Reading List, FYTT I
Required Reading for Barefoot Movement’s FYTT I
These two books will be provided to you with the program; reading assignments for each class are included in the calendar.
Teaching Yoga: Essential Foundations and Techniques by Mark Stephens, ISBN: 1556438850
This book provides an overview for new and experienced teachers addressing 100% of the teacher training curriculum standards set by Yoga Alliance.
Functional Anatomy of Yoga: A Guide for Practitioners and Teachers by David Keil, ISBN: 978-1905367467
Anatomy principles applied to directly to yoga. See also the author’s website
Additional List of Recommended References and Resources
This is by no means an exhaustive list. There are many wonderful books written about yoga.
Anatomy
Yoga Anatomy 2nd Edition by Leslie Kaminoff, ISBN: 1450400248
Chapters 1-5 provide an overview on Anatomy for yoga. The rest of the book serves as an invaluable reference for the individual poses. Not only does it cover the poses with great visual aids, it also displays the Sanskrit in phonetic transliteration and clear translations. See also the author’s webpage
Anatomy of Movement by Blandine Calais-Germain, ISBN: 0939616572
This reference provides a very detailed look into the musculoskeletal system and its functional relationship to the movements of the human body.
Pranayama
The Yoga of Breath by Richard Rosen, ISBN: 1570628890
This book is “a guide to learning the fundamentals of pranayama and incorporating them into an existing yoga practice by easy to follow with step-by-step descriptions of breath and body awareness exercises accompanied by clear illustrations. The book also covers the history and philosophy of pranayama.”
Sanskrit
Online Sanskrit Pronunciation Guide Here is a great (free) resource for hearing the pronunciation of Yoga terms in Sanskrit: http://www.tilakpyle.com/sanskrit.htm
The Language of Yoga by Nicolai Bachman, ISBN: 1591792819
Aside from the Sanskrit audio and written, it includes good thumbnails of the poses beyond the primary series selection (includes audio CD).
Sacred Sanskrit Words: For Yoga, Chant, and Meditation by Leza Lowitz and Reema Datta ISBN 1880656876
This is a very practical reference book that introduces 180 Sanskrit words with Devanagari scripts, pronunciations, chants and brief cultural/historic explanations.
Technique and Philosophy
Yoga Teacher’s Toolbox by Joseph and Lillian Page, ISBN: 0974430331
[This one is carried onsite in the Barefoot Movement store at a considerable discount compared to what you will find online] Aresource for the new teacher learning how to build out sequences because you can pull out the plastic coated pages from the spiral binder from the various types of poses (standing, seated, inversion etc) and organize them into your sequence for reference like flash cards for yourself. Contains details, variations, and modifications of poses and also covers esoteric information like chakras.
Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness by Erich Schiffman, ISBN: 0671534807 This is a keeper. Love this book. And most of the chapters can be found for free on Erich’s website here: http://www.movingintostillness.com/teachings.html
Ashtanga Yoga: Practice and Philosophy by Gregor Maehle, ISBN: 1577316061
This is an excellent resource on “the Eight Limbs of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga”. It describes in great detail exactly how to get into and out of all the poses in the Primary Series (the basis for Vinyasa Flow yoga), includes multiple detailed photos and illustrations, plus sidebars that discuss the anatomical focus of specific asanas. Covers yoga history and includes a complete commentary on the Yoga Sutra philosophy. And it also has a helpful glossary.
The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice by T.K. V. Desikachar, ISBN: 089281764X Desikachar discusses all the elements of yoga-poses and counter-poses, conscious breathing, meditation, and philosophy-and shows how the yoga student may develop a practice tailored to his or her current state of health, age, occupation, and lifestyle
The Mirror of Yoga: Awakening the Intelligence of Body and Mind by Richard Freeman, ISBN: 1590309448
Richard presents an “enlightening overview of the many teachings, practices, and scriptures that serve as the basis for all the schools of yoga.” It’s a particularly dense read but well worth it. His chapter on the Bhagavad Gita alone is worth the read as a very healthy Cliff Notes to the classic story.
The Classics – Translated
There are many translations of the following yogic texts. Some suggested editions noted below:
The Vedas – especially Rig Veda – any edition
The Upanishads - any edition
Recommended translation by Eknath Easwaran ISBN: 1586380214
Bhagavad Gita – any edition
Recommended translation by Eknath Easwaran ISBN: 9781586380199
Or Bhagavad Gita: a New Translation by Stephen Mitchell ISBN: 0609810340
The Yoga Sutras – any edition, but here are a few we recommend:
The Yogi’s Roadmap: Patanjali Yoga Sutra as a Journey to Self Realization by Bhavani Silvia Maki ISBN: 1482378248
Bhavani lives and teaches on the island of Kauai. She has studied the texts extensively and has chosen a different way of presenting the teachings of the Yoga Sutras. The book does not cover every single one of the 196 aphorisms; she groups them in ways that offer the Western mind ways to integrate the teachings into our daily life through deep personal inquiry.
Inside the Yoga Sutras: A Comprehensive Sourcebook for the Study & Practice of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras by Jaganath Carrera ISBN: 0932040578
Based on Swami Satchidananda’s translation, this book is a straightforward, accessible discussion of the Sutra.
Four Chapters on Freedom by Swami Satyananda ISBN: 8185787182
This book contains the full Sanskrit text of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra as well as transliteration, translation and an extensive commentary.
Ashtanga Yoga: Practice and Philosophy by Gregor Maehle ISBN: 1577316061
While this is an excellent resource describing in great detail exactly how to get into and out of all the poses in the Primary Series, it also provides extensive commentary on the Yoga Sutra.
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika – any edition
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika Translation by Brian Dana Akers ISBN: 0971646619
This is an affordable, definitive edition containing the original Sanskrit, a new English translation, and full-page photographs of all the asanas.
Miscellaneous
A few other books you might want to read along the way:
Krishnamacharya: His Life and Teachings
A.G. Mohan
This is a wonderful tribute to “the father of modern yoga” Sri T Krishnamacharya written by one of his longtime disciples. Amazon book description puts it this way “In this book, the author, A. G. Mohan, a well-respected yoga teacher and yoga therapist, draws on his own memories and Krishnamacharya’s diaries and recorded material, to present a fascinating view of the man and his teachings, and Mohan’s own warm and inspiring relationship with the master. This portrait of the great teacher is a compelling and informative read for yoga teachers and students who truly want to understand the source of their tradition and practice.” Note if you’re interested two other books help round out the tale of Krishnamacharya. They are Health Healing and Beyond: Yoga and the Living Tradition of T. Krishnamacharya by TKV Desikachar (Krishnamacharya’s son) and Yoga of the Yogi: The Legacy of T. Krishnamacharya by Kausthub Desikachar (Krishnamacharya’s grandson). You can assume there will be a slightly different bias in each of these books.
The Inner Tradition of Yoga: A Guide to Yoga Philosophy for the Contemporary Practitioner
By Michael Stone
Michael is a great writer and deep practitioner. He demonstrates the interdependence of theory, practice, and daily life in a really well-crafted book. To learn more about, Michael Stone, visit his website: http://www.centreofgravity.org and/or check him out on YouTube (he sounds a lot like Richard Freeman)
The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling
By Stephen Cope
While the title sounds a bit over the top “self-helpy” it is actually a contemporary tour of the themes presented in the Bhagavad Vita, that ancient allegory about the path to dharma. Never read the Gita? This could be a good introduction. Read and studied the Gita? Never hurts to take a fresh look into these teachings.