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Yoga, an ancient Indian practice, has long been recognized for improving the mental, physical, and spiritual fitness of those who regularly practice it. Yoga includes asanas, Surya namaskar, yoga nidra, pranayamas, chakra healing, and much more. You must understand the proper technique for performing yoga to achieve the desired result.
Yoga books have the power to change people’s lives. They provide deep insight into yoga and serve as a complete transformation guide for mind, body, and soul. Our list of the best yoga books for beginners in India covers various aspects of yoga, so pick the one that best suits your needs.
Top Picks
13 Best Yoga Books For Beginners In India
1. Chakra Healing: A Beginner’s Guide
Chakra healing is a continuous process of identifying your chakras and working on self-healing chakra techniques to become spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically healthier. Harnessing the chakra system may be challenging, but with Margarita Alcantara’s guide, practicing chakra healing will be easier and more fruitful.
This book takes a three-part chakra healing approach to identify the chakra that needs attention, followed by various therapeutic techniques such as meditation, essential oils, yoga, and diet. The book contains photos and illustrations of chakra locations to heal multiple health problems such as asthma, fatigue, digestive issues, neuropathy, back pain, and allergies.
2. Asana, Pranayama, Mudra And Bandha
The book is divided into three parts and contains an introduction to yoga for beginners. The first section focuses on anti-rheumatic exercises, the second on digestive/abdominal exercises, and the third on yoga exercises for the eyes and relaxation asanas.
It explains how to perform various asanas such as Surya Namaskar, padmasana, backward-bending asanas, forward-bending asanas, and spinal twisting asanas. The author, Swami Satyananda Saraswati, also discusses Pranayama (breathing), Mudra (body attitudes), energy centers (chakras), yogic cleansing (hatha yoga), and energy locks (bandha).
3. Every Body Yoga
Jessamyn Stanley’s book ‘Every Body Yoga’ defies stereotypes and inspires people to embrace yoga as a way of life. The book provides beginners and experienced yoga practitioners with a new perspective on yoga practice.
With bright, fully colored pictures, there are easy-to-follow instructions for performing 50 different yoga poses and ten sequences at home. The book encourages you to focus on your feelings while doing yoga rather than your appearance.
4. Yoga: The Yoga Beginner’s Bible
Tai Morello’s yoga bible depicts 63 yoga poses for weight loss, inner peace, and stress relief. It explains what yoga is and how it can be incorporated as a daily habit. The book discusses the benefits of yoga, meditation guidelines, and much more, especially for beginners.
5. Yoga For Beginners
Cory Martin’s book is a must-have guide for yoga beginners. It gives step-by-step instructions for performing each asana. This book includes color illustrations of 35 yoga poses and five yoga meditation techniques. There are nutrition tips to follow while practicing yoga and a detailed guide for building your yoga routine.
6. Yoga For Beginners: Your Guide To Master Yoga Poses
Emily Oddo’s book for yoga beginners explains yoga thoroughly, including information on the importance of yoga and pre-yoga orientation. It also provides a detailed description of yoga, basic yoga poses, and diet.
There are visual illustrations to help you understand each yoga asana’s exact posture. It includes FAQs at the end of the book and a detailed explanation of the fundamentals of yoga for beginners.
7. Yoga For Children Yoga Cards
Lisa Flynn’s yoga cards for children are activity cards that describe 50+ yoga poses. This book has been creatively designed for children. The full-color photographs and instructions on the yoga cards would encourage your child to learn yoga. It will captivate your child and assist them in focusing on furthering their interest in yoga.
8. Yoga For Beginners: Your Natural Way To Strengthen Your Body
Susan Mori discusses the types of exercise that can help your body relax while soothing your soul and mind. The book covers the fundamentals of yoga, various yoga asanas, meditation techniques, and breathing exercises. It also describes the yoga plan and offers advice for beginners on pre-yoga measures. The book also has FAQs.
9. Radiant Rest
This book explains the importance of yoga nidra and provides detailed instructions on how to practice it. Yoga nidra is the practice of resting the mind and body while remaining conscious and awake to recall your more profound thoughts in their proper form.
Tracee Stanley writes a guide in this book that includes six restorative practices covering the five layers of our body (koshas). There are step-by-step instructions and self-promotion questions to help you along the way. It also includes a downloadable audio meditation to help you relax while doing yoga and meditation.
10. Moving Toward Balance
Rodney Yee, one of the most renowned yoga instructors, outlines an eight-week yoga program in his book. Yoga postures, breathing awareness, and meditation guidelines can help you achieve a healthier, balanced body and soul.
The book explains new poses such as forward bends, backbends, twists, and inversions for each week to help you explore your levels of strength and flexibility. Aside from instructions for each pose, the book emphasizes the significance of each pose and how it provides psychological and physiological balance.
11. Yoga: Your Ultimate Beginner’s Guide
The beginner’s guidebook by Debeena Harris describes the benefits of yoga for weight loss and stress-free life. This book sheds light on what yoga truly represents and how it can help achieve a stress-free, peaceful mind and body. The book discusses three routines to help you practice yoga at home and perform some essential poses accurately.
It also discusses the benefits of yoga, different types of yoga, yoga equipment, and various Mudras and visuals for weight loss. The book includes a seven-minute weight loss sequence and a 30-minute body toning routine.
12. Yoga: 100 Key Yoga Poses And Postures
This Yoga book by Sam Siv for beginners contains 100 essential yoga poses and postures explained pictorially. It is a detailed guide for beginners to practice yoga by visually understanding the poses of each asana. It includes the official English names for each asana and many essential poses such as half-locust pose, downward-facing dog, shoulder stand, salutation, twisting cobra, side reclining leg lift pose, and so on.
13. Yoga: The Complete Guide
Katie Anderson’s book highlights the benefits of yoga and its importance for weight loss and mindfulness. The book explains yoga’s four paths — karma, raja, bhakti, and gyana. It includes eight limbs of yoga, six vital yoga practices, a comparison of yoga to other techniques, tips and keys for performing yoga, and inverted poses.
How To Choose The Right Yoga Book For Beginners?
Here are some points to consider before buying the right yoga book for beginners.
- Content: A few books describe the importance of yoga with tips, while others provide illustrations and step-by-step instructions. Many books highlight specific poses and breathing exercises, while others focus on more profound aspects of one form of yoga. Take note of what each book contains and select the right one.
- Authors: Each author’s writing style and approach to describing each yoga pose is unique. Further, their perspectives and understanding of yoga may differ. Consider which author’s writing you prefer to buy the right one.
- Skill level: Some yoga books are targeted at casual yoga practitioners, while others are for those who perform yoga for several hours a week. Consider your skill level and pick a book that matches your level of yoga expertise.
SonJoria Sydnor, a certified yoga teacher and owner of Our Family’s Doing Yoga, says, “Yoga has many benefits, and books are a great resource to support your child’s practice. Yoga cards and children’s yoga books, in particular, are excellent tools to engage and guide children.” She adds, “Be sure to choose a book that speaks to your desired focus. It is a helpful reminder that everyone’s practice looks different and the focus is within.”
Yoga is an art to be mastered with perseverance and practice. The best yoga books have the power to transform and improve people’s way of living. Also, performing yoga asanas enhances physical and mental well-being, besides improving one’s ability to mindful thinking. These and several other advantages of yoga and yoga asanas have been documented in the books above that are best suited for beginners. Read through the detailed descriptions of each book to choose the most-suited one, according to your preferences.
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