Whether you discovered the wonders of yoga over lockdown through the goddess that is Adrienne Mishler, or you’ve been a devotee for a number of years now, there are a variety of ways through which one can improve and elevate their practice.
Attending in-person classes isn’t for everyone, but a lack of physical teaching shouldn’t have the power to prevent someone who is interested from pursuing more knowledge and teachings on the subject. YouTube videos are a fantastic way to engage in a guided practice from the comfort of your own home, and there are a variety of popular online teachers who offer subscription-based services.
Yet there’s nothing quite like hitting the books when it comes to truly garnering the additional knowledge and expertise to expand on your physical practice. After all, yoga at its core is a practice that prioritises, celebrates and puts mindfulness at its core. It therefore follows that engaging, expanding and nourishing the mind can only serve to improve your physical practice.
What are the origins of yoga?
The origins of yoga can be traced to Northern India over 5,000 years ago. The word ‘yoga’ itself was first mentioned in a series of ancient sacred texts written in Sanskrit, compiled by Ved Vyasa. Known as the Rigveda, this compilation of four vedas – or mantras – were used to invoke courage, happiness, health, peace, prosperity, success and wisdom. An incredibly important aspect of the Hindu faith, the varied meanings behind of these mantras are also used as the base for yogic practices.
One of the six schools of philosophy in Hinduism and a practice that also plays a major role in Buddhism, yoga is an ancient meditative craft born out of deep spirituality and a desire to achieve a sense of inner peace, or enlightenment.
Are there different types of yoga?
There are actually 11 different types of yoga, which you can read more about through Mind Body Green’s handy guide. We’re going to break down the most common types of yoga that you can learn and master at home with the help of some good literature.
- Vinyasa: A yoga style that focuses on linking conscious breath with fluid movement, Vinyasa flows through a series of yoga postures known as asanas in a rhythmic sequence that can be thought of like an ocean wave. The word itself means ‘to place in a special way’.
- Hatha: Hatha yoga is often referred to as the opposition to Vinyasa, since it focuses on mastering one pose at a time. The Sanskrit word itself is an umbrella term for all asanas, and it serves as a fantastic starting point for beginners.
- Iyengar: Founded by B.K.S Iyengar, one of the foremost yoga gurus in the world. This type of yoga focuses on a particular attention to detail – prioritising precision and alignment when performing asanas.
- Yin: Known as a recovery yoga, Yin is a slow-paced style which makes use of seated asanas which are held for long periods of time. This space and stillness also makes Yin yoga a particularly meditative practice.
- Ashtanga: A slightly different form of Vinyasa yoga with a series of very specific asanas which you can learn by heart.
- Raja: A highly spiritual practice, Raja yoga focuses as intently on the goals one aims to attain through practicing yoga, and the methods involved in achieving it. The practice itself was first compiled by Patanjali, and referred to again by Swami Vivekananda in his interpretation of the text, known as Raja Yoga.
We’ve rounded up a selection of the best yoga books, whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or an expert looking to delve deeper into its history.
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Yoga for beginners
Yoga: A Manual for Life by Naomi Annand
Author Naomi Annand discovered yoga after an injury ended her career as a ballerina with the Royal Ballet. In the introduction alone, Annand writes beautifully of her own transformative experience with yoga as she travelled across the globe. The newfound relationship that Annand was able to form with her body, mind, and spirit after over a decade of physical exhaustion serves as the basis for her personal guide to yogic practices in an incredibly inspiring manner.
Having taught yoga for twenty years, Annand nevertheless acknowledges the endless depths of yogic practice, and even considers herself a beginner. This earnest acceptance of imperfection from the onset makes this book a wonderfully modern guide to making your practice work for you.
Buy now £15.32, Amazon
Yin Yoga: Stretch the mindful way
Ottawa-based Kassandra Reinhart is a leading online yin yoga instructor. Through her YouTube channel, known as ‘Yoga with Kassandra’, Reinhart has opened up the restorative practice to over two million loyal subscribers. A step-by-step photographic guide to mastering the main Asanas use in Yin yoga, this book also includes a series of recommended flows which recommend the featured poses. Each pose that is referenced in a flow recommendation is followed by its assigned page number, in case you forget what it looks like.
