Jnana: The Yoga of Wisdom

In the path of yoga, one path towards liberation is through ongoing self-study, mental training, and study of texts. Read more about Jnana Yoga here: http://www.yogabasics.com/learn/jnana-yoga-the-yoga-of-wisdom/

I’ll maintain and continually update this page with recommended books, readings, and practices of self study I have found helpful! I have the greatest respect for those teachers at Sivananda in particular who have a deep knowledge of texts and wisdom practices.

 

Web Resources

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali:

https://www.ashtangayoga.info/philosophy/source-texts-and-mantra/yoga-sutra/

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika

One of the oldest known yogic texts. I recommend buying and studying the long form, but these sites have some great excerpts with translation for those new to the study:

https://jivamuktiyoga.com/fotm/hatha-yoga-pradipika-0/

https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/hyp/index.htm

https://yogalondon.net/monkey/the-complete-beginners-guide-to-the-hatha-yoga-pradipika/

Practices

Meditation
Mantra meditation

Mindfulness: awareness of the thought patterns without attachment

Bhakti
Devotional acts, including prayer, chanting and kirtan singing

Study of the Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, and Vedas

Many traditions recommend daily study of a passage

Self Study

Journaling, reflective practices and somatic psychology are all useful tools to deepen your self understanding. More resources coming soon.

 

Quotes

 

Ut sed egestas, volutpat.

“Pellentesque vel mattis turpis. Etiam tristique posuere sapien at mattis. Praesent feugiat pulvinar justo id varius. Fusce nisl elit, dictum eget condimentum eu, elementum sed ante.”

— J.A.

Maecenas vehicula tortor!

“Etiam tristique posuere sapien at mattis. Praesent feugiat pulvinar justo id varius. Fusce nisl elit, dictum eget condimentum eu, elementum sed ante. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus.”

— L.K.

Sed maximus vel velit ac rutrum.

“Fusce nisl elit, dictum eget condimentum eu, elementum sed ante. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia. Pellentesque vel mattis turpis.”

— J.Y.

 

Suggested books

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Swami Muktibodhananda

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, tr, Sri Swami Satchitananda

The Heart of Yoga, Developing a Personal Practice, TKV Desikachar

Ashtanga Yoga, David Swenson

Yoga For Your Type, David Frawley and Sandra Kozak

Light on Yoga, Light on Life, Light on Pranayama, BKS Iyengar

Functional Anatomy of Yoga, David Keil

First There is a Mountain, Elizabeth Kadetsky

Anatomy of the Spirit; Archetypes; and Spiritual Madness, Caroline Myss

Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramhansa Yogananda

Be Here Now; and Still Here, Ram Dass (documentaries on him are moving as well)

Eastern Body, Western Mind, Anodea Judith

Living with the Himalayan Masters, Swami Rama

The Key Muscles of Yoga, Ray Long

ANYTHING by Thicht Nhat Hanh

Taking the Leap, and others, Pema Chodron

The Roots of Ayruveda, tr. Dominik Wujastyk

The Book of Secrets, Deepak Chopra

A Path with Heart; and After the Ecstasy, the Laundry, Jack Kornfield

Yoga as Medicine, Yoga Journal/Timothy McCall

Radical Acceptance, Tara Brach

Structural Yoga Therapy, Mukunda Stiles

Yoga Anatomy, Leslie Kaminoff

Anatomy of Hath Yoga, David Coulter

Yoga for Depression, Amy Weintruab

You Can Heal Your Life, Louise Hay

The Yoga of The Nine Emotions, Peter Marchand

Sitting with Sufis, Mary Blythe Howe

Bikram’s Beginner Yoga Class, Bikram Choudry

Healing and the Mind, Bill Moyers (also a great TV series)

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Divine Purpose, Ekhart Tolle

Women, Food and God, Geneen Roth

Meeting the Shadow: The Hidden Power of the Dark Side of Human Nature, ed. Connie Zweig and Jeremiah Abrams

The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel Van Der Kolk

Balance: In search of the lost sense, Scott McCredie

Ramayana: Divine Loophole, Sanjay Patel

Sita Sings the Blues, Nina Paley (Film, free online)

The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin

Chasing the Tiger, Peter Levine

It’s Not Always Depression,

The Subtle Body, Cyndi Dale

Mindset, Carole Dweck

Guided Meditations, Explorations and Healings; Healing into LIfe and Death; Who Dies? Stephen Levine

Love, Freedom, Aloneness, OSHO

Not Always So: Practicing the Teachings of Zen, Suzuki Rosho

The Way of the Fertile Soul, Randine Lewis

What the Buddha Taught, Walpola Rahula

The Dhammapada: The Sayings of the Buddha, Thomas Cleary

The 8 Human Talents, Gurmukh

The Art of Joyful Living, Swami Rama

Tantra, the Path of Ecstasy, George Feuerstein

Overcoming Trauma Through Yoga, David Emerson and Dr. Elizabeth Hopper

Karma and Chaos, Paul Fleischman

Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious; Memories, Dreams and Reflections, Carl Jung

Will Yoga and Meditation Really Change My Life? Stephen Cope

It’s Not Always Depression, Hilary Jacobs Hendel