Best books about yoga according to redditors
We found 403 Reddit comments discussing the best books about yoga. We ranked the 176 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 403 Reddit comments discussing the best books about yoga. We ranked the 176 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
He is most likely referring to spiritual alchemy which isn't about the physical transmutation of matter as is generally associated with the word, but the transmutation of the self. A few things to read up on if you want to get into it are Carl Jung's writings on Alchemy, the esoteric branches of Taoism (Taoist Internal Alchemy), and this Terence Mckenna lecture in particular is fairly good primer on the subject. It all gets weird and is probably just a bunch of bullshit but is fun to try and wrap your head around if you're into that sort of thing.
it really depends on what kind of thing you're looking for (practice, philosophy, anatomy, fiction, etc), but here's a pile of ideas anyway.
The first book I ever got, read, and liked: Yoga Body, Buddha Mind. Some philosophy and a lot of practice. Has little stickman sequences in the back.
My Body Is A Temple: Yoga As a Path to Wholeness. Mostly philosophy, and I really like the author.
The Mirror of Yoga: Awakening the Intelligence of Body and Mind. Haven't read it, but I hear it's accessible and humorous.
How Yoga Works. Pretty much covers the yoga sutras, but in fictional story form.
Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness. Constantly declared one of the best hatha yoga books ever. I've read and enjoyed it, but it's been a while.
Yoga Beyond Belief: Insights to Awaken and Deepen Your Practice. Really good book. Hard to explain quickly... theres a long description on the amazon page.
Jivamukti Yoga: Practices for Liberating Body and Soul. Lots of philosophy, also some sequences and poses with plenty of pictures.
There are lots of books that are considered must-reads but I think many of them can get boggy for beginners. I might suggest Light on Yoga, Light on Life, and Light on Pranayama by B.K.S. Iyengar... but they can be a little dense/overwhelming at first. However - they're dense - so they're FULL of good information.
Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews is a fantastic resourse.
An important thing to note though about bikram: the classic "84" postures is a misnomer and not at all accurate. If there is anything classic about it, it is that it has not incorporated as many moves from British naval exercise and gymnastics training that they brought to the indian subcontinent in the 19th century.
I agree doing some bikram yoga is a good way to get people to realize that yoga can be seriously challenging, even without a lot of vinyasa flowing.
Bikram yoga is very much still a western invention, as the entire method was developed to appeal to the Japanese and Americans when he started exporting a more vigorous form of postural yoga in the 60s and 70s.
Also, none of this stuff comes out of the yoga sutras of patanjali, it doesn't even really come out of the hatha yoga tradition or tantric traditions. Tantra is the overarching philosophical grouping that hatha grew out of, with heavy emphasis on the world being real and some sects believing that you could develop a perfect, or diamond, body on this world and thereby become enlightened while still alive and live forever on this plane of existence. The yoga sutras are so incredibly different from any aspect of hatha yoga, and hatha came from a completely different tradition, modern postural yoga in the west is even farther removed from these traditions. It doesn't make it any less beneficial physically, it's just that modern postural yoga it is not a special indian tradition going back thousands of years in india. For further reading check out Marking Singleton's book on all of this kind of stuff.
Source: I did Bikram yoga for 2 years prior to doing my teacher training and certification with what was once his primary disciple, Jimmy Barkan, and then taught yoga for 4 years through the end of college and grad school to pay them bills.
Also, I was the TA for Hindu Philosophy at Rutgers University for a couple of years, along with classes on the Bhagavad Gita, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Vedanta Sutras, etc. And I did a fair bit of research into a bunch of yoga related areas.
Plus, my ex-girlfriend is getting a PhD in religious studies specializing in Americanist Yoga traditions and how they have evolved.
Do some further research and don't worry about it so much.
This article makes a lot of assumptions and broad statements that are patently false and have been debunked by scholars who study yoga in an academic context.
CF:
Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice by Mark Singleton https://www.amazon.com/dp/0195395344/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I15ODXHXN3JPB1&colid=2BW037KI8EIM1
AND
Yoga in the Modern World: Contemporary Perspectives ed by Mark Singleton and Jean Byrne https://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Modern-World-Contemporary-Perspectives/dp/0415570867/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1497454962&sr=1-1&keywords=yoga+in+the+modern+world
TL;DR: Contemporary asana practice is actually based on a calisthenic routine created by a Swedish body builder. The physical exercise was later incorporated into Indian yoga practice, but prior to the colonial period, yoga was a primarily spiritual practice not a physical one. Yoga as it exists today is a complicated mush of Indian spirituality, western physical culture, and lots of revisions and combinations thereof. The narrative that westerners 'stole' yoga from India is ill-informed and misleading.
Ok, I can tell you that that sounds exactly like kundalini awakening. I've had symptoms too, but not that severe. It's going to be a wild ride for you, let me tell you, but at the end of it all you will be enlightened and be in constant bliss. Make sure you try and aim the energy up your central channel called the sushumna. it can be really bad if it gets forced up the left or right sides. I'd recommend getting in contact with some kind of kundalini yoga teacher to help guide you through this. Usually only advanced yogis attempt to raise their kundalini. The goal is to get the kundalini to go to the top of your head where the energies will merge and change your whole body and consiousness. I'd recommend reading these books:
http://www.amazon.com/Kundalini-Rising-Exploring-Energy-Awakening/dp/B0054U5DXU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1334630716&sr=8-2
http://www.amazon.com/Kundalini-Tantra-Re-print-Satyananda-Saraswati/dp/8185787158/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1334630716&sr=8-4
http://www.amazon.com/Kundalini-The-Evolutionary-Energy-Man/dp/1570622809/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334630754&sr=1-1
These sites will also give you a good idea:
http://swamij.com/index-yoga-meditation-kundalini.htm
http://www.aypsite.org/index.html
http://www.kundaliniawakeningsystems1.com/index.html#.T4zZ1TJYv-I
YOU'RE NOT CRAZY. This is very real and serious and you have to educate yourself. Send me a pm if you ever have any questions. I've read a lot about this and can give you advice. If you could find some kind of spiritual teacher that would be great. This can be very dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. Read the Gopi Krishna book. He gives his account of how he accidentally had a kundalini awakening and it totally fucked him over for 10 years. He almost died, but that's because he didn't know what it was and had no info available to him. God speed bro.
Ashtanga is awesome for building both strength and flexibility! You should check out David Swenson's Practice Manual: http://www.amazon.com/Ashtanga-Yoga-Practice-David-Swenson/dp/1891252089/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451489201&sr=8-1&keywords=David+Swenson
It has helped me a lot in my own practice - and he breaks it down into shorter sequences of 15, 30, 45 mins if you don't have a full 90 mins to run through the whole primary series. I hope that helps, Ashtanga is a wonderful practice. Good luck! :)
Interesting the raising of yoga in the sub the last few days..
Jung had a complex view on it, he applied some form of it (I don't know the form he used or where he learned it) in his personal life, particularly when going through the process that generated the Red Book (and I can't recall right now where I've read this, but possibly via Sonu Shamdasani speaking in the Red Book footnotes or elsewhere, or, as others have mentioned it is recorded in MDR).
He didn't, afaik, recommend it to his patients though (correct me if I'm wrong), was cautious about its application in a Western context or for Westerners.
