Best Yoga Books 2023 That Every Yogi Should Read

best yoga books

Yoga is a group of physical, mental and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India. Yogic exercises recharge the body with cosmic energy and facilitate.

Man is a physical, mental and spiritual being; yoga promotes a balanced development of all the three. Other forms of physical exercises, like aerobics, assure only physical well-being. They have little to do with the development of the spiritual or astral body.

Yoga is not a religion, it is a way of living that aims towards a healthy mind in a healthy body. The aspirant feels rejuvenated and energized. Thus, yoga bestows upon every aspirant the powers to control body and mind. Here are some best yoga books in 2023 that every yogi should read.

Trauma-Informed Yoga: A Toolbox for Therapists: 47 Practices to Calm Balance, and Restore the Nervous System
Author: Spence, Joanne
Published at: 09/03/2021
ISBN: 1683733460

While Joanne calls this a "toolbox for therapists" it is more than that. Her book provides a yoga instructor with techniques, questionnaires and practices to use during any yoga class. She offers 47 exercises that can even be used or adapted by anyone - the directions are clear and easy to understand. Joanne's focus is on the therapist role yet anyone can adjust the word from "client" to "self" as a way to start calming the nervous system. Her book, however, is NOT a substitute for those who do need a skilled therapist to help them deal with complex issues of trauma, nor should it be used as a treatment/therapy if one is not trained to provide such.

These practices will supplement and be of help to all of us since we are all dealing with stress and overwhelming situations during this COVID-19 pandemic state. She provides information that will reduce and calm the nervous system for all, especially in today's pandemic conditions. Joanne helps the reader understand the science of the vagus nerve used in conjunction with yoga. Her context of trauma aids the reader in seeing how to begin to help others by providing the scripts, and how to demonstrate.



The Inspired Yoga Teacher: The Essential Guide to Creating Transformational Classes your Students will Love (The Language of Yin)
Author: Harris, Gabrielle
Published at: 09/05/2021
ISBN: 0473569116

After almost 14 years as a yoga teacher, I sometimes find myself struggling to be creative and inspired - to connect to that inner flame of creativity that will help me offer the best to my students. Gabrielle's book has recharged my own personal practice, reconnected me to my creative and curious side, and offered hundreds of ideas that are nourishing, authentic, compassionate, and fully in line with deep yogic principles and a yoga lifestyle. From practices to poses to pranayama to poetry, Gabrielle weaves a tapestry of great beauty that will inspire any yoga teacher and indeed, any yogi, to explore their practice in new and unique ways.

It’s so practical and beautifully written, you can literally feel the love that Gabby has put into writing it. And It’s not just her love of yoga, but her deeper purpose to share and empower all those who practice or teach. Her legacy is well beyond this book - her legacy is in every practice, in every teacher and every class that her writing inspires.



Built from Broken: A Science-Based Guide to Healing Painful Joints, Preventing Injuries, and Rebuilding Your Body
Author: Hogan, Scott H
Published at: 07/06/2021
ISBN: 1735728500

Built from Broken is a fantastic instruction manual on how to live pain free. Scott is part of Salt Wrap. I found Salt Wrap while searching the internet for a diet to reduce inflammation. I found their Pain-Free Fat Loss plan that helped me tremendously to live pain free. I got excellent results by following their plan. I am not an athlete. I am a woman in my 50s who wants to live life without pain. I am excited to use Scott’s book to learn how to build my joints to prevent pain in the first place. Give the book a try. You might be pleasantly surprised with the results!!

From a physiotherapeutic perspective, this text is an excellent collection of physical exercises that beginners as well as experienced enthusiasts will turn to constantly. The author provides well-researched descriptions of numerous calisthenics, the related physiology, and a rationale for every exercise. I have already incorporated many of these exercises into my personal workout routines, and anticipate adding many more over time.



Embrace Yoga's Roots: Courageous Ways to Deepen Your Yoga Practice
Author: Barkataki, Susanna
Published at: 27/10/2020
ISBN: 1734318112

This book comes at a time when many patterns are embedded in the landscape of yoga. Some of those patterns are are like wounds that have scarred the landscape. By reading this book, we can contribute to interrupting those patterns and re-route our collective thinking about yoga. Barkataki writes elegantly and informatively unearthing ingrained beliefs about yoga. Parts of the book are like a workbook and the reader is asked to respond in practical ways to the questions.

