoga, I would leave it alone. I don't think it's a good strategy for parents to force their children to do yoga, especially when the individual is struggling with an ED. It will be counterproductive in the long run... she'll either use the practice to act out in her eating disorder (like burn calories, lose more weight, compulsively exercise, etc) or she won't absorb any of the healing benefits because she's simply not open to them.

I'm so sorry to hear your daughter is struggling, and I know it must be incredibly difficult for you as her mom. Eating disorders are so difficult to treat, and they have a way of sort of hijacking the sufferer's mind so that he/she feels like the eating disorder is their friend. I clung to my eating disorder for years, thinking it was my life vest, when in reality it was just taking me straight toward death.

I would encourage you to continue supporting your daughter with a strong team of professionals - including a medical doctor, a psychiatrist, a therapist, and a nutritionist. Hopefully someone will be able to get through to her. Once she's an adult, it will be much more difficult to help her, as she'll be able to refuse treatment altogether.

You might also share the chapter I wrote about recovering from an eating disorder in the book, 21st Century Yoga. I'm not trying to sell you a book (I don't make any money off this book anyway), but personal stories can be really powerful and I've had lots of moms and dads tell me that it helped "get through" to their son or daughter. http://www.amazon.com/21st-Century-Yoga-Politics-Practice/product-reviews/0615617603

Wishing you the best. Thanks for being a good mom!

I myself would love to know exactly which muscles are used in each pose, and which poses might best benefit my unique needs. I recently stumbled upon this book on Amazon and plan to buy it soon, it looks like exactly what I've been looking for! Might it be of some help to you, too? http://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Anatomy-Second-Edition-ebook/dp/B0076DDI8A/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1QOXFQLAOGZVI&coliid=I3PUF9KPPUVVXB

Thanks. The featured interviewee here, Dr. Stephen Phillips, wrote a book called Yoga, Karma, and Rebirth, which is more general but has specific chapters devoted to tantric practices. He outlines historically the moment in which Hinduism took a 'tantric turn' and began to embrace a new direction in its already extremely broad spirituality.

Yoga, Karma, and Rebirth: A Brief History and Philosophy https://www.amazon.com/dp/0231144857/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_sD7fub01HPQG6

Also, Dr. David Frawley is a very prolific contemporary scholar on Hinduism & yoga--he's written several books about Tantra specifically.

Inner Tantric Yoga: Working with the Universal Shakti: Secrets of Mantras, Deities, and Meditation https://www.amazon.com/dp/0940676508/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_.E7fub05AY7DM

Tantric Yoga and the Wisdom Goddesses (Spiritual Secrets of Ayurveda) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0910261393/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_vG7fub0VW9PRM

This reminds of the book that I read some years ago; very enlightening book. Hope OP will also share her book with us. :)

https://www.amazon.com/Myths-Asanas-Stories-Heart-Tradition/dp/1601090579

>for better or worse the word yoga has become completely divorced from the concept of "classical Hindu Yoga" as you put it (I prefer the label Raja Yoga). When people say yoga these days (in the West at least) they mean asana and possibly a little pranayama.

The same is currently happening with Buddhism being reduced to "mindfulness"; a religious system is more than just a set of practices divorced from the greater project in which they operate.

> I mean one of the classical Hindu Yoga limbs is dhyana which is the root word for Zen and dhyana is practiced by (almost) all Buddhists.

That's true. And I'm not discounting the similarities between some of the practices found in Patañjali and those found in Buddhism. But both Buddhism and Yoga are significantly more than this.

Jews and Christians both pray by reciting words in a house of worship. But that similarity is superficial compared to the differences between their beliefs.

Incidentally, Geoffrey Samuel has a nice book on The Origins of Yoga and Tantra which describes the mutual influences between Buddhism and the classical Hindus schools from the time of the Buddha until the 13th Centure CE.

There's a good book out there I used.. years ago. 28 days through yoga or something. Hold on. Here it is. It works great and you'll be amazed at it's (instructor less) results. http://www.amazon.com/Richard-Hittlemans-Yoga-Exercise-Plan/dp/0911104216

The Yoga Fan is good for basics.
It's format is somewhat nifty also. Compact, if that's of benefit to you.

I read a fairly good book on these issues, The Science of Yoga by William J. Broad. It addresses mainly the health aspects of yoga and dispels many of the pseudoscientific claims of the industry, though it does briefly touch on some of the more spiritual mumbo-jumbo. As a yoga practitioner, I found it to be a good investigation into the effects of yoga on the body, and it has helped me make more informed choices about my practice and my overall workout routine. Would recommend.

This is probably the book you are talking about. Not a bad book. Has its flaws, but it's interesting and informative.

The risk of injury is real, with good instruction and sincere practice yoga isn't that dangerous.

