Essentially Best Books about Yoga that No Yogi Wants to Miss!!
A serious yogi would not want to miss these 5 best books about yoga, for sure. No matter who you are, a newbie who wants to know yoga or an experienced practitioner who seeks ways to improve skills and abilities, or a teacher trying to set a new fire in his/her class… This list of best books of yoga covers it all.
Yoga is a delicate practice, it’s a tool to deepen the bond between mind, body, and soul of an individual. Therefore, learning yoga would never stop in classes, you need to do it on and off the mat. Yoga is not easy, but yoga is for everyone. The key is to find you a good mentor, and sometimes, the mentor you need is only a book!
I hope the list of best books to learn yoga below could be a compelling assistance on your yoga journey. So, here is the list!
Quick Comparison On best books about yoga
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My Rating | My Rating | My Rating | My Rating | My Rating |
Author Iyengar | Author Mark Stephens | Author T. K. V. Desikachar | Author Leslie Kaminoff | Author Sri Swami Satchidananda |
Best beginning yoga books | Best books for yoga teachers | Best yoga books for home practice | Best yoga anatomy books | Best books about yoga philosophy |
Deeper Considerations on Best Books About Yoga
Containing a wealth of information about physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of yoga, this bulky book is counted as one of the best beginners yoga books. “Light on Yoga” has been a must-have for every serious yogi since its first publication in 1966.
Written by one of the most notable yoga teachers, the author of many great books on yoga practice and philosophy, this book has done a wonderful job on explaining yoga for newbies and offers a simple but nice plan to get started.
The book is structured in a clear way that makes it so easy to follow. It covers all of the basic aspects that a yoga practitioner needs, including the origin of yoga, crucial asanas (poses), and pranayama (breathing technique).
Things I like:
If you are determined on becoming a yoga teacher, or you have already been one and are trying to step further on your career, this ultimate resource is the thing for you. Many fellow seekers have called it the greatest of best yoga books for teachers.
Written in an easy-to-read way, “Teaching Yoga” is exceptionally informative. It enchanted me by the idea of offering not only teaching principles of asanas, but also the risk of each by examining aspects of anatomy and philosophy, and the way to guide students on doing poses.
The book even provides practical advice on setup/planning/sequencing classes and the process of becoming a teacher.
Things I like:
The author, T. K. V. Desikachar, lived and studied with his father, Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya - one of the greatest yogis of the modern time, all his life. He mastered his father's methods, set a new light to it by his own practical approach, then brought them all on the pages of this book.
This book covers a range of important information, such as poses and counterposes, breathing, meditation, and philosophy, in an accessible way. A remarkable topic of this book is that it instructs readers in how the breath and the postures work together.
The key concept of Krisnamacharya’s methods is viniyoga - yoga practice adapted to the needs of each individual. That’s why I choose this one for the best yoga books for home practice. This book shows you the way to develop a practice that suits your state of health, age, occupation, and lifestyle.
Things I like:
“Yoga Anatomy” is both suitable for beginners and experts who want to see yoga movements in a whole new detailed angle. But be warned, the terminologies in this book may be a bit overwhelming if you have no basic understanding of anatomy.
Being the creation of 2 big names in the yogis community, this book is a priceless resource that helps learners understand the natures and the roots of yoga, and its purposes in a scientific perspective.
Counted as one of the most in-depth of best yoga anatomy books, this full-coloured anatomical illustrated book would certainly attract you by its content. I was awe by the insights of the anatomical world the book offers.
Things I like:
Dated back to over 4000 years, Yoga Sutras is 1 of the 6 Indian philosophical systems that explores the moral philosophy of guiding people to become a morally good version of themselves. It’s an old and classic yoga that has nothing to do with postures, stretching, or breathing exercises.
“The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali” by Sri Swami Satchidananda is one of the best books on yoga philosophy. It’s the best translation, the finest transliteration, and the fairest commentary by Satchidananda on the thought-provoking and deep writings of Patanjali.
Satchidananda explained each sutra with words and stories that anyone can relate to. He based the practical advice offered in this book on his own experience for mastering the mind and attaining physical, mental, and emotional harmony.
Things I like:
Best Books about Yoga - Detail Comparison table
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Image | | | | | |
My Rating | |||||
Author | Iyengar | Mark Stephens | T. K. V. Desikachar | Leslie Kaminoff | Sri Swami Satchidananda |
Type | Best beginning yoga books | Best books for yoga teachers | Best yoga books for home practice | Best yoga anatomy books | Best books about yoga philosophy |
Requirement | No fundamental knowledge requires | Basic understanding on yoga | No fundamental knowledge requires | Basic understanding on anatomy | No fundamental knowledge requires |
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Reading Guide: How to Choose Your Best Books about Yoga
I put up the list of “best books about yoga” above in consideration of taking 5 best books on yoga for 5 different interests. You did find a book for beginners, for teachers, for home practice, and a book of anatomy, and of philosophy.
Of course, you base your choice on your concerns. But if you read through all the detailed previews of 5 best books of yoga I have listed, you would agree with me that, in each book, there are things that serve every interest.
“Light on Yoga” is not only on the pick of best books on yoga for beginners, it could also be a good tool for a yoga teacher who wants to build a clearer curriculum or to have a better notion of what his or her students anticipated.
“Teaching Yoga” might be the best of the best yoga books teachers, but it has anatomy and philosophy topics of its own. Thus, you could go for it in order to enhance your knowledge on yoga in general (I love the historical part of this book, it’s so intriguing).
The same applies to “The Heart of Yoga”, you would find in here not only one of the best yoga books for home practice but also a compact introduction to yoga for beginners or a helpful resource for teachers.
And so on… Books is always a wonderful friend and a precious guide, and reading more than one or reading out of one interest will bring you profits, no matter what. Beginners and teachers alike could find in all these 5 best books to learn yoga what they seek to step further on their yoga journey.
My So-Hard-to-Pick-out Best Books of Yoga
This is a hard choice. I love all the books I have mentioned because each book has a strong point of its own and each enlightens me in a different way. But if I have to choose one, for sure, I vouch for “Light on Yoga”.
It has been with me for so long that it becomes an essential part of my yoga journey. I have learned a lot from this particular book. And I still re-read it every time I feel the need for merging my mind into the yoga world or simply check on facts or techniques.
Okay. Did I miss any great name on this list of best books about yoga? Do you have your own great yoga-book friends? Share with me, please. My eager mind always thirsts for more books!