In this way, the learnings are tangible and stay with you. This is an important piece of writing that should be required reading within teacher trainings so the next generation of teachers embrace the depth of yoga's roots.



Yoga After 50 For Dummies
Author: Payne PhD, Larry
Published at: 10/08/2020
ISBN: 1119631513

Improve balance, flexibility, and overall well-being

Yoga is a terrific way to stay fit and improve mental clarity, balance, agility, and flexibility. Written by the founding president of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, this book takes the guesswork out of starting or continuing yoga at 50 and beyond. You’ll learn how to adapt stances and breathing to your changing body to reap the benefits of this ancient practice and use it to calm your mind and body―one pose at a time.

  • Discover step-by-step instructions for more than 45 poses
  • Relieve stress
  • Leverage your breathing
  • Target weak spots, avoid injury and deal with pain and chronic conditions
  • Discover yoga apps and videos.


Living Ayurveda: Nourishing Body and Mind through Seasonal Recipes, Rituals, and Yoga
Author: Ragozzino, Claire
Published at: 24/11/2020
ISBN: 1611807492

Ayurveda sets about to describe some lofty goals and complex concepts, yet the author has opened up this whole world with very concise and beautifully presented teachings and practices. This book simplified my understanding of Ayurveda’s essence expressed in seasonal and daily rhythms as well as the integration of yoga routines. Chapter by chapter, the author describes the meaning and benefits of realigning to these rhythms, clearing out confusion and dullness to live a more discerning and full life.

Superb quality from the book cover to all of the photographs, the descriptions, recipes and the encouragement in Claire's words of wisdom throughout this book. Not to be missed by anyone who is looking for wonderfully accurate information, proven over centuries to optimize one's health, made easy to follow and understand with no judgements for our possible missteps along the way. This is not a fad. The recipes are so healthy and inviting, I will have to use patience to only incorporate the current season into my diet instead of just making everything that appeals to me. The yoga poses are so helpful, as Claire delves into what helps to balance us in each season and I am so looking forward to referring to this book daily, as I work toward a guided, but not rigid, plan for living a more balanced, natural life.



The Language of Yin: Yoga Themes, Sequences and Inspiration to Bring Your Class to Life and Life to Your Class
Author: Harris, Gabrielle
Published at: 29/08/2019
ISBN: 047348479X

'The Language of Yin' is more than a book on themes. It is a comprehensive guide to becoming the type of teacher that inspires and moves people beyond the skin and bones. 

Starting with some proven techniques for teaching, the book moves into setting the beginning scenes to connect students to their practice. The book then presents over 40 universal themes that will provide inspiration for both you and your students.

Long after the poses have faded, the students will remember how you made them feel using the descriptive and connected language provided. 

Each class has three categories; mind, heart and body. These categories define, embellish and connect the poses to the heart and soul, making the themes relatable and exciting. 



Yoga Fitness for Men: Build Strength, Improve Performance, and Increase Flexibility
Author: Dean Pohlman
Published at: 08/05/2018
ISBN: 1465473483

With straightforward language and easy-to-follow steps, Yoga Fitness for Men will teach you how to execute the yoga postures you need for greater endurance, flexibility, balance, and strength.

Workouts and multi-week programs are tailored to your specific performance and health goals, such as increased core strength, rotational power, or back pain relief. You'll find that incorporating yoga into your training will help you get stronger, play harder, and feel better.

The book offers a good variety of poses from somewhat different angles. What I like most about it is it offer variations and modifications to poses in case you are a beginner and can't get into the full pose, or for this with flexibility issues that need that little extra facility to get into it.



Science of Yoga: Understand the Anatomy and Physiology to Perfect Your Practice
Author: Ann Swanson
Published at: 08/01/2019
ISBN: 146547935X

"Science of Yoga: Understand the Anatomy and Physiology to Perfect Your Practice" have insight into variations on the poses and a Q&A section that explores the science behind every aspect of yoga, look no further than Science of Yoga to achieve technical excellence in your practice and optimize the benefits of yoga to your body and mind.

Recent scientific research now backs up what were once anecdotal claims about the benefits of yoga to every system in the body. Science of Yoga reveals the facts, with annotated artworks that show the mechanics, the angles, how your blood flow and respiration are affected, the key muscle and joint actions working below the surface of each pose, safe alignment and much more.

