Ask the Expert: What Are 3 Must-Reads for Beginner Yogis?
Try these three books for a careful study of the history of modern yoga and its relationship to the South Asian traditions of yoga.
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I’m new to yoga. What are the must-reads? Try these three books suggested by Douglas Brooks, PhD,Professor of religion, University of Rochester, New York, for a careful study of the history of modern yoga and its relationship to the South Asian traditions of yoga.
The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali: A Biography
(Princeton University Press, 2014), by David Gordon White, a religious studies professor at UC Santa Barbara
White reviews the various interpretations of the ancient sutras (aphorisms that inform yoga practice) written by the Indian sage Patanjali and investigates how yoga today differs from yoga at its origins. (amazon.com)
See also Patanjali Never Said Anything About Alignment
Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice
(Oxford University Press, 2010), by Mark Singleton, a yoga researcher
Singleton investigates how the Western adoption of posture-based yoga can be traced from colonialism to an intersection of modern fitness goals and a desire for greater spirituality. (amazon.com)
See also 5 Ways Yoga Is Not Just For Fitness
The Yoga Tradition: Its History, Literature, Philosophy and Practice
(Hohm Press, 3rd edition, 2001), by Georg Feuerstein, PhD, a preeminent yoga scholar
It’s a friendly historical and psychological survey of different yoga styles—even the more obscure practices—and schools of thought. (amazon.com)