Anyone reading/heard of anything new?

[Meryl]

Hi all:

Have been a bit out of the loop of yoga books of late. (And I define yoga books quite broadly; including fiction, philosophy, etc much more than how-to-do-the-poses.

Anyone reading anything good, or have you heard of something you're eager to read?

Thanks for any updates!
Meryl

[Bryn]

The Inner Tradition of Yoga: A Guide to Yoga Philosophy for the Contemporary Practitioner
Hi only into the first few chapters, but so far I am really enjoying this book.

[Geoff]

I just finished reading, Yoga Ph.D.: Integrating the Life of the Mind and the Wisdom of the Body by Carol Horton. I wrote a review of the book, and can recommend it.

[Lisa]

I am reading

I like the meditations and message!

[Emily]

Meryl wrote: "Hi all:

Have been a bit out of the loop of yoga books of late. (And I define yoga books quite broadly; including fiction, philosophy, etc much more than how-to-do-the-poses.

Anyone reading anyt..."

I have "Hell-Bent: Obsession, Pain, and the Search for Something Like Transcendence in Competitive Yoga" by Jonathan Lorr on my to read list. Looks like it will be an interesting one! :)

[Matagiri]

Amy wrote: "I'm getting so much out of Full Catastrophe Living.... "

Amy, let me add a little something. I wasn't aware that Kabat-Zinn mentioned doing yoga in a hospital bed. My own Guru, Ma Jaya, has made a big point of the same thing, but she takes it much further. It's more than just being aware of the breath, it's actually mentally performing the asanas. In her development of Kali Natha Yoga, she always said to modify the poses as necessary. For example, you're in class, you can't sit on your heels, but you can sit some other way, meanwhile watching the teacher and visualizing yourself doing the whole thing. Take it step further, and she said you can get important benefits even if you can't move AT ALL. (Ma's yoga is spiritual, mental, and physical, not just the fashionable "yoga for a cute butt" style.)
Ma had been saying this for a while when I heard about the "mirror neurons" in the brain, a fairly recently discovered bit of neuroscience that shows, from a western perspective, why visualization works.

[Nikiverse]

Yoga Bitch, The Science of Yoga, Hell Bent

the first im guessing is kind of sassy

the 2nd is supposedly an objective look at the claims behind yoga

the last is a book about someone who is in competitive yoga.

hopefully thats a good round look at what's out there ...

[Carol]

I highly recommended "Hell Bent." It is a very smart, balanced, and fascinating look at the world of Bikram yoga. That said, it is also kind of horrifying. The chapter on the teacher training in particular made me embarrassed that I had anything to do with this awful American thing that we call "yoga." It's eye-opening, to say that least. Still, in the end the book emphasizes the many good things that many people got out of practicing this method as well. I really liked the complexity of it in that way. Plus, it is an absorbing, easy read - very well written and engaging.

I also recommend "Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi" - another memoir, this one more sweet and funny. But also with substance and reflecting a solid knowledge and experience of yoga.

Finally, if you are interested in the social, historical, psychological, and spiritual dimensions of yoga in North America today, I hope that you will check out my two new books, "21st Century Yoga: Culture, Politics, and Practice," and "Yoga Ph.D.: Integrating the Life of the Mind and the Wisdom of the Body." One is an edited volume of a dozen essays; the other combines by personal story with a research-based discussion of the psychological and spiritual dimensions of yoga as I've experienced them, as well as my take of the historical development of yoga in this country.

[Meryl]

Great recommendations. Thanks!!

[Justine]

Just started reading The Curve of the World Into the Spiritual Heart of. It's a memoir about a college student's search for spirituality, which he finds through yoga! Really interesting book, you guys will really like this one! Here's the review I read that made me want to read it! http://nyjournalofbooks.com/review/cu...

[Jill]

I am reading "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Paramahansa Yogananda. I think it is a classic, first published in 1946. Even though I am only in the beginning, it is quite interesting and I am almost impelled to keep reading. I am learning about the Indian culture, too. The people have their own saints and the yogi gurus do miracles, being in two places at once, reattaching an arm that has been cut off and it heals in three days no stitches! If all that can be believed. Yogananda hasn't graduated from high school yet in the book. I look forward to reading more of the unusual events in his life.

[Linda]

I just read Hell Bent and found, while the author was a good writer, it got a little to much into an exposé on Bikram Yoga and not exactly what I expected from the blurbs (the journey of a man from out of shape not yoga competition-level with a definite Bikram flavor.
I also read Yoga Bitch which was great! Highly recommend. I think sometimes publishing ousts put these "chick lit" covers and titles on books that are really good, and I believe this is one of them. Her voice is excellent, story engaging, and humor superb!

[Kate]

Hi,

We are new to this group. Great stuff, thank you! "Loved Inner Traditions of Yoga." Looking forward to "Hell Bent" and "Downward Dog, Upward Fog"- what a fantastic title. I am one of three women, collectively Kate Bishop, who co-authored "Breathe", a romantic comedy with yoga as the backdrop. We would love feedback. Namaste to all!