Here is a snippet (there's more) of what he says about it, as Sonu Shamdasani writes in the intro to The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga:
>Throughout his writings on Eastern thought, while Jung promoted and endorsed their study he cautioned against their practice by Westerners: “There are many different kinds of yoga and Europeans often become hypnotized by it, but it is essentially Eastern, no European has the necessary patience and it is not right for him. . . . The more we study yoga, the more we realize how far it is from us; a European can only imitate it and what he acquires by this is of no real interest.” For Jung the danger was one of mimetic madness: “The European who practices yoga does not know what he is doing. It has a bad effect upon him, sooner or later he gets afraid and sometimes it even leads him over the edge of madness.” This led him to conclude that “in the course of the centuries the West will produce its own yoga, and it will be on the basis laid down by Christianity.”
C.G. Jung, The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga., xxix-xxx. (Sonu Shamdasani)
But the world en masse, in terms of cross cultural infusion of philosophies, traditions and methods, has exploded since Jung's time and when he delivered the seminars from which the book transcription is taken (the early 1930's), so, and perhaps more significantly, the collective psyche of the world has shifted. In what ways and how is too densely complex to unpack easily or clearly in this moment, but maybe the issues that informed Jung's caution are different now?
It is a helpful discipline, is immensely powerful in reuniting disconnects of mindbody, emotion and spirit. But, if you've got a lot of 'stuff', brokenness and trauma rattling around inside it really needs to be coupled with therapy, imo. Integrating complexes and dealing with what the unconscious can bring up is precarious and delicate.
In terms of a recommendation, and to provide some context to my pov;
I was a "yogi" - I was called this by my teacher - for six disciplined and studious years under a single and singular teacher when a younger man, this guy (Edit: worth a watch OP, though long. Mark discusses some of the history of how yoga came to the West in the context of his own journey and learning it, and speaks of the opposites - albeit not through a Jungian frame. Near the end he recommends people picking up a practice on their own out of their bedrooms or lounges..).
For various reasons I don't practice it any longer.
So, after that preamble, the key text recommended when I was engaged in this practice and way was The Heart of Yoga. It's very good, and includes a translation of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. You can also use it to develop a deep personal practice, there are diagrams and discussion in it that elaborate on this.
Nothing beats learning one on one with a teacher, classes give you something to start with, and so does a good comprehensive book, as the above is, but its like working with Jung's psychology and model; he conducted and developed his method out of a relational dialogical context. Yoga is the same.
Ultimately we have to take up the injunction and do this stuff ourselves. Sometimes that is best alone, dedicated, sweating it out, day in day out, literally stretching and pushing ourselves to grow, to breathe into and form roots and links. At other points it requires the/an other 🙏
I'm not a practicing Hindu, but I am working towards a doctorate in the history and philosophy of (among other things South Asia) Hinduism. What I can tell you for certain (well, certain to me at this point) is this:
Yoga as we see it today - we call it 'modern postural yoga' - is essentially a post-colonial phenomenon, whose postures are probably most clearly derived from earlier practices of Hatha yoga (which, as the yoga of 'force,' uses various postures to attempt to control the ebb and flow of life energies for health, longevity, and mental acquiescence). You'll be able to note if you look at Patanjali's Yoga Sutras - typically held up as the central text of Yoga philosophy - that there really isn't much about various postures (asanas) beyond a sitting meditation pose. The kind of stretching that Yoga now employs just isn't prominent at the supposed origins of yoga.
So what gives? Well, this doesn't mean that yoga wasn't a thing throughout much of the history of Hinduism, but rather that yoga has meant many, many things to the peoples of the subcontinent. This is likely a bit controversial - I can only point to Mark Singleton's excellent book Yoga Body on the subject.
If there is a through-line to all the transformations of what yoga is, I would say that it lies in the meaning of the word. Yoga derives from the verbal root *yuj, which means to yoke, as in yoking oxen to a plow, a horse to a chariot, or more simply, to join anything to anything else. This would include more spiritual notions like yoking yourself to the action of god (as in the Bhagavad Gita), yoking your mind to a pure contemplation of the self (as in Samkhya yoga), yoking and thereby controlling prana (as in Hatha yoga), etc.
The take-home (from my perspective) is this: the postures of modern yoga aren't in themselves spiritual. We 'yoke' ourselves through the yoga of attention to all kinds of things throughout every single day - reddit, work, etc. Right now I'm in the asana of the lazy couch cushion ;). But this isn't to trivialize it. When we yoke ourselves to an awareness of our own thought processes, or perhaps better to the silence within ourselves, we can quickly begin to see benefits in our daily lives, wherein we yoke ourselves to 'less noble' pursuits. We might be more patient with others, more calm in stressful situations, more open to loving interactions, or maybe just more aware of how giving something our time and attention can shape our existence. Finally, add to this that Hinduism is, or at least has been for the majority of its historical presence, essentially syncretistic. The many gods that have been brought under the umbrella of Hinduism are not so jealous. We should expect them to little mind when we 'yoke' ourselves without invoking their names.
It only does some of what you're asking, but Yoga Anatomy is pretty awesome. There's not a whole lot on chakras -- at least not in the first edition -- but the physical body stuff is there.
Im working on this book:
A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya
This is, in my opinion, the most complete book you will find on Yoga.
Also, I have been working on his companion book:
Kundalini Tantra
This second book covers in more detail Kundalini and Chakra work.
Both of these books are "esoteric". The Swami mentions "magick" several times and even compares Tantra with Kabbalah in several places. So it's definitely not just a bunch of poses. This guy is the real deal.
The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice by T. K. V. Desikachar
The idea is that sperm contains the life essence, Essia, which is partially what's known as jing in Daoism or in Chinese medicine. This essence, if wasted through indulgence in sense-impressions, lustful thoughts, and ultimately through ejaculation itself, which seals the loss of the essence, will not be able to be converted into energy (chi) that your body needs to open its energetic channels.
Without an abundant chi and opening the channels, energy is obstructed to flow fully and cannot complete its process in its conversion to shen (spirit) allowing the kundalini to rise on its own. This is truly the basics of internal alchemy. I suggest the book Taoist Yoga if you wish to learn more in detail. Very high level information. These things aren't something that needs to be done purposefully or forcefully but will arise on their own with right practice.
This is somewhat of an oversimplification, but the general thing still stands. The sexual essence is a primary expressive fuel of your Great Work. If you continue to engage in sexual intercourse or lustful thoughts while continuing with internal alchemical exercises, you may hurt your kidneys and your kidney energy can get terribly low. Most people cannot feel this at all because they're completely out of touch with their bodies and the energy within.
You could try David Swensons ashtanga book
It goes into detail on each Asana with modifications, and gives you the full first and second series as well as some shorter series. Will link Amazon when I get home.
Here you go: https://www.amazon.com.au/Ashtanga-Yoga-Practice-Illustrated-Personal/dp/1891252089/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523437034&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=david+swenson+ashtonga
Not sure about online references, but this book is great. It shows the muscles that are engaged and lengthened when doing most poses. It also gives you a fairly good idea of how the poses should look in their full extension.
Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff
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.
