Best yoga books: 11 recommended reads for Yogis

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When I first began my yoga journey – there was a LOT of self study. I practiced mainly in my room, using YouTube, books and whichever (free) website would have me. After my first few weeks of playing around with yoga, I bought my very first yoga book. Since then, my little “yoga-library” has grown quite substantially. So thought I would share some of my fave reads!

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1. The Yoga Bible
This book is number one, only because it was the first yoga book I ever bought. I was desperate to know some different poses, their names and how to do them correctly and this seemed like a good option! It mainly relates to the asana (physical practice) but there is a small section on the eight limbs of yoga and various breathing and meditation techniques. At the stage that I bought this book, I was just interested in learning some new yoga postures to try out at home – so it suited me perfectly.

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My one ‘annoyance’ with this book is that is is small, quite heavy and square – so the pages don’t stay open very easily on their own. Which, when you are trying to copy a posture, and hold the book open using your left foot, whilst trying to keep your hand on your head and simultaneously read the next thing is super challenging. haha! David Swenson’s Ashtanga manual in a ring bound format is WAY easier to follow since the book stays open on whichever page you open it on!

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2. The Monk who sold his Ferrari

I absolutely LOVE this book. And I have recommended it to SO many people. It is told in a parable type way about a hot shot lawyer who has a mini heart attack in court – then goes off to India to “find himself”. It is filled with practical tools, tips and techniques to live your most awesome and fulfilled life. You will want to take notes whilst reading this book. For sure.
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3. A New Earth

This book is from the same author as The Power of Now. (Next on my books-to-read list!). Disclaimer: I started reading this book and then stopped because it just felt SO heavy. I then read The Monk who sold his Ferrari (for the first time) and then came back to A New Earth and really loved it. The book looks at the concept of the Ego and the attachment that we give to it and our constant need for validation, for more, for identity. It also speaks about a rising global consciousness and about letting the universe support you in what you decide to do. This book is intense, but amazing. I cried several times.

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4. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Apart from the anatomy text books and Ashtanga manuals, The Yoga Sutras were prescribed as part of our course reading for our Yoga Teacher training. Sutra in sanskrit means ‘thread’ and this book is a collection of ‘threads’ of yogic wisdom and philosophy. Each ‘sutra’ is able to stand alone as an entire nugget of wisdom, that can be unpacked and explored depending on your own context. So much of what is said in The Yoga Sutras is similar to what is being said in The New Earth and a more light-hearted version of which is in parable form in The Monk who sold his Ferrari.

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I found the yoga sutras so fascinating, especially considering how long ago they were written, but how much relevance they still have to our lives today. The examples given throughout the book make the information easily accessible and you can almost picture an ancient Indian guru (Patanjali) dishing out the information over a bowl of curry. ha! There is one section in the book that I found got a bit overwhelming and “out-there” – but it is the kind of book that you can take from it what you need, when you need it.

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5. Mindset

I bought this book after hearing my brother-in-law-(in-law?) absolutely rave about it over Christmas. It is written by an American psychologist on the concept of the ‘growth mindset’ versus the ‘fixed mindset’. The examples used in the book are VERY American (basketball teams, baseball teams, etc) and as such, for me, I found it slightly more difficult to relate to. The main premise of this book is to approach life with a “growth” mindset. That any kind of setback does not determine who you are, but in each of these instances, we need to ask how we can LEARN, GROW and IMPROVE from the situation. It is quite closely connected with the concept of the Ego in A New Earth.

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6. 1001 pearls of Yoga Wisdom.

NOTE: I TOTALLY bought this book because of the cover.

This is a really fun book and one that you can easily dip in and out of. Each little pearl of wisdom is either a physical posture, an inspirational quote or some other positive affirmation to slot into your day. I haven’t read the whole thing, but I’ve opened it up randomly on occasion – each little pearl of wisdom is short and sweet which would pop easily into a busy work day.

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Kudos to the publishers because I COMPLETELY bought this book based on what it looked like.

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7. The Miracle Morning

My friend recommended this book to me and I’m so glad I bought it! I’ll be honest it started off quite cheesy, but about a third of the way in I was lapping it up! It gives some practical tips, tricks and routines to implement into your morning so that you can TAKE OVER THE WORLD. Mirrors a lot of what is said in The Monk who sold his Ferrari, but in a slightly different format.

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Although, I’m still struggling to get out of bed in the morning though (NOT A MORNING PERSON) so am wondering if I was sold a dud copy?

