Looking for yoga books for beginners? Explore the top 6 best yoga books from the Satyananda Yoga tradition to guide your practice, enhance your well-being, and start your yoga journey.
How can beginners benefit from reading yoga books before starting classes?
Starting a yoga class for the first time really is the beginning of beautiful journey. There are a great number of books that have been written by yoga masters and spiritual teachers that shed light on yoga practices, philosophy and science, history and the teachings of great visionaries which will inspire and uplift you.
What role do yoga books play in shaping a beginner’s practice?
Reading books on yoga can help you go deeper into the practices that you do in your class. You will understand more clearly the reason why you do certain practices and their significance. Sanskrit terms are explained, the yogic philosophy is made simple and your knowledge of this vast science and philosophy of life is broadened…but not only.
How can yoga books for beginners help transform your mindset?
Reading certain yoga books for beginners allows you to expand your awareness to life's situations. The ancient tradition of yoga can become relevant to your daily life as it will enable you to view the events that happen from a completely different perspective.
So many people have changed the way they live their life, especially when confronted with difficulties and obstacles. Yes! Yoga books along with sadhana (regular spiritual practice) will change your mindset in such a way that you probably did not know existed, because yoga is all about how we view things. It is all about a journey of exploring your inner world, of reprogramming your mind and deleting any attitudes and habits that set you back. It is all about becoming a more positive, creative, caring, spiritual human being.
What are the six best yoga books for beginners?
Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha by Swami Satyananda Saraswati
This is the go-to manual for all the yogic practices taught not only in the Satyananda Yoga tradition but in the most reputable schools of yoga around the world.
Offering step-by-step instructions for postures, breathing techniques, energy locks (bandhas), and mudras as well as concise information about the benefits, the contra-indications and the chakras involved for each practice. An ideal book for self-practice or structured learning, it is highly valued and recommended by yoga teachers from other traditions as well.
Surya Namaskara: A technique of Solar Vitalisation by Swami Satyananda Saraswati
One of the practices a beginner will probably do in their first year of their course is the salutation to the sun sequence involving twelve asanas known as Surya Namaskara. By doing these asanas, prana (the vital energy) is generated in the body with the aim of bringing about purification and rejuvenation. This book is a comprehensive guide to performing each asana in the sequence. It also focuses on the corresponding chakras that are awakened while certain mantras are chanted for each pose. The book also sheds light on the therapeutic principles of Surya Namaskara.
Practical Yoga Psychology by Dr. Rishi Vivekananda
Dr. Rishi Vivekananda, (Dr. Brian Thomson) was a physician and consultant psychiatrist with over 40- years of experience. In this book he explores yogic practices and how to apply them so as to enhance the mind and body as well as provide healing. He blends the profound teachings of yoga with those of western science, and in particular psychology and psychiatry, providing an overview of the human personality and ways one can self-evolve through yoga.
Dynamics of Yoga by Swami Satyananda Saraswati
This book was first published in 1966 and remains a timeless and universal text expounding on the original yogic concepts and practices which are the basis of Bihar Yoga or Satyananda Yoga, as it is known outside of India. It explains how Bihar Yoga is an authentic and integral approach covering all branches of yoga (jnana yoga, bhakti yoga, karma yoga, hatha yoga, raja yoga, mantra yoga, kundalini yoga, and kriya yoga) addressing the different aspects of one's life and making them conducive to one's evolution and spiritual growth. It makes ideal reading for beginners embarking on their journey of self-discovery.
Meditations from the Tantras by Swami Satyananda Saraswati
This is a great resource for learning beginner to advanced meditation techniques used in Satyananda Yoga. There is clear and concise theory on each meditation practice, as well as the health benefits gained and the practical steps necessary to prepare for meditation. A large array of the most important meditation techniques is outlined and the reader moves gradually through each technique from simple to more advanced stages. Some of the meditations include antar mouna (inner silence), ajapa japa (repetition of mantra), nada yoga, (penetrating the deeper layers of the mind by utilising sound as a medium) chakra awareness, and many more.
Prana and Pranayama by Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati
One of the most comprehensible and enjoyable books ever written on the nature of prana and the science of pranayama. Swami Niranjananda Saraswati elucidates pranayama with references to ancient texts and modern science. Apart from the philosophy and spiritual sources provided, the reader is guided though beginners to more advanced practices using detailed yet simple instructions and illustrations.
Meditation from the Tantras with Swami Sivamurti Saraswati Seminar
If you are interested in delving deeper into meditation practices, do not miss this unique live seminar with Swami Sivamurti Saraswati, Yoga Acharya and founder of Satyanandashram Hellas, who will be conducting the course live at the ashram in Paiania, Greece.
The course will be in the English and Greek languages and will comprise theoretical discourses, workshops and yogic practices including:
- Shat karmas [body cleansing techniques]
- Asana, pranayama
- Mudras and bandhas
- Mantra yoga [the yoga of sound]
- Meditations from the tantras
- Yoga Nidra from the Satyananda System of Yoga
- Kirtan
- And few little surprises.
For more information go to our site: https//satyanandayoga.carrottechlab.net/en/events/meditations-from-the-tantras/