Required and Optional REading Lists

REQUIRED READING

Required:

So You Want To Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo.
Me and White Supremacy, Layla Saad
How to Be Anti-Racist, Ibram X. Kendi
White Fragility

REFERENCE BOOKS- OPTIONAL , HIGHLY RECOMMENDED IF YOU ARE TAKING THE ADD ON MODULES

David Garrigues Verbal Cues of Primary Series - we sell this at the Shala $27.

Dianne Bondy’s Yoga for Everybody

Yoga Philosophy with Sandhiya Ramaswamy

Required Sacred Text: PLEASE READ the section below on how to approach the readings.

REQUIRED READING

1. Bhagavad Gita by S. Radhakrishnan REQUIRED

2. The Bhagavad Gita 2nd Edition by Eknath Easwaran REQUIRED

3. Yoga Yajnavalkya- OPTIONAL

4. The Heart of Yoga. REQUIRED

5. Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. REQUIRED

6. Meditation with Intention- REQUIRED

At the heart of Yoga Philosophy, lies the gem Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. These 3 books are an exposition / treatise on this great work, explaining it with detailed commentary, along with the lived experience of the authors:

The Heart of Yoga,
Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Yoga Yagnavalkya (optional)

The Heart of Yoga by T.K.V. Desikachar is a very unique book in that it’s written by the son and longtime student of the illustrious Sri. T. Krishnamacharya, who is considered to be the Father of modern-day Yoga. Read the foreword, introduction, and the Life and Yoga of Sri T. Krishnamacharya, written in an engaging Q&A format. Each chapter from then on, weaves in the core concepts of the Yoga Sutras, explaining them in a simple yet practical manner. As these chapters are very well written in an easy-to-understand manner, you can read through the chapters, pausing to make notes and contemplate. The verse-by-verse translation and explanation of the sutras (verses) begins on Page 145. While the sutras are very well explained, for a more detailed commentary / explanation refer to this next book below.

Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by B.K.S.Iyengar is one of the most comprehensive and illuminating commentaries written by another student of Sri T. Krishnamacharya. The first 44 pages (Forward, Introduction, Overall Theme of the 4 Padas or chapters) are invaluable in one’s understanding of the overall concept / message of the 4 chapters of the Yoga Sutras. From this point on, review the four Chapters and the associated sutras (verses), paying special attention to Chapter 2 (Sadhana Pada) which gives us the Eight Limbs of Yoga, and which will also be one of the main focus of our Yoga Philosophy discussions. Also, if you want to learn more about a sutra that resonates with you from The Heart of Yoga, refer to this book for a more detailed commentary.

Yoga Yajnavalkya, translated by A.G.Mohan (another student of Sri T. Krishnamacharya) is an optional but lovely reading requirement. This ancient text in the form of a conversation between Sage Yajnavalkya and his wife Gargi, explains the principles and practices of Yoga, along with other Vedic concepts. Read the excellent and detailed introduction by the author. Also, one unique feature of this book, is that the last chapter, Chapter 12 contains the essence of the entire book.

Books on the Bhagavad Gita (Song of God).

The Bhagavad Gita is a book for Life. You can come back to it again and again and again.

We have recommended 2 commentaries on the Gita, both by illustrious Vedic scholars and spiritual teachers, S. Radhakrishnan and Eknath Easwaran. The eighteen chapters of the Gita make it a rich and voluminous tome. Read the foreword /preface and the detailed Introduction to both books. S. Radhakrishnan’s almost 76-page Introductory Essay is richly illuminating and one of the most comprehensive introductions of any translation of the Gita and provides great context as well. Easwaran does a wonderful job of providing an introduction to the Chapters, which is a must read. From there on, understand the overarching theme of each of the Chapters before delving into the individual verses. As always there may be a few or more Chapters and/or verses that deeply resonate with you – these would be perfect for you to take into deep contemplation.

Above all, enjoy the process and make it your own.