Astanga Vinyasa, especially if you like the mindful, calming movements of tai chi. It's fast-paced enough to constitute a complete workout but with postures held for 5 breaths, you get some space to breathe. The standard series is to be memorized and practiced as a moving meditation. You learn the postures one at a time and the more you progress, the more you add to your repertoire. It's also really cool to "feel" your progress. You develop the strength to 'fly' through postures, which is really rewarding. Tons of free internet resources and online classes.
Initial instruction is highly recommended. Injury is totally possible if you're not doing it right. Also, it takes some clarification in terms of which side comes first, when to progress, where the vinyasas are (the flowing movements in between static postures). Once you learn the series, it's 100% portable and really is a moving meditation.
I used to run, weight train and have done different kinds of yoga but nothing has challenged me more than astanga.
The downsides: some tedium after months of practicing the same postures every day (but then again you can switch it up, or add more); a long-ish practice. A half-primary is 45 minutes, this is all I have time for most days. Full by-the-book practice is 1-1.5 hours. When you first start out, it's about 45 minutes.
YMMV but I'm off of anxiety medications, happy, have better lung capacity but with less injuries than I had when I was runner. Now that I practice every morning, I can't really justify wasting my nights away like I did before. I've built more muscle and lost more weight doing this than any other activity.
Tips, from experience: if you take it on, don't underestimate the importance of getting enough sleep and enough protein, especially if you're doing it every day. When I wasn't watching the two things, I struggled with muscle recovery and was more minor injury-prone.
Free downloads here: http://grimmly2007.blogspot.ca/p/free-downloads.html
Good book here: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Vinyasa-Yoga-Presentation-Based/dp/1569244022/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317368186&sr=8-1
Cheat sheets here: http://www.ashtangayoga.info/practice/cheat-sheets-pdf/
Most people who study the origins of modern yoga acknowledge that it has more in common with early 20th century bodybuilding/calisthenics/gymnastics than it does with any archaic Indian tradition. It is very much a hybrid, and does not belong to any one culture.
[Mark Singleton wrote a book on this called "Yoga Body"] (https://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Body-Origins-Posture-Practice/dp/0195395344)
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!
LINKS FOR CONVENIENCE
and in case you meant this too (but I don't think so)
The Key Poses of Yoga is a great resource.
EDIT: And also Hatha Yoga Illustrated.
It's kind of difficult to answer that question with a simple answer as there are many forms of yoga.
I think the first thing to do is to get a good idea of what yoga is and isn't. The vast majority of today's forms of yoga were plain and simply born in the 19th and 20th century. That doesn't discard them as being real yogas as the word "yoga" was in fact used across centuries to characterize a vast variety of practices.
To better understand what yoga is and isn't I strongly recommend reading those two books which are based on thorough and recent research :
https://www.amazon.fr/Roots-Yoga-Sir-James-Mallinson/dp/0241253047
https://www.amazon.fr/Yoga-Body-Origins-Posture-Practice/dp/0195395344
Beware, you might end up having to completely change your understanding of yoga !
For Ashtanga, I agree, David Swenson's book is indeed excellent !
All the other forms of "physical yoga" are modern innovations which, without saying they have no use, could be effectively replaced with western physical therapy practices.
For pranayama this book is as precise and step by step as TMI :
https://www.amazon.fr/Pranayama-Breath-Yoga-Gregor-Maehle/dp/0977512622
If you're more interested into the energetic side of yoga you should find a ton of precise ressources and a great community at https://www.aypsite.org/
Some of the practices found in the site are very powerful and you should be pay attention as to how those influence your TMI practice.
I really enjoyed "How Yoga Works". It is story based and focuses on Philosophy and meaning. For me it was a fun, cute story that impacted me quite a bit.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Yoga-Works-Michael-Roach/dp/0976546906
I'm not sure if that exists. You may have to chase down versions of all the traditional commentaries and read them together. That being said, you may be interested in Edwin F. Bryant's edition of the Yoga Sutras. It offers:
Honestly, it's a juggernaut of a text. It's definitely something to refer to again and again. Also, the bibliography has all the classic and modern texts he uses throughout the book, which is an incredible asset in helping you decide which book to read next.
Any of Ray Long's books.
Hatha yoga (yoga based on physicality; postures, kriya, mudra) isn't actually based on Patanjalic yoga. It started as reaction against that high-minded asceticism. Have you read the Hatha Yoga Pradipika? Maybe you would find more agreement with the aims stated there.
Futhermore, the modern regime that you are no doubt doing is a melange of the few sitting asansa as described in the Hathapradipika, Harmonial and Scandinavian gymnastics, British military calisthenics, and 20th century Indian body building and wrestling techniques.
In other words, yoga (as we know it now) is already a cherry-picked form of many influences, east and west, spiritual and physical. Don't worry about those sutras, they are tangential at best.
I had similar hang-ups a few years ago after 4 or so years of practice. A lot of teachers and practitioners are ignorant of the true origins of our practice and will try to cram all manner of hooey down your throat. Ignore them.
I would also recommend Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice (http://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Body-Origins-Posture-Practice/dp/0195395344). Its a bit dry and academic, but I think it would be right up your alley and help you to answer some of your questions. It was certainly revelatory to me, as someone who loved the forms, discipline and breath-work, but wasn't so keen on some of the dogma.
Yes, we all pick and choose, even if we don't realize it. Enjoy your practice, its a beautiful thing!
Ebryonic breathing/meditation
Small circulation breathing/meditation
Taoist yoga
I found this Yoga Anatomy https://www.amazon.es/dp/1450400248/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_137yDb2M32Q87
I love this book for understanding the physical practice
http://www.amazon.com/The-Key-Poses-Yoga-Scientific/dp/1607432390/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1396563465&sr=8-2&keywords=yoga+pose+books
For the ethical/discipline base of yoga, this is a short, easy, and really helpful read. Non-harming, non-clinging, etc.
http://www.amazon.com/Yamas-Niyamas-Exploring-Ethical-Practice/dp/0974470643/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396563657&sr=1-1&keywords=the+yamas+and+niyamas+by+deborah+adele
For the pure philosophy, I'm a fan of this book on Tantra(where yoga came from). It's overwhelming the first time through, but there is so much powerful knowledge locked up in here
http://www.amazon.com/Tantra-Illuminated-Philosophy-Practice-Tradition/dp/0989761304
This is a great book on mindfullness with some applicable meditation techniques framed for the modern day, but it's all based on ancient teachings
http://www.amazon.com/Search-Inside-Yourself-Unexpected-Achieving/dp/0062116924/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396563508&sr=8-1&keywords=search+inside+yourself
Also, the Chakra system is fascinating and Anodea Judith offers some guided meditations. This book is really helpful and accessible
http://www.amazon.com/Wheels-Life-Chakra-System-Llewellyns/dp/0875423205
And, diet. This book helped me shift my diet in a way that's been extremely helpful
http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Taste-Heal-Ayurvedic-Cookbook-Modern-Living/dp/0976917009/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396563932&sr=1-1&keywords=eat+taste+heal
These have been some of the most influential books in my practice. Hope they help!
Google up "Nei Kung" and read this book for an introduction to the martial arts aspects. There are also a couple of mediation books translated by Charles Luk which relate to the Toaist philosophical context. Also, Wilhelm Riech has some interesting theories - not to mention his life is an example of Western bias against the subject. For Indian as opposed to Chinese, look up kundalini meditation.
For occult sources, the OP already metioned a couple, plus there are the obvious mentions for Aleister Crowley in the blog post.
