Whether you’re an aspiring yoga practitioner, a beginner, or an experienced practitioner, yoga has positive effects on your mental and physical health. Some people roll out their mats to develop flexibility and strength, while others may use them to improve focus, relaxation, and spiritual growth.
“Yoga is really for everyone,” says Stacey Graham, a London yoga teacher and author of Yoga as Resistance. But often, she says, “it’s not the perception.”
If you start practicing yoga in a studio environment, “you’re introduced to the physical practice, not the wisdom tradition,” she says. Dr Graham added that books can help expand understanding.
We asked 14 yoga teachers about titles they would suggest to students of all levels. Some of the books recommended are classics that have helped yogis for generations. Other choices have helped make the practice more accessible. You’ll find their favorites below.
This step-by-step guide to yoga was written by TKV Desikachar, the son of modern yoga pioneer Thirumalai Krishnamacharya, who said, “His students have taught us how to practice yoga in most places today.” “He brought yoga to us in a way that was very important to us,” Dr. Graham said.
For Amanda McCarroll, co-owner of Buddhi Yoga Studio in La Jolla, California, the book is “written in a clear and simple way” while also “delves into the most important philosophical aspects of yoga in great depth.” ” she said.
Mia Williams, a yoga instructor in New York City, calls yoga “a staple found in almost every teacher training.” This book also introduces Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the philosophical foundations of the wisdom tradition. “For beginners, it’s easy to absorb the important ideas of yoga philosophy and psychology,” she says.
Diane Bondi is a leader in the ‘Yoga for All’ movement, and Tar Lynskey, a yoga trainer based in New South Wales, Australia, says the book will ‘bring yoga closer to people’. ” he said.
Dr. Graham said she often hears that there is only one way to do a pose, and even the language used by yoga teachers can be exclusive. But “Yoga for Everyone” reminds readers that “people with limited mobility, physical injuries, or even disabilities can practice yoga,” she said.
“The emphasis here is not on complex or advanced movements, but on helping the reader find their comfort level,” Lynskey says, adding that doing so takes the pressure off. “There are countless benefits that come from regular practice.”
BKS Iyengar is the founder of Iyengar yoga, a style that emphasizes posture and posture. Although he is credited with popularizing yoga in the West, he has been criticized for his teaching methods, which included hitting and kicking his students. Still, many of the experts interviewed emphasized that the book has important educational value.
Published over 50 years ago, this text explains the basics of hatha yoga and includes a weekly guide to 300 poses. McCarroll said it’s perfect for beginners who “want to really dig deep.”
Tejal Patel, co-host of the podcast Yoga Is Dead, said this 2020 title is “a must-see because of the intersection of yoga and social justice.” Patel explains that many people associate yoga with “just movement or just meditation.” “This will tell you more about the practice.”
“Susanna’s book is a great introduction to yoga, with a capital ‘Y,'” says Dr. Graham. “She describes yoga as a wisdom tradition, connects the influence of colonialism with current practices, and offers concrete advice on how to appreciate it without culturally appropriateness.”
First published in 2007 by Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews, both of whom have taught yoga, movement, and anatomy for decades, this title provides a comprehensive look at poses. “If people want to understand, ‘Why can’t I do this posture, why is this posture difficult for me?'” Dr. Graham said, “This is a really helpful book.”
Kaminoff came under fire in 2016 for his inflammatory comments about a sexual harassment lawsuit against a senior teacher at New York City studio Jivamukti Yoga. Nevertheless, this book is considered valuable by the experts we interviewed. Patel says it’s perfect for beginners who “want to learn how specific muscles are used, movements, and poses affect the body.”
Published in 1946, the autobiography of Paramahansa Yogananda, who died in 1952, is “a seminal piece of writing,” Patel said. It provides an inside account of his life, including his childhood, finding a teacher, becoming a monk, and teaching Kriya his yoga meditation.
“This is a classic,” said Colleen Seidman Yee, owner of Yoga Shanti in Sag Harbor, New York. “This was the first book I ever read, and it led me to yoga.”
In 2013, Jivana Heyman co-founded Accessible Yoga Training School, which provides students with disabilities the opportunity to become yoga teachers. This book, published in 2019, shares this philosophy by demystifying yoga poses and meditation techniques.
“It’s all about listening to your body and adapting your yoga practice to your needs,” said Maria Andrews, a yoga teacher based in Spain. It seems. “
Andrews said she highly recommends this title to beginners, “so you don’t get lost trying to do the ‘best’ downward dog, headstand, or warrior three in your yoga class.”
Hope Reese is a journalist who has written for publications including Vox, Shondaland, and The Atlantic. Her book, The Women Are Not Fine, is scheduled to be published in 2025.
