Summer is the season to dive deep into the world of books and relish in relaxed reading on sun-drenched lawns. Unfortunately for yogis, our summer reading list is not for casual readers or lovers of leisure. If you desire to spend some of your summertime in school mode, then check out these great titles—they are certain to deepen your knowledge and enliven your practice.
Fearless After Fifty by Michelle Marchildon and Desiree Rumbaugh
With age and experience, most yogis need and want to craft a different approach to both yoga and lifestyle, especially after the age of 50. Thankfully, this collaboration of two yoga teachers provides the inspiration, support, advice, and encouragement to embrace the changes of aging and to continue to live a rich and fulfilling life. If you need a good spiritual pep-talk and prefer personal stories and experiences over detailed yoga philosophy and lists of practices, then this book is for you.
Stack Your Bones by Ruthie Fraser
While not written especially for yoga practitioners, this sweet little hardcover book is filled with short explorations to deepen and strengthen body awareness. Based on the tenets of Structural Integration, practice these simple lessons sequentially, randomly or any way you’d like. Deepen your focus and alignment awareness in yoga poses with these concise, accessible, and practical exercises, which can also provide themes and inspiration for yoga teachers.
Yoga for You and Your Child by Mark Singleton
Parents and teachers can make sharing and teaching yoga safe, effective, and fun for children using this new book of yoga poses, meditations, and pranayamas. Over forty yoga poses are illustrated with multiple color photos and described with detailed instructions, benefits, cautions, modifications, and visualizations. With non-traditional asana names, the poses are fun and accessible to children. The book includes several yogic breathing techniques and meditations as additional tools to calm and soothe children.
The Ayurveda Way by Ananta Ripa Ajmera
Ayurveda, yoga’s sister healing science, often feels inaccessible due to its depth, richness, and complexity. Thankfully this ancient wisdom is distilled into simple advice and general practices to improve health and wellness in this lovely new hardcover book. Use these 108 tips and ideas in any order and at any time you feel the need to make a change in your life. Learn how to improve digestion and sleep, reduce stress, improve your diet, and create a more balanced life through these beautifully designed pages with gorgeous illustrations, typography, and photography.
Yoga Bodies by Lauren Lipton
Positive body image and inspiration is the focus of this book of full-color yoga pose portraits of everyday yogis. In a beautiful two-page layout of photos and text, this book presents over 80 practitioners of all ages, shapes, sizes, backgrounds, and skill levels. Each yogi tells their personal story in a unique way—some are profound, moving and inspirational—others are more plain and ordinary. This montage of diversity drives home the central tenant of this book: yoga is indeed for every body.
Attachment-Based Yoga & Meditation for Trauma Recovery by Deirdre Fay
While written specifically for therapists, this professional book is very readable (though definitely not light reading material) and profoundly fascinating to anyone interested in psychology and the philosophy and practice of yoga. Through extensive client stories, research, theory, and suggested practices and exercises, the author explores the intersection of yoga, meditation, and trauma.
Waking Energy by Jennifer Kries
This book details an eight-week program to experience a unique weaving of different traditions and practices: QiGong, Kundalini Yoga, Yin Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Five Tibetan Rites, Pilates, Inner Smile, Healing Sounds, and Meditation. All of these practices explore the cultivation, use, and circulation of life force energy—primarily through breath and focus but also through sound and movement. Each chapter details the history, philosophy, and exercises of each practice and tradition. Learn and experience something new in this engaging collection of practices from around the globe.