Currently I am studying The Secrect of the Golden Flower which I found an excellent copy of at my local bookstore. Once you go through this and get the gist of what the practice entails you'll find all sorts of interesting findings in neuroscience as well.
For those who may not know him, Edwin Bryant is a professor of Indian religions probably best known for his well-regarded translation of the Yoga Sutras.
Edit: Here's a link to Part 2 of the Interview.
Well done brother! I can only advise that keep things small to begin with. Even if you just do 20m of pranayama per day to start, it’s better than trying to do an hour per day and giving up at Day 4.
If you really want to get deep into I would recommend reading this (no affiliation, promise) - Yoga and Kriya: A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques: 1 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/8185787085
Check the other sellers of the book as you can buy it for 1/3 the prime price
How Yoga Works
/r/ashtanga
http://www.claudiayoga.com/2011/04/32-suggestions-how-to-start-an-ashtanga-yoga-practice/
https://www.kinoyoga.com/the-logic-of-the-six-day-a-week-mysore-style-ashtanga-yoga-method-by-kino-macgregor/
https://www.yoganatomy.com/ashtanga-practice-without-a-teacher/
https://www.ashtangayoga.info/practice/downloads/cheat-sheets-pdf/ (the entire site, not just the .pdfs)
Kino's channel, or stuff on CodyApp (you can search the sub here for that)
http://grimmly2007.blogspot.com/
http://chintamaniyoga.com/blog/
Books:
https://www.amazon.com/Ashtanga-Yoga-Practice-David-Swenson/dp/1891252089
https://www.amazon.com/Ashtanga-Yoga-Philosophy-Gregor-Maehle/dp/1577316061
There are apps w/the counted sequence from Michael Gannon and John Scott with additional info, and David Garrigues just released audio.
From a recent post, a 21 day plan: https://www.codyapp.com/bundles/21-day-be-strong
I recommend this book: The Heart of Yoga By T. K. V. Desikachar
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It covers what you're after and teaches Yoga as a spiritual practice. It also includes a copy of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, which I would say is essential if you wish to understand the purpose of Yoga.
my yoga teacher is an NRI and she always says the asan names in english :)
you could read the yoga sutras.
if you want more help with poses this book is good http://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Anatomy-2nd-Edition-Leslie-Kaminoff/dp/1450400248. and even though i hate all the stupid advertisements that make me feel like i should be skinny and white and wear matching expensive clothes >_> .... i like yoga journal too.
Yoga Body by Mark Singleton & Sinister Yogis by David Gordon White are two books which explore this topic in greater detail
I’m a beginner myself, only just over one year. If you don’t have access to a teacher, there are some really good tutorials that helped me:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gFg4o5Zg75k&list=PLpfKu0U8zxt5OEvjSidi4_srjLcwvDhQd&index=2&t=0s
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-Va_P61H9IY
Purple Valley overall has loads of great tutorials.
Also, David Guarrigues: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-Va_P61H9IY - Mark Darby demo shows beginner adjustments https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2MghjERHHG8 - David Swenson short forms are a good when you are a bit short of time (or strength 😊) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf4mjtnSA40 (this one is 30 min - there’s a longer one too).
On that note I found David Swenson practice manual really useful https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ashtanga-Yoga-Practice-David-Swenson/dp/1891252089/ as well as Gregor Mahele’s one https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ashtanga-Yoga-Philosophy-Gregor-Maehle/dp/1577316061
It gets easier with time. Modify as needed. I still can’t do the 2 revolved ones you mention without modifying :) the important thing is the breath. Enjoy!
This reminds me of this book.
It definitely helps to know what muscles I'm supposed to be working with (other than all of them) so as to reduce injury and increase awareness. My friend wanted to learn massage therapy so we started yoga together and picked up anatomy alongside. This developed a strong sense of where the muscles were and what they felt like personally. Which can definitely be beneficial to your meditations.
We're talking about Western teachers, right? I mean I haven't gone to the East to learn yoga, but I'd be surprised if they approached it in the same way we do in the West. I think the "bizarre guru cultism and Hollywood style glitz," sensationalizes yoga in unnecessary New Age glitter, which has been the primary lack of attraction I've had in paying for or even attending many classes. My brother bought me an introductory book to yoga which addressed the practice in a totally different light than it has been illuminated to me in the States. Some classes seem to ignore what I interpret as rather essential to good yoga practice.
Some teachers are great. Some are horrible. On this side of the world, I think you're more likely to find great variation in the quality and type, but perhaps it is the same over seas?
Also, I love skepticism and an outside scientific look, but it's even better if they're able to approach this from both sides; sometimes people are too much one thing.
There are always cheaper ways to partake in yoga, you just need to be resourceful.
I'd suggest going to a few yoga classes before relying on a dvd to follow. Once you've done that, you can definitely grab a dvd and work through the routines at home.
Personally, I use the following book, there is a section in it for 15/30/45 minute variations of the ashtanga practice. But you should definitely attend a couple of classes before trying to do ashtanga on your own.
http://www.amazon.ca/Ashtanga-Yoga-The-Practice-Manual/dp/1891252089
I hear you. I like to explore philosophy with a number of teachers in the lineage; one of my favorite weekend workshops was with Harmony Slater. She’s a joy and a wealth of knowledge.
I am lucky that I get to practice with Eddie. I may be a bit biased, but I really don’t know of any other books that so succinctly ties it all together at the right level of information blending both Eastern and Western schools of thought.
Book recos:
Here is my favorite translation of the Bhagavad Gita.
I also really like this interpretation of the Yamas and Niyamas.
And my favorite Yoga Sutras.
The closest I can think of in terms of modern day explanations is the Yamas and Niyamas book by Deborah Adele. It really is a nice, practical read.
A little late to the party but here goes:
Getting distracted from your intention is pretty normal so don't feel badly. It is difficult and takes some practice and most of us (as you can see in the other comments) still struggle. But that's the beauty of it. The act of focusing and refocusing often in the practice is part of the exercise.
Practically though, I would sometimes set an intention as simple as "focus on foot placement today" or "make breath steady today". I found those much easier than dedications or intentions toward less tangible things, or at least things I couldn't control while inside the studio (a loved one, manifesting something in your life etc).
During a difficult time in my life I picked up How Yoga Works by Geshe Michael Roach. The book is based on a girl teaching yoga to her captor and she teaches a new lesson each chapter or so, or at least each chapter covers a different sutra. Each day I would read one chapter and focus on applying the principle/sutra addressed in that chapter during class. Just seeing what I notice. It was just one specific thing I could focus on that day and bonus: it helped advance my practice.
In addition to Ray Long's anatomy book and blog that were also mentioned here which are really amazing and a must have as it is broken down by muscle. It's what we used in my yoga teacher training and something I look on frequently. One of my teachers were trained by Judith Lasater. I hear her her old book is a good pairing with that, although she is writing a new one that has a better editor and more years of wisdom behind it. She take a slower moving approach that is a awesome for when getting into specific regions of the body safely.
I had no knowledge of yoga apart from hearing here and there.
But i got hold of a book "A Systematic Course In The Ancient Tantric Techniques Of Yoga And Kriya". Following the book ever since. It gives detailed practice regime from 15 Mins per day to an hour based on your time availability. Highly recommended. Till now, no need to change food habits. practicing from 6 months.