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8. Headspace

Headspace is the book to compliment the meditation app, headspace. It is about the science of mediation, how to implement it and use it in your life and also a little bit of the back story of Andy Puddicombe the dude behind it all. I’m halfway through this book at the moment and am really enjoying it.

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9. Love poems from God 

My friend Lulu gave this book to me as a gift and it is absolutely beautiful. It features inspirational poetry from poets, philosophers and prophets. It is the perfect thing to come back to time and time again and the collection of voices is rich, layered and filled with emotion. If you are into poetry, this is a goodie.

10. The One Thing

The same Lulu lent me this book to read and it is SUPER good. It’s less “yoga-ish” but it’s filled with tips on productivity, time management, focus, and setting your purpose in life. Really a great read for anyone who runs their own business!

11. The Luck Factor

This book is not pictured because it’s currently with my friend Catherine. I actually won this book (ironic, lol) and the cover of the book is completely deceptive for how interesting it is! It features the “science” behind luck and lucky people in general. The more I read this book, the more I wanted to substitute “luck” for “the universe”. The entire premise of the book is how we generate our own luck by the thoughts we create for ourselves and the way we affirm ourselves in our own mind. Very similar concepts to The Miracle Morning, and Mindset – although with a few scientific studies thrown in to back it all up. I can really recommend it!

What are your favourite books? What are you reading? Anything to recommend to me?!

 

8 Comments

  1. femmegypsy on May 6, 2015 at 9:16 am

    I absolutely loved the Monk who sold his Ferrari! Read it years ago, think it is time to get it out again 🙂 Definitely going to have a look at some of the others, the Headspace app is great and I love understanding the science behind these things…

    • Ché Dyer on May 7, 2015 at 4:06 pm

      I LOVE headspace! It’s life changing! I started reading The Monk who sold his Ferrari for the second time, but then got distracted by The Headspace Book! haha will start it again when I’ve finished! Do you have any other book that you can recommend?! I’d love to know! x

  2. Rhianne on May 6, 2015 at 9:18 am

    Oh man A new Earth! I love it! I have the audio book and I listen to it often – I’m relistening to it at the moment whilst I work out in the morning (which is totally your fault btw for sharing that Robin thing about getting up and making an hour for yourself – it does help with my mental health though – so thank you) I also watched the discussions Eckhart Tolle had with Oprah about the book (when they were still on her site) and it was amazing to hear him talk about it so completely and confidently. And he’s so funny too – adorable really.

    I shall be adding the rest to my list of things to either buy or get on Audible 🙂

    • Ché Dyer on May 7, 2015 at 4:07 pm

      hahaha SO sorry to have disrupted your morning routine! hahaha but WELL DONE you!!! #soproud I can definitely recommend the Monk who sold his Ferrari if you haven’t read it! Wish I could watch those Eckhart interviews!!

  3. Charissa on May 6, 2015 at 10:09 am

    I bought the Yoga Bible as my first big yoga splurge after your yoga blog post on Indieberries, and then Yoga Sutras of Patanjali too! Absolutely love them both. I found A New Earth in a second hand book shop, it is just so amazing!! (on my second read of it now, it is a book you cant just devour at once but takes time to let it all sink in) been wanting to buy Power of Now but my mother has a copy of it SOMEWHERE in her house so I refuse to buy it! Adding the rest of these to my to read list! THANKS! 🙂

    • Ché Dyer on May 7, 2015 at 4:09 pm

      YAY!!!! SO awesome to hear that you have been feeling so inspired!! YAY!!! Yes agree on the New Earth book! You can definitely go back for seconds and thirds! (I also need to get my hands on a copy of the Power of Now!) Totally recommend the Monk who sold his Ferrari if you haven’t read it! Let me know if you find any other inspirational goodies! x

      • Charissa on May 11, 2015 at 6:20 am

        Im still pretty new to Yoga so my other book recommendations might not be in the same category but highly recommend (an oldie but a good one) The Alchemist, and Your Erroneous Zones Dr Wayne Dyer. By the way I got the Monk who sold his Farrari and ate it all up over the weekend (between snoozing from the flu lol) BUT OMG!!! What an amazing book!! No wonder you recommended it on all 3 comments here! Thank you thank you! Im going back for more today! and yes you totally make millions of notes while reading hehe. Oh life here I come!

        • Ché Dyer on May 11, 2015 at 4:35 pm

          oh YAY!!! I’m so glad you liked it!! 🙂 I read the Alchemist AGES ago (high school) but think I will have to get my hands on a copy again! (these are def the kinds of books that you can read completely differently depending on where you are in your life! Will also have a google for that other one! Dyer… must be good. haha 😛 Thank you! x

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