7 yoga books to deepen your practice

Whether you're an aspirant, a beginner, or a seasoned practitioner, yoga can have positive effects on your mental and physical health. While some people roll out their mats to develop flexibility and strength, others may be drawn to the discipline for improved focus, relaxation or spiritual growth.

“Yoga really is for everyone,” says Stacie Graham, a yoga teacher in London and author of “Yoga as Resistance.” But in many cases, she said, “that's not the perception.”

If you start doing yoga in a studio setting, she said, you're likely being introduced to a physical practice — you're not being introduced to the wisdom tradition. Dr. Graham added that books can increase your understanding.

We asked 14 yoga teachers about the titles they suggest to students at all levels. Several of the recommended books are classics that have helped generations of yogis; other selections have helped make the practice more accessible. Their favorites can be found below.

This book of step-by-step yoga sequences was written by TKV Desikachar, the son of modern yoga pioneer Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, “whose students brought us yoga in the way we practice in most places today,” said Dr. Graham.

It is a top recommendation for Amanda McCarroll, co-owner of the Buddhi Yoga studio in La Jolla, California, because “it is written in a clear, simple way,” yet “delivers very deeply into the key philosophical aspects of yoga, ” she said.

Mia Williams, a yoga instructor in New York City, calls it a “staple found in almost every teacher training program.” The book also expounds the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, which form the philosophical underpinning of the wisdom tradition. It's easy for a beginner to pick up the key ideas of yoga's philosophy and psychology, she said.

Dianne Bondy is a leader in the “Yoga for All” movement, and this book “makes yoga even more accessible,” says Tahl Rinsky, a yoga trainer based in New South Wales, Australia.

People often hear that there is only one way to perform a pose, said Dr. Graham, and sometimes even the language that yoga teachers use can be exclusionary. But “Yoga for Everyone” reminds readers that anyone with “limited mobility or physical injury or even a physical disability can still practice yoga,” she said.

“The emphasis here is not on complex or advanced movements, but on helping the reader find their comfort level,” Rinsky said, which can take the pressure off and “unlock the countless benefits of regular practice.”

BKS Iyengar was the founder of Iyengar Yoga, a style that places great emphasis on posture and alignment. Although he is credited with popularizing yoga in the West, he has been criticized for his teaching methods, including: hitting and kicking students. Yet many of the experts interviewed emphasized that this book has an important educational value.

Published more than 50 years ago, the text explains the basics of hatha yoga and includes a guide to 300 weekly postures. It's great for beginners who “want to really go deep,” McCarroll said.

This 2020 title is a must “because of the intersection of yoga and social justice,” says Tejal Patel, co-host of the “Yoga is Dead” podcast. Many people associate yoga with “just exercise or just meditation,” Patel explains. “This really allows you to learn more about the practice.”

“Susanna's book is a great introduction to yoga, with a capital 'Y,'” said Dr. Graham. “She explains yoga as a wisdom tradition, connects the effects of colonialism to contemporary practice, and offers concrete advice on how to appreciate it rather than culturally appropriate.”

First published in 2007 by Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews – both of whom have been teaching yoga, movement and anatomy for decades – the title offers a comprehensive look at poses. “If people want to understand, 'Why can't I do this pose, why is this pose difficult for me?' Dr. Graham said, “This is a very useful book.”

Kaminoff came under fire in 2016 after he made inflammatory comments about it a sexual harassment lawsuit to a senior teacher at Jivamukti Yoga, a studio in New York City. Nevertheless, the book is considered valuable by the experts we interviewed. It's great for a beginner who wants to know “the specific application of muscles and movement and the effect of a pose on the body,” Patel said.

This autobiography of Paramahansa Yogananda, who died in 1952, published in 1946, is “a seminal text,” Patel said. It provides a glimpse into his life, including his childhood, finding a teacher, becoming a monk and teaching Kriya Yoga meditation.

“It's a classic,” says Colleen Saidman Yee, owner of Yoga Shanti in Sag Harbor, NY. “It's the first book I read that brought me to yoga.”

In 2013, Jivana Heyman co-founded the Accessible Yoga Training School to offer students with disabilities the opportunity to become yoga teachers. Published in 2019, this book shares this philosophy by demystifying yoga poses and meditation techniques.

“It's about listening to your body and adapting your yoga practice to your needs,” says Maria Andrews, a yoga teacher based in Spain, “rather than painfully forcing your body into pretzel-like shapes because that's what yoga 'should' be. '. looks like.”

Andrews says she highly recommends the title to beginners “so they don't get lost trying to do the 'best' downward dog, headstand, warrior three in yoga class.”

Hope Reese is a journalist who writes for Vox, Shondaland, The Atlantic and other publications. Her book 'The Women Are Not Fine' will be published in 2025.