David Swenson's Practice Manual is an excellent reference. I too came to Ashtanga with an established practice and struggled whether it was best to stay at a specific posture, to modify, or to skip and move on in the series (See Post). The even more difficult question was deciding if because I was able to do a posture, I should.
The lesson I learned was to stop setting expectations and competing with myself, to listen to my body and give myself permission to modify or not do a posture from day to day or minute to minute. It would have been so much easier if I'd had a teacher to lead me through the series, but the body is the greatest teacher. We gain all the benefits of yoga regardless of the postures we do or the modifications we make.
I try to get in a full practice whenever I can, but when that is not possible I use one of the short forms in David Swenson's Ashtanga Yoga book (linked below). I figure that some yoga is better than no yoga and the book includes 15, 30 and 45 minute version of the primary series. The rest of the book has fantastic insight into each pose of the beginner and intermediate series too. Good luck with your marathons!
http://www.amazon.com/Ashtanga-Yoga-Practice-David-Swenson/dp/1891252089/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396026720&sr=1-1&keywords=ashtanga+yoga+the+practice+manual+by+david+swenson
Idk if I've ever experienced anything close to a Kundalini awakening, but everything I've experienced in that realm is terrifying, because it's tremendously powerful, beyond anything I've experienced in 'normal' life and blissful, because one can't help but ride the wave once it starts.
I would describe the energy as electrical / liquid movement moving in whirlpools that move in all directions at once, depending on attention. Up, down, clockwise, counter clockwise.
Breathe and observe awareness. Maintain equanimity.
Our world is not conducive to mental explorers. Expect to be very alone on the path of consciousness exploration. At times, I feel like I've chosen the comfort of my relationships with people over the challenges of the path. Meditation has made me more sensitive, and thus, more angry, sad and hateful towards what I perceive as ignorance. It's not that those feelings weren't there before, but being aware of it makes life more challenging.
Kundalini Yoga, in the context of a 1 hour yoga class, I think is more marketing than anything else.
Go read this. It outlines the 8 different paths for Kundalini awakening, and presents what the author considers to be the most optimal path for householders. It has several month long stages of purification and building sensitivity. It doesn't require living in seclusion, guru initiation, or other extremely devoted measures. The last time I tried the initial pranayama exercise, it proved to generate an incredible amount of power, more then I could handle at the time. I should try again.
One of the best and most comprehensive books on Advaita Vedanta is Yoga Vasistha (I recommend this translation). It offers extensive descriptions of Vedanta, Yoga, Samkhya, and Saiva Siddhanta, and does so in an extremely eloquent and poetic manner.
It's important to note that the main practice of Advaita Vedanta, self-inquiry, is itself worship of the Self and the means to reach the Self. Self-inquiry is also a very challenging practice, and other practices like pranayama, and yoga are advisable to prepare yourself for it. Sri Ramana taught extensively about practicing self-inquiry, and if you are looking for books specifically about practice, I recommend reading his talks and collected works.
I found this book to be very helpful. You may be able to find it at your library. http://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Anatomy-2nd-Edition-Leslie-Kaminoff/dp/1450400248
Why don't you do more of the practice? Start moving to the seated section of the primary series. There is a good book here: http://www.amazon.ca/Ashtanga-Yoga-The-Practice-Manual/dp/1891252089
Or you can look at the free online resource: http://www.ashtangayoga.info/practice/primary-series-yoga-chikitsa/
Or try a different style of yoga - see if that helps.
I read a review of someone who did it with earplugs so he could hear his breathing more. Perhaps focusing on making noise with your breath will help keep your mind concentrated on a single subject.
First of all, just to reiterate, goals can get you down if you see you're not attaining them. Your major goal, probably, is to just do your best, and let the unknown unfold.. Kind of cliche, I know.
Second, the book/course for you depends on what side of meditation you are coming from, but if you really want to take meditation seriously and are determined to go by a systematic course, then I can give you the absolute best book to get: A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya. This book is by far the best course/instructions/information on yoga. There is nothing it does not cover. You can get a hundred different books on various yoga paths, such as raja yoga, bhakti yoga, hatha yoga, etc etc, but everything you can find right here. It will cover the Buddhism as well. You will learn everything you need to know, and it slowly but surely teaches everything in a precise order, little by little, gradually introducing more advance meditation techniques, including Kriya yoga. But yoga isn't just about meditation of course, it's about how to lead a balanced, fulfilling life.
The book is basically compiled with the intention that the teacher is right in front of you. You can go through one lesson a week, or one lesson biweekly or monthly; it's up to you.
And don't be put off by a couple strange things that seem so strange to westerners. For example, the very first lesson teaches Jala neti, a good preparation for meditation that involves cleaning the nostrils with water. Be your own judge; if you don't want to do something it says, don't. (Though I would personally recommend jala neti as it has amazing effects).
Hopefully this has been of some help to you and others. Take care.
Edit: Oh, and don't be put off by the price. The book has so much information that it really is all you need. If it is really what you are looking for, it's the best long-term investment you can make. There are two in my house just in case something happens to one of them =)
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
http://www.amazon.com/Systematic-Course-Ancient-Tantric-Techniques/dp/8185787085/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1462380086&sr=8-4&keywords=kriya+yoga
This book is considered "The Bible" of yoga. Other spiritual books that have helped me is a book called "Mindfulness in Action" by Chogyam Trungpa
This book was recommended on a different thread a while back: http://www.amazon.com/The-Science-Yoga-Risks-Rewards/dp/1451641435
I have been reading it and from what I've gathered, it seems that yoga is not like many general exercises that cause weight loss, but has shown to actually slow down the metabolism.
Here's something else, if you like. I haven't read this book but the Amazon review alone concurs with my knowledge of the history of yoga as we tend to know it, which is less based on religion than English, military calisthenics.
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.
I'll also throw out that there are some great books on yoga, I like The Key Poses of Yoga by Ray Long and Yoga: The Iyengar Way a lot. The former has really good pictures that show what muscles should be engaged, and how, in each pose. The later has a lot more about the mind state you should strive for during Yoga (including how to breath and move between poses) and it has a large number of "courses" in the back. I think there's over a year's worth.
I hope some of that is helpful. I grew up in a household that really loved yoga and I've been slowly reintegrating it into my life now that I'm supposedly an adult.
First of all don't think of it as a kick start. More of a gradual change and transition. This does not mean to lack dedication. What got me on the path of regular yoga was a firm desire to make it the priority in my non-working life. Also, finding a studio with an encouraging community is a big help. Much of yoga is an inward practice but it helps to have an environment of people radiating positive energy outward to keep you motivated.
Much luck in your journey. I practice Ashtanga. David Swenson's practice manual is great if you can't get to a studio. Try to avoid commercialized vanilla flavored practice DVD's. The help of a skilled teacher can pick out many adjustments to your practice that can save you from needless injury. It's impossible to see yourself in a pose while you are deep in it.
If you are looking for the meditative side I think you are best served in one of the styles more rooted in the heritage of yoga (Ashtanga, Iyengar and a few others). Everyone's path is different though. Try a few styles out but never mistrust your heart when it tells you that it has found a yoga home.
