I recommend all the books of the Bihar School of Yoga hailing from the Satyananda yoga tradition. They are deep,have a strong flavour of authority and authenticity, are very comprehensive, and all encompassing.If you cannot decide which yoga school ( or don’t have,cannot find a teacher) to embrace then i would recommend this one.Also founded on solid science and deep and rich lineage of Indian masters steeped in all the esoteric and hitherto secretive aspects of spiritual yogic knowledge, previously just shared via initiaition or spiritual transmission ( not to say that is not useful and could bring quicker results).
The Bihar books put the practitioner in the driving seat where he belongs.
I have heard that the Yoga & Kriya book that YogaBija refers to is as much suitable for a complete and committed begginer,accordin to Amazon at least ( commited to practice i mean, not just arm-chair philosophising,navel-gazing you could say,hehhe) as it is for the most advanced & discerning practitioners out there.
I am currently endeavouring to work through Satyananda’s ‘Kundalini Tantra’ book with the chakra sadhana programme outlined within.The idea is to purify & awaken your chakras for least 8 months before working with their advanced kundalini kirya programma. I hear it described on Amazon at least as a kind of companion volume to the bigger volume of 36 structured lessons( '[I]A Structured Course…[/I] 'etc).The more i work with the subtle body and it’s lay-lines, the more i blieve it is the mising link in, not just the miind-body health axis, but an important link in our personal evolution and yogic practice. Don’t yet have a copy of this but described invariably as the most complete and authoritative and authentic yoga book ever published, given all the glossy coffee-table stuff around nowadays.
I don’t wish to drown in books, i.e work through one at a time, but i really do like the satyananda or bihar school books. All branches are adequately covered for the discerning seeker.There are writtten and contributed to by folk that grew up in the yogic culture became sannyassins from a young age early 20’s or even younger, some introduced to masters, you might say, as young as 6 or 7 , were often disciples of Sivananda (Satyananda lived at his ashram in rishikesh for 7 years from 1943 onwards), and other luminaries and greats, in the 1940’s and 50’s (and early to mid 20th century), and did exhaustive surveys of yoga schools (& yogis’ yogas) during itinerant wandering years throughoout asia, the himalayas, tibet etc and the india subconctinent. Such people in my view are well placed to provide authoriitave and time-honoured instruction based on a lifetime of yoga practice and living.Absolutely steeped and thouroughly immmersed in the yoga culture. Where yoga might have a hard time penetrating is because of it’s perceived value and the disciipline required to properly engage as well as any cultural reasons that could get in the way of this. Preconceptions about spirituality etc, what this means to most folk. To many folk ‘spirituality’ is mistaken to mean a life of austerity ad penance-i.e suffering. When really yoga is authentically used to relieve if not end suffering and ultimately though quantum expansion of consciousness ultimately liberate that person.Words escape what this means; one needs to experience it to believe it.
Suggesstions-
-‘Light on Pranayama’- the Iyengar system of pranayama
-Any of the Bihar school of Yoga books- Bija’s suggesstion sounds a good one as it is described on Amazon as being as appropriate for the begiinner as it is for any level of practitoner. It sounds like it could be a good portal for introducing any level of practioner to the deeper levels of yoga other than and beyond asana.- the most comprehensive book-outlined yoga system i am aware of.Enough practices there to last you at least 3 years and more
The thing with any deep full scope yoga programme or system that it usually requires a level of committment from the student that is not always available. And for that a certain degree of discipline is required.This is a foundation- a sense that we can do things to further our continued evooution , in a sense speed it up somewhat- this is what yoga can do,and it is driven by our personal desire or [I]bhakti[/I](love of God,l the value and latent potential of our own life etc)… Some folk need an external motivator not just to guide us safely, approroiately and confidently,and allay any fears and doubts we might have…As Bija said, a stay in a retreat or ashram could be very beneifical as with others practicing and to guide you the conditions are better for the aspirant-free from distractions anf following a yogic lifestyle, way of life etc.
BTW, these are practical manuals.
Love to hear other people’s suggestions.