Buy now £11.95, Amazon
Light on Yoga: The Definitive Guide to Yoga Practice (Paperback)
B.K.S Leyngar is widely considered to be one of the foremost yoga gurus in the world. Having founded his very own practice known as lyengar Yoga, it seems fitting to read-up on his definitive guide to the meditative craft.
His unique teaching style offers a particular focus on precision and clarity, which makes Ieyngar Yoga a perfect fit for those who enjoy attention to detail. Ieyngar nevertheless prioritises the mindset for ‘yoga to all’ – placing an emphasis on the openness of the practice, and the ability for anyone and everyone to learn and master it. If you’re a beginner looking to become a serious student of yoga, this is an essential text for you to add to your ever-growing reading list.
After introducing exactly what yoga is, Ieyngar’s texts moves through a photographic guide to the major technique and pranayamas involved in the practice. There’s also a series of appendices which detail Asana courses and even curative Asanas for various diseases. In the pages of this book you’ll also find a week-by-week development plan, which features a total of 300 weeks which shall see you progress from beginner to advanced techniques.
Buy now £18.99, Waterstones
Hatha Yoga Illustrated
This illustrated guide to Hatha yoga features nearly 650 full-colour photos to help you visualise almost every Asana under the sun. One of the most accessible guides to Hatha Asanas out there, it was created by Martin Kirk, Brooke Boon and Daniel DiTuro – all highly experienced yoga practitioners. If you’re looking for a simple and handy reference point for recognising and mastering Asanas during guided or self-guided practice, we recommend giving this book a whirl.
Buy now £13.75, Amazon
Historical yoga texts
Hatha Yoga Pradipika
If you’re looking to delve deeper into yogic practices and understand its spiritual origins, we recommend picking up a copy of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Written by Swami Muktibodhananda in the early 15th century, this ancient text is one of the most influential surviving scripts on hatha yoga, alongside the Gheranda Samhita and the Shiva Samhita. Its four chapters follow the process involved in setting the proper environment within which to practice yoga; the ethical duties of a yogi; the Asaanas; Pranayama and the Satkamas; Mudras; and finally, meditation for personal spiritual growth.
Buy now £31.64, Amazon
The Bhagavad Gita (Penguin Classics)
A slightly alternative text for yogis with a love for classical literature, The Bhagavad Gita is an ancient Hindu epic which dates back to the second half of the first millennium BCE, and is considered to be one of the most enduring pieces of religious literature in history.
Made up of 700 verses, The Bhagvad Gita translates to “Song of the Spirit” or “Song of God”, and the scripture follows the story of Krishna (a charioteer) leading Arjuna (an avatar of the God Vishnu) into battle, the moral implications of such violence, the struggle for self-mastery, and achieving happiness through the practice of yoga.
Buy now £7.99, Amazon
The Truth of Yoga: A Comprehensive Guide to Yoga's History, Texts, Philosophy, and Practices
If you’re interested in the ancient history of yogic practices but have found (much like us) that there are so many wonderful pieces of literature, you simply don’t know where to start – try Daniel Simpson’s comprehensive guide.
Referring back to one of the discipline’s most celebrated texts, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Simpson moves through the vast and varied sources of yogic scholarship in order to shed light on the truths surrounding the practice and its origins in a succinct manner.
Buy now £11.19, Amazon
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: New Edition
We’d be remiss not to include one of the most famous yogic texts to have ever been written. The almost 4,000-year-old Yoga Sutras of Patanjali serves as a manual for practicing Raja yoga – a means of practice that focuses on the spiritual goal of yoga as intently as the method used to attain it.
Sutras are essentially a stream of consciousness, thought-thread – presented in this copy in both translated English and original Sanskrit, alongside commentary by renowned yoga master Sri Swami Satchidananda.
Buy now £12.99, Amazon
The science of yoga
Science of Yoga: Understand the Anatomy and Physiology to Perfect your Practice
Are you a budding spiritualist who is also an avid science geek? Ann Swanson’s Science of Yoga will help you to understand the anatomy and internal processes involved in your favourite meditative activity, and how it works to support and strengthen both your body and mind.
The book features an array of CGI artworks which showcase the anatomy of your body during 30 different asanas. There’s also an illustrated section on the benefits of yoga on the human body, and lots of easy to understand myth-debunking research.
Buy now £10.64, Amazon