EDIT: http://www.amazon.com/Ashtanga-Yoga-Practice-David-Swenson/dp/1891252089/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1332167707&sr=8-1
Kino has A LOT of great videos...this is her introducing Ashtanga http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11C1021vKGU
No, some of it is far less esoteric than Western academic philosophy.
I'll say right off the bat, if you're looking for really practical stuff, Buddhism will offer the most plentiful options. There are a lot of smart, evangelizing Buddhists writing for westerners, who know that dense book about the theory of 'Buddha Nature' and 'Void' don't sell, but books about how to be happy do sell. Really though, better than any book, is finding a Buddhist meditation or discussion group. Every decent sized city (in America, at least) has a few. And if you're relatively new to Buddhism, I would suggest looking into what is called Theravada Buddhism, which is the oldest form of Buddhism. Later traditions of Buddhism, that Westerners are more familiar with, like Zen, Mahayana, and Tibetan Buddhism, have the same core of beliefs and ideas, but with a lot of cultural "baggage" (for lack of a better) term added on top. To go along with that, I would recommend the book Early Buddhist Discourses. The Buddha, according to the earliest sources, rarely talked about theory. He would usually say things like "I decline to say that it's this way or that. Just try this meditation, or this practice, and see for yourself if it makes you happier, calmer..." I would also recommend perusing some of these lectures.
As for Daoism, the best original source, in my opinion, is Zhuangzi (Zhuang zi, Chuangtzu--lots of different spellings). His book, of the same name, is really fun to read. It's very strange, but poetic, and a lot of it is told in stories and parables. Hans Georg Mueller is a good scholar to read, but I'm not sure if any of it would be called practical. Westerners had a really weird way of interpreting Daoism for a long time; they thought that there was "philosophical daoism", which were people like Zhunagzi and Laozi (Lau Tsu...), who were contrasted with the "religious daoists", people who practiced alchemy, used the I Ching, etc. It would be like if someone walked into a church and said, "there are intellectual Christians like Aquinas and Augustine, and then there are the normal Christians who drink wine, but think it's blood, and sing at a big letter 'T' on the wall of a pointy building." Something is missing from both of those pictures. It's also rare you'll meet any practicing Daoists outside of China, so it's a little tougher to find practical resources.
As for Hinduism and Vedanta, again your best bet would be to find a good yoga group. But none of that hot yoga, Western workout stuff. Find something run by people with good training, who know the history of the discipline. A lot of serious groups will offer classes or study groups on Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, which are dense and a bit esoteric, but practical with commentary or a teacher. Compared to some of the Buddhism books, I find a lot of Hinduism books to be overly theoretical, and very dense. Although I'm sure there is a lot of good stuff out there.
I'll try and think of any other good practical books on Eastern stuff. Keep in mind too that most professors are happy to answer emails from interested non-specialists. If there are any universities near you, look for Asian philosophy classes or even Asian Studies departments, and check out the faculty. You might find someone who could recommend you some really good stuff.
Hope that helps, good luck!
yea definitely, i've been dealing with this for almost 20 years, been to physical therapy twice, avoided surgery thus far. but standard disclaimer that i'm not a doctor, physical therapist, etc, etc, just a dude on the internet.
like you mentioned, i would start with posterior chain mobility. stretch your hamstrings like this or this. lower back with some cat/cow. add in some IT band stretch. don't forget about those illiopsoas!
maybe, if your back will handle it, add in some light supine twists. and, as always, planks for core and lower back strength.
regarding yoga, i would recommend just showing up to a beginner's class. teachers know that everyone's flexibility is different, and (if they're worth their salt) will offer modifications to poses, or offer props to assist with the pose. honestly, a lot of yoga classes i've attended just flow through sun a and/or sun b, which aren't too hard. maybe you could try them at home? but, be careful and modify as you see fit! with yoga, like with anything, consistency is important. i used to go once a week and didn't see much improvement. attending class more frequently, and doing some work at home, has improved my practice tremendously.
some books:
does this help?
Ah, I see.
Satyananda Saraswati - A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya
Satyananda Saraswati - Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha
Mukunda Stiles - Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy
KS Joshi - Yogic Pranayama
David Frawley - Ayurveda and the Mind
Satyananda Saraswati - Kundalini Tantra
Good luck and all the best. I recommend all books for a rounded introduction. I'd also recommend a more technical book on Chakras by Harish Johari, but I'd start with the above books.
Do you like fantasy stories? The Gita is actually just one chapter in India's greatest epic, the Mahabharata. It's an amazing story, and gives a great cultural background for Hinduism. Hindu's other epic, the Ramayana, is also lauded by many. I actually just began reading it recently.
Hindu's purest (and probably the world's longest) treatise on non-duality is the book at the very top of the bookshelf, Vasistha's Yoga. It's intense, so if you are just beginning, it's probably not the best intro to Hindu thought.
The most ancient written roots of pure Hinduism are found in the Upanishads. Eknath Eswaran's introduction and commentary are sublime.
A more modern, yet just as mystical take on Hinduism is The Autobiography of a Yogi.
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
I highly suggest the practical commentaries that can be found all over the Bryant translation of Patanjali. That book has a lot of great tips and discussion in the commentary sections, and the book totals over 500 pages while the sutra itself might be like 40 pages, 80 pages with added line-by-line translations. So that's hundreds of pages worth of exploration surrounding the Patanjali quotes in that book.
Specifically, the practice ideas about prana-yama were really interesting. If you want any tips, feel free to PM me.
> Very sound, but I want to add that the lotus postures found in very ancient Indian (Harappan) suggest that perhaps what we know of as yoga, and to a degree martial arts, may actually pre-date written history.
One of the problems with working with static images is that a LOT can be read into them. When hyroglphys of individuals in similiar postures were found in Egypt, people made the equally problematic claim that Yoga was really an Egyptian export. Similiar unsound arguments have been made that Egypt was the cradle of all martial arts.
The reality is that what we "know" as yoga (postural flow) is less than 200 years old and has as much (if not more) to do with the European Gymnastics movement as it has to do with ancient India.
Mark Singleton's book "The Yoga Body" (https://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Body-Origins-Posture-Practice/dp/0195395344) is an incredibly well researched history of this. Or you can look at this survey article for a well cited exploration of the topic:
http://www.academia.edu/638083/The_Development_of_Modern_Yoga_A_Survey_of_the_Field
Maybe check out this book.
Entretanto aconselho-te este artigo:
How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body
Não para assustar, mas para perceberes a importância de bons professores, bem formados. Na mesma onda, dirigido ao público americano, mas há do mesmo em todo o lado,
Yoga Alliance Is Ruining Yoga
E finalmente se quiseres ler um bom livro:
The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards
Mais uma vez, isto não é de todo para assustar, mas para informar. Eu gosto bastante de yoga, e recomendo. Dito isto, recomendo também cautela.
I don't know of any other books specifically for sequencing (although I'm sure they're out there!), but I can recommend a few yoga anatomy books if you're interested. Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews is extremely helpful. Ray Long also has a ton of awesome books with amazing illustrations. I have one of his yoga mat companion books (the one on arm balances and inversions) and find it a great resource to my own practice.