I do some Yoga with my wife twice a week. It is beneficial indeed.

But if you want to improve your golf game, you'd be better of using Feldenkrais movements and relaxercise.

No shit. Relaxercise is an actual thing - and it is brilliant. Especially for people with low mobility, low flexibility and/or recovering from injury or surgery.

The great thing about relaxercise it that it places ZERO stress on the body. And you learn to move your body as slowly as it can possibly go.

I know that might sound strange, but you learn a HUGE amount by moving as slowly as you possibly can - and when you do, you start getting jerky. The slower you can go without jerking the muscles, the more control you have over them - even at high speed.

Light on Life is a great suggestion, as is a Bhagavad Gita translation with a companion explanation novel (or get one with both explanation and translation).


I read the Bhagavad Gita and it was the initial turning point inward in my yoga practice.


Next I picked up (and I am still reading/absorbing) this translation and commentary of Sri Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. The Yoga Sutras are basically everything.

You should pick up Light on Yoga
http://www.amazon.com/Light-Yoga-B-K-Iyengar/dp/0007107005
It's a great guide for helping you get into posses.

If you like to read, may I suggest Bringing Yoga to Life by Donna Farhi. (plenty of cheap used copies on Amazon)

Also her TLDR; would be, just commit to doing three poses, whatever they might be, for the day. Some cool stuff comes out of perseverance.

+1

and that said, you might also find these useful. I'm not saying I agree with them 100%, yet they may be good places to start.

https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Esoteric-Buddhism-Tibet/dp/8120815793/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1503516802&sr=8-3&keywords=rise+of+esoteric+buddhism

https://www.amazon.com/Origins-Yoga-Tantra-Religions-Thirteenth/dp/0521695341/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1503516846&sr=1-1&keywords=indic+tantra

https://www.amazon.com/Making-Sense-Tantric-Buddhism-Transgression/dp/0231162413/ref=pd_sim_14_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=EK7699K3JHGRJJYAFCVD

I would suggest The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali with commentary by Swami Satchidananda. The sutras are basically the source of modern yoga as it's known and practiced today. I live at a yogic ashram and this is the only book I really return to. Also Midnights with the Mystic is a great introduction to all things yoga

This is a great book if you want to be able to relate them to the asana.

https://www.amazon.ca/Myths-Asanas-Stories-Heart-Tradition/dp/1601090579

I like most of Donna Farhi's books, especially Bringing Yoga to Life where she talks about how she made it a daily practice and incorporated yogic mindset into everyday life.

For really getting into each pose, Iyengar's book Yoga is pretty detailed pose by pose, how to get in and out of each one, plus it has sequences for many common ailments, from depression to varicose veins. I'd suggest attending a few Iyengar classes just to get a better understanding of Iyengar yoga because it's quite different from standard hatha/vinyasa classes.

I found this book to be very enlightening when doing my teacher training:

http://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Anatomy-2nd-Leslie-Kaminoff-ebook/dp/B0076DDI8A/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411077815&sr=1-2&keywords=physiology+yoga

When I was first starting out I received this book as a gift. (Light on Yoga by B. K. S. Iyengar) It is still one of my favs.

Maybe something like this would help you? http://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Fan-Practice-Guide-Everday/dp/0971245614/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452439395&sr=8-1&keywords=yoga+fan

Relaxercise is an interesting book of Feldenkrais exercises.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062509926/

this book might be a good start, if I recall but I haven't read all of it.

Also this book is very concise but dense, it emphasizes more the philosophical dimensions and it is written for somebody who holds a degree in philosophy.

I found an old copy of this book when one of my grandmothers died, and it's a great introduction to yoga.

https://www.amazon.com/Richard-Hittlemans-Yoga-Exercise-Plan/dp/0911104216/

There are two columns:

The far left column is the postures in the practice. They are in sequential order from top to bottom (the sequence number of the posture in the first number of each row).

The far right column is the Vinyasa count for each posture (the number of positions into/out of each posture).

Shri K. Pattabhi Jois describes the entire theory of the eight limbs of Ashtanga in just over 100 pages including step by step details of the Primary Series and recommended practice for the elderly and sick in his book Yoga Mala

To understand the philosophical foundations of Yoga, I would suggest Yoga, Karma and Rebirth by Stephen Phillips.

http://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Karma-Rebirth-History-Philosophy/dp/0231144857

Autobiography of a Yogi - Paramahansa Yogananda

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Swami Satchidananda

The Yoga Teachers' Toolbox - Le Page

The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita: Explained by Paramhansa Yogananda, As Remembered By His Disciple, Swami Kriyananda

Actually from what I read Jois was a beggar on the streets of Mysore for a couple of years when he first travelled there as a young man.

Source: Sharath's foreword to Yoga Mala.

Edit: downvotes? Its in the book!