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sun_salutationA number of books have been very helpful in the development of my yoga practice. I just pulled some of them off of my yoga shelf and thought there may be some interest in mini-reviews of them. These are books that I love and that I would rec to students.
My number one recommendation for any level practitioner is Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness by Erich Schiffmann. If you are only ever going to buy one yoga book, this is the one to buy. It is one of the few books out there that addresses yoga in a way that is understandable to a layperson, yet deep and complex for an advanced yogi. Note: I've never used it for the asana section.
ETA:muck_a_luck discovered that his book is available for free online. I haven't checked to make sure that all the sections are there and complete but in my browsing, it looks fairly complete except for the asana section.
If you are looking for more about the breath, the book used in my teacher training was Science of Breath: A Practical Guide by Swami Rama, Rudolph Ballentine, M.D., and Alan Hymes, M.D. It was published in 1979 and does feel a bit dated but unless something new has come along in the last few years, it is still the only book that focuses solely on the breath. It has both science from a western medicine viewpoint and a yogic viewpoint. The two aren't incompatible and it is nice to read a book which can embrace both.
Both Power Yoga and Beyond Power Yoga by Beryl Bender Birch are excellent. Her training is in Astanga and these books are about the Astanga practice. I admit that I bought the first one because I met Beryl and her husband, Thom, a number of years ago and fell just a little bit in love with both of them. However, I bought the second because the first one was so good. Both Beryl and Thom are athletes so there is quite a bit about yoga for athletes in the first book. (Sidenote: I bought their DVD Power Yoga for Runners and feel very meh about it. On the one hand, I love their teaching style but on the other, it feels very rushed. Astanga poses should be held for at least 5 even breaths and a number of the poses get short-changed in an attempt to make an abbreviated yoga practice.)
Finally, Jivamukti Yoga by Sharon Gannon and David Life. Ironically, I really don't like Jivamukti Yoga at all but I think the book is awesome. It contains heavy-duty yogic philosophy and is not for the faint of heart.
My number one recommendation for any level practitioner is Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness by Erich Schiffmann. If you are only ever going to buy one yoga book, this is the one to buy. It is one of the few books out there that addresses yoga in a way that is understandable to a layperson, yet deep and complex for an advanced yogi. Note: I've never used it for the asana section.
ETA:
muck_a_luck discovered that his book is available for free online. I haven't checked to make sure that all the sections are there and complete but in my browsing, it looks fairly complete except for the asana section. If you are looking for more about the breath, the book used in my teacher training was Science of Breath: A Practical Guide by Swami Rama, Rudolph Ballentine, M.D., and Alan Hymes, M.D. It was published in 1979 and does feel a bit dated but unless something new has come along in the last few years, it is still the only book that focuses solely on the breath. It has both science from a western medicine viewpoint and a yogic viewpoint. The two aren't incompatible and it is nice to read a book which can embrace both.
Both Power Yoga and Beyond Power Yoga by Beryl Bender Birch are excellent. Her training is in Astanga and these books are about the Astanga practice. I admit that I bought the first one because I met Beryl and her husband, Thom, a number of years ago and fell just a little bit in love with both of them. However, I bought the second because the first one was so good. Both Beryl and Thom are athletes so there is quite a bit about yoga for athletes in the first book. (Sidenote: I bought their DVD Power Yoga for Runners and feel very meh about it. On the one hand, I love their teaching style but on the other, it feels very rushed. Astanga poses should be held for at least 5 even breaths and a number of the poses get short-changed in an attempt to make an abbreviated yoga practice.)
Finally, Jivamukti Yoga by Sharon Gannon and David Life. Ironically, I really don't like Jivamukti Yoga at all but I think the book is awesome. It contains heavy-duty yogic philosophy and is not for the faint of heart.