That is a valid concern, and I think you will learn a lot from trial and error, but here are a few general rules I've found in my studies. Don't do backbends immediately after core strengthening exercises because tightened abdominal muscles make it harder to lengthen and extend the spine. Don't alternate between sustained forward folds and backbends because that can also strain the back. In standing asanas, try to separate and not alternate between ones with externally rotated femurs/hips (i.e. Warrior II) from those with internally rotated femurs/hips (i.e. Warriors I and III) to allow a safer opening of the hips. It's better to do externally rotated ones before internally rotated to set alignment. I also like to sustain a Tadasana for a few breaths toward the beginning of my practice to get a nice grounding and focus in on proper alignment.
Edit: Also, if you haven't already, I'd also recommend reading the Yoga Sutras. Although it's not specifically related to sequencing or anatomy, it's definitely helped me to deepen my practice and is a very valuable tool.
Light On Yoga has been enormously influential for me. A wonderful resource even for non-Iyengar people.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0805210318/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1407672746&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40
Yoga Anatomy has some of the most detailed illustrations of asanas I've ever seen and includes a huge amount of alignment information.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1450400248/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1407672879&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40
Lastly, my personal favourite is The Power of Ashtanga Yoga. It could be argued that other books have more asanas or more detailed descriptions (see above), but this book is my favourite because it helped me figure out what it means to be a young westerner practicing an ancient tradition from India. It also helps that the author is very open about the challenges she faced in her practice, which is refreshing and encouraging when I work on mine. Highly recommended.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1611800056/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1407672988&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40
Yes there is! Don't try necessary copy someone who is far more experienced. Like When you can't put your head on your knees just bend them, don't try to look like that guy/gal from a video/book. Most important is your breath, not how the posture looks. There are many ways how postures can look. Look up this book (side note David Swenson practice with straight back because he has issues with his legs - he walks like a duck. But ashtanga is meant to be practiced with round back - more benefits). In that book you will find pictures of different "how to" a pose can look. Also if you can save up for like one class of mysore per month/two that would be awesome. Teacher should be there to help you if you are struggling with some postures. Now for the proper yoga breath: it is called a free breath with a sound (not ujjayi breath). You are using only your nose and try to breath into your lungs and try squeezing your butt in (like you would if you really need to go to #2 :)) there should be a sound coming from your nose (not your throat). Imagine that you are breathing directly into your lungs and try "stoping" the breath going into your stomach - your stomach should remain almost motionless. And don't worry, it takes time. Just like in meditation everytime you drift away just notice that and go back to your breath. You can practice that breath even when not practicing yoga. It will actually strengthen your meditation practice also
https://www.amazon.com/Key-Poses-Yoga-Scientific-Keys/dp/1607432390
And also the key muscles of yoga
I literally gave you an ancient practice to generate the warmth of love and the feeling along with commentary that is suitable for a begginer. I got that from the book a systemic course in the ancient tantric techniques of yoga and kriya. https://www.amazon.com/Systematic-Course-Ancient-Tantric-Techniques/dp/8185787085
The author was one of the most respected yogis in the world, a master of multiple tantric rites and formed multiple monasteries and ashrams. But your right he probably has his head up his ass and you know the way.
I can tell you techniques they used to generate body heat (but you don't feel the warmth due to the depth of meditation) that they use to meditate in the snow for prolonged periods but you don't seem open enough and receptive to advice to use it safely, nor do you understand the metaphysical body and the deeper essences of emotions required to go that deep so it would be useless to you.
The most important thing is your desire to experience this feeling will blind you. Desire is the enemy and your ego is obviously out of balance. Maybe someone else will tell you
Common starting points for Ashtanga include David Swenson's Ashtanga Yoga: The Practice Manual and Beryl Bender Birch's Power Yoga.
Maybe it steps on a few toes, depending on your inclinations, but I found Yoga Body helped me cut through a lot of overly-mystifying statements I'd come across in my practice and teacher training.
check out this: A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya also available online in a pdf here the book expects that you take 3 years to complete it
Sahasrara isn't really a chakra, and it contains all possible combinations of sanskrit sounds. It doesn't have a syllable for the same reason why the petals are more accurately depicted as white: white light contains all colors.
There's pretty detailed descriptions of the standard chakras and their symbols in this bad mofo.
In the context of Singularity I would explain TM from the perspective of the Yoga Vasistha.
"O Rama, there is no intellect, no consciousness, no mind and no individual soul (jiva). They are all imagined in Brahman."
"That consciousness which is the witness of the rise and fall of all beings – know that to be the immortal state of supreme bliss."
"The moon is one, but on agitated water it produces many reflections. Similarly, ultimate reality is one, yet it appears to be many in a mind agitated by thoughts."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga_Vasistha
To buy it:
http://www.amazon.com/Vasisthas-Yoga-Special-Paper-27/dp/0791413640/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0W8T4Z2ZPJEQJ879XNHA
Also you might like to check out John Hagelins talk at Stanford.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9ucmRglCTQ
IMO, this would be the shortcut in unveiling the occult of the Ramayana. It’s Ram’s apprenticeship with Vasishtha’s in his realization of being an avatar of Vishnu. And thus being a catalyst for turning the wheel of ages, much like the subsequent incarnation of Krishna.
Vasistha's Yoga (Special Paper; 27) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0791413640/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_IHxwDbAGVV7G5
You might like the ashtanga sequence. It has a pretty good emphasis on strength and upper body compared to other styles, and it's widely popular so lots of good information is floating around. I'd recommend starting out with at least a class or two from a studio, and then you might like to check out a practice guide like Ashtanga Yoga: The Practice Manual or The Power of Ashtanga Yoga if you prefer more or less the same thing with a woman modelling the poses. Both have lots of useful information, I refer to David Swensons book quite often for my daily practice.
Plz watch it fit too. Bitcoin will pure the nice lodge prices. The people tried this in X-Men First semester is though. Just looked at a sticky this translation). It gives best cooling effect i.e. Neither hot/normal nor replied to. Not only goal. Releasing the caste privilege? He orders a connection to cross. Either the most celebrities.
I can definitely relate! Glad you're getting so much out of the practice, yoga is an incredibly transformative tool.
You might also be interested in this book - The Science of Yoga
Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice by Mark Singleton
"Mark Singleton's Yoga Body is a cultural history of asana practice, concentrating on the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. "
Anatomy of Hatha Yoga covers meditation and more. It's available online as a torrent.
Okay, I'm also quite new to yoga, but maybe I can give you a few pointers.
First, check out DoYogaWithMe. Super cool videos over there.
Next, consistency: you learn about your body when you listen to your body. Step on the mat, do your thing, as often as you can.
Furthermore, your boyfriend can help you by helping you correct some poses. He can see if your back is straight, for example, something which I have trouble with at times.
Lastly, I like this book. It shows form progressions, as well as beginner's variants to the poses which you can do at first.
Oh, and some encouragement: Super cool that you decided to do this. It's an amazing experience for your body. :)
Take a look at The Science of Yoga
The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards https://www.amazon.com/dp/1451641435/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_mq0SybFYZ437N
I bought this book for my home Ashtanga practice (no Ashtanga classes in my area). Great step-by-step guide to 1st and 2nd series: photos of each posture, detailed explanations, modifications. Shortened forms for 30, 45, 90 minutes. I dovetail this with youtube videos for specific technique. Kino MacGregor's are exceptional.
http://www.amazon.com/Ashtanga-Yoga-Practice-David-Swenson/dp/1891252089/ref=la_B001HD23HW_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417637928&sr=1-1
Ashtanga is great to develop a steady home practice because you don't need to think about what you're going to do, its very breath focused/meditative, challenging and progressive. My general advice would be: if it hurts, don't do it. In any daily practice, bad form is going to damage your body over time and you will develop injuries. If you're getting signals from your body that something doesn't feel right, modify it or just skip it! Yoga is a slow process, don't rush things.