The science of Yoga not only gives a brief rundown of each system in the body but also breaks down main yoga postures in their respective parts. The clear and well-thought-out diagrams will help any therapist, teacher, and yoga practitioner clarify movement patterns in each pose.

A beautifully written and illustrated science-based resource for learning about the physical body/systems, and which examines many yoga poses, overall offering significant support for readers to more knowledgeably inform their practice.



Teaching Yoga Beyond the Poses: A Practical Workbook for Integrating Themes, Ideas, and Inspiration into Your  Class
Author: Sage Rountree,Alexandra DeSiato
Published at: 14/05/2019
ISBN: 1623173221
This is one of the best yoga books in 2021 for any level yoga instructor. Whether you’ve been teaching for one month or for a decade, this book includes a ton of ready-to-use, thoughtful and meaningful themes that can be easily employed in your next class.

A class with a theme is a special class, and this book takes the pressure off so that you can offer even more for your students as they flow through your sequence. The tone and content of the book encourage you to draw from your own experience and voice; not just to use the authors' examples for themes, but to create your own and build upon what feels true to YOU.

They're not out to tell you that their way of teeming is the right way, but to prompt you with deep-diving questions into finding your own voice and purpose as a teacher.


The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga: The Philosophy and Practice of Yin Yoga
Author: Bernie Clark
Published at: 10/01/2012
ISBN: 1935952501

All forms of yoga can provide benefits physically, emotionally, and mentally, however, Yin Yoga works the deeper levels of the body/heart/mind: the connective tissues of the ligaments, fascia, joints and bones and the energetic channels of the meridians, nerves and blood system.

One big difference noticed by students of Yin Yoga is the long-held, passive nature of the posture, which gives time for a deeper journey to unfold, a journey into the meditative aspects of yoga, a bridge to living life mindfully. Bernie Clark's The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga provides an in-depth look at the philosophy.

Clark presents comprehensive information on how to do the practice, including a deep look inside over two dozen Yin Yoga postures showing the benefit of the pose, how to get into and out of the pose, contraindications, and warnings for those who may have trouble with particular aspects of the posture, and other important information.

The benefits are explored in three main sections: the physiological benefits, the energetic benefits, and the mental/emotional benefits.



1,500 Stretches: The Complete Guide to Flexibility and Movement
Author: Liebman, Hollis
Published at: 24/10/2017
ISBN: 0316440353

Stretching is vital to retain muscle tone, alleviate chronic pain, and achieve free movement. It also helps manage anxiety!

1,500 Stretches offers a comprehensive collection of stretches organized by body part--back, calf, hamstrings, chest and many more. Each stretch is demonstrated with full-colour photographs. The steps are easy to follow and explain what muscle groups are targeted and that stretch's benefits for pain relief and physical appearance. There are additional chapters on yoga and partner stretches and the importance of stretching correctly.



Yoga Anatomy
Author: Kaminoff, Leslie
Published at: 19/10/2021
ISBN: 1492596477

Newly available in a spiral option, this expanded edition of the respected book by Kaminoff and Matthews is a must-have for every yoga enthusiast and professional. It's great to now have a version which lays flat while referring to it during practice. The book's accessible advice and full-colour illustrations will benefit casual users and instructors alike. Yoga Anatomy has been a bestseller since the first edition debuted in 2007 and now boasts even more information on asanas, vinyasas, skeletal alignment, muscular engagement, breathwork, and the nervous system than ever before.



Yoga for Every Body: A beginner’s guide to the practice of yoga postures, breathing exercises and meditation
Author: Ray, Luisa
Published at: 12/02/2022
ISBN: 1739737008

Yoga for Every Body is a winner. The book is written in a very encouraging and reassuring way. It felt as if the author was talking directly to me. The author, Luisa Ray, briefly covers the history, the many benefits, and the myths that surround yoga. She takes the time to create a safe context for practice, explaining that ideally, a book shouldn't take the place of an instructor or a class. There are many exercises in this book and each has a description, images, instructions, benefits and information about when you shouldn't use this exercise. Many of the exercises also have further information about how you can challenge yourself further with the particular exercise. It is helpful that the various chapters divide the postures into those for boosting energy, keeping you grounded, getting stronger, increasing your focus, making you feel younger and helping you to wind down.



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