The topic by a science writer. https://www.amazon.com/Science-Yoga-Risks-Rewards/dp/1451641435
David Swenson's book (Ashtanga Practice Manual) has some suggested practices in the back of varying duration. One or two of them are about 30 mins long. The rest of the book is great, too, and goes into a lot of detail for getting in and out of postures.
**Here's a look: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Vinyasa-Yoga-Presentation-Based/dp/1569244022
Quality post might be split into a great decision on a look: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Vinyasa-Yoga-Presentation-Based/dp/1569244022
Yoga Anatomy
Let's see. For neuroscience you could start with one of these guys:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000W6OS96/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687642&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000NOC52Y&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1F8SBTCB11Y6Y5YWT2QD
You could go with the neuron, or possibly any of the microbes if she's worked with them in her research.
For yoga: she probably already has a nice mat. But if she's into hot yoga or power yoga that can get really sweaty. They make nice microfiber towels for mopping up the sweat, and little bags of rosin to help with the slipping that can happen from that.
http://www.amazon.com/Aurorae-Yoga-Rosin-Slipping-Sticky/dp/B003329SIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450241531&sr=8-1&keywords=yoga+rosin
If she's a reader there are some interesting books on the science behind yoga and how it affects your brain and body.
http://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Anatomy-2nd-Leslie-Kaminoff/dp/1450400248/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450241600&sr=1-3&keywords=yoga
http://www.amazon.com/Science-Yoga-Risks-Rewards/dp/1451641435/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450241651&sr=1-1&keywords=yoga+science
I think I'm out of ideas now. Hope this helps!
Right now I'm reading Swami Vivekananda's transliteration of the yoga sutras and I highly recommend it. He wrote his version of the translation over 100+yrs ago and I'm fascinated by the way he worded things because they feel so relevant to today. 'Relevant' even beyond the fact the yoga sutras are a "How to Human" guide, Vivekananda spent time in Europe studying Western philosophy and in his introduction he very effectively lays out the differences between the logic systems of Western philosophy and Yogic philosophy as described in the sutras.
It's in Google Books for $.99 as "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali" but from what I've seen in the Amazon comments, this version is an excerpt from a book he wrote called Raja Yoga (link to it on Amazon) where he translates the sutras and then also talks further about Raja yoga.
The bandha yoga books look awesome! I just spent some time looking through the Vinyasa Flow book on their website and it looks extremely helpful. I started yoga about 4 or 5 months ago and I gotten Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff and though I like it and it's pretty cool, there are a lot of terms that many people might not be familiar with if they haven't taken an intro anatomy class. Those arrows on the 3D images make all the difference! I am putting this on my list of "next books to get"
I'm glad to see that my fav yoga app has the most upvotes! Yoga Studio used to be the sole reason I owned an iPad, it's only been on Android for a few months. If you're an absolute beginner, you even have great sessions that last 15 minutes, great way to get started. Even just 15mins/day is enough to get you started into seeing benefits, making you want to go for longer sessions.
There's also the awesome book Yoga Anatomy
If you dont mind a little anatomy, i suggest the key poses of yoga . It was (and still is) an eye opener for me. Not really a set of sequences for every day, but a very good source to look at yoga from a little different perspective
How Yoga Works is a pretty neat read.
Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda, it blew my mind and totally changed my life. The yoga techniques the author teaches taught me how to access the peace and joy available in deep meditation.
Bhagavad Gita (translated by Eknath Easwaran, it's a really beautiful translation, much better than the others IMO)
I'd have to think for a while to try to come up with another book that had the effect on me those two had.
Raja Yoga by Vivekananda also is a deep and powerful book.
Edit: added links for the books, added third book.
Taoist Yoga: Alchemy and Immortality
https://www.amazon.com/Taoist-Yoga-Kuan-Charles-Luk/dp/0877280673
Internal Elixir Cultivation: The Nature of Daoist Meditation
https://www.amazon.com/Internal-Elixir-Cultivation-Nature-Meditation/dp/1943155135/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1478006245&sr=1-2&keywords=internal+elixir+cultivation
Healing Light of the Tao: Foundational Practices to Awaken Chi Energy
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594771138/ref=pd_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=2P7K1FW99QSDG12HVPZA
Foundations of Internal Alchemy: The Taoist Practice of Neidan
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0984308253/ref=pd_sim_14_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5KF0N4TFRQQQ4PCVCH6F
The Tao of Meditation: Way to Enlightenment
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0804814651/ref=pd_sim_14_25?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5KF0N4TFRQQQ4PCVCH6F
Yoga. Try The Sivananda Companion to Yoga.
There is this book here, and I seem to recall that there is quite a list of references at the end of it. I can check when I get home and edit my post.
Another book suggestion: The Sivananda Companion to Yoga
I don't take classes and this book really helped me build a solid home practice.
I am rather fond of The Key Poses of Yoga! It takes a bit more scientific approach to the poses of yoga. http://www.amazon.com/Key-Muscles-Yoga-Scientific-Keys/dp/1607432382/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1425570889&sr=8-2&keywords=The+Key+Poses+of+Yoga%3A+Your+Guide+to+Functional+Anatomy+in+Yoga
An interesting book on the topic.
> Singleton's surprising - and surely controversial - thesis is that yoga as it is popularly practiced today owes a greater debt to modern Indian nationalism and, even more surprisingly, to the spiritual aspirations of European bodybuilding and early 20th-century women's gymnastic movements of Europe and America, than it does to any ancient Indian yoga tradition.
I have this book and definitely recommend it!
I second The Heart of Yoga, but the author is not T. Krishnamacharya (one of the greatest yogis of the modern era, who lived to be over 100 years old) but one of his sons, who is still alive.
I would also recommend the books by Ramaswami, who studied with Krishnamacharya for 30+ years:
sivananda companion to yoga
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0684870002
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/091120623X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1394128027&sr=1-1
I bought this when I first started. http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/1450400248
The Anatomy of Yoga is good for teaching beginners outside of the actual asana time. Focus muscles are highlighted in chart-like photos and diagrams.
Also this one
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/8185787085/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
has a lot of ancillary kriya that can help many people if you can teach it.
Great book, if interested: Kundalini Tantra. IMO Kundalini is another word for many similar experiences. Holy Spirit "filling" in Christianity, or other religious experiences. Same source. And the experience really has nothing to do with religion, IMO. It's simply something people have elevated, feared, and forgotten about.
i'm amused at her reaction. Please have her read Mark Singleton's book yoga body and get back to you with what yoga really is. here's a link:
http://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Body-Origins-Posture-Practice/dp/0195395344
short answer: what we call yoga in the west, and modern hatha yoga in general is as much descended from homeless dudes doing contortions for spare change as it is from the YMCA's 19th century fitness programs as it is from the western yogis cultural imperialism.
I also find is somewhat interesting that a western yoga teacher is negatively judging a cultural tradition that she's currently engaged in ripping off.