Resources
Yoga: The Path
to Holistic Health
BKS Iyengar
This is a modern, comprehensive guide to the practice of yoga offering a holistic approach to enhance physical, mental and emotional well-being. It is suitable for every age and level of ability and includes sequences specially developed to help alleviate ailments ranging from asthma and arthritis to irritable bowel syndrome. Beautifully illustrated and includes instructions on the use of props for asanas and pranayama.
Light on Yoga
BKS Iyengar
This is a guidebook to yoga practice and philosophy featuring step-by-step guides to every yoga routine illustrated with photographs. This was the main text used during my initial Yoga teacher training and which I regularly use as a reference book.
It is useful for beginners, experienced practitioners and yoga teachers.
Teaching Yoga: Essential Foundations and Techniques
Mark Stephens
Teaching Yoga is an essential resource for yoga teachers and students particularly those interested in refining their skills and expanding their knowledge of yoga.
Modern aspects of anatomy are covered along with traditional yoga philosophy and history.
Yoga Sequencing: Designing transformative Yoga Classes
Mark Stephens
Yoga Sequencing is a definitive resource for planning and sequencing successful yoga classes presenting innumerable model sequences including beginners, intermediate, advanced students, yoga for kids, teens, women across the cycle of life and seniors.
It includes therapeutic sequences and sequences for a range of popular styles of yoga.
The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice
TKV Desikachar
Desikachar is the son and student of Krishnamachcarya, one of the great yogis of the modern era. Like many other well-known teachers around the world, including BKS Iyengar, he studied with his father and offers in this book a distillation of his father’s system. In addition he offers his own practical approach and outlines sequencing steps for developing a complete practice as well as developing a personal practice tailored to an individual’s specific needs. This was the main text used during my post-graduate yoga training and is also a constant reference book.
Reflections on Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
TKV Desikachar
Patanjali is revered as the father of Yoga and formulated the Yoga Sutras comprising 195 aphorisms which encapsulate the principles of Yoga and their relevance in life. The Yoga Sutras articulate the very foundations and essence of traditional, integrated Yoga. This book is a translation by Desikachar and offers a clear and comprehensible explanation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
For a deeper understanding of Yoga, a comprehensive translation of the Yoga Sutras as presented in this book, is an essential resource.
Yoga Anatomy
Your illustrated guide to postures, movements & breathing techniques
Leslie Kaminoff & Amy Matthews
This book is an anatomy guide for yoga and offers in-depth information and anatomical illustrations to provide a deeper understanding of the structures and principles underlying each movement and of yoga itself. It covers the main yoga postures, breathing, the spine, specific muscles and how they respond to the movements of the joints.
It’s an excellent resource as it clearly illustrates how they are all fundamentally linked.
Yoga Mind, Body and Spirit:
A Return to Wholeness
Donna Farhi
Donna Farhi is an internationally renowned yoga instructor and author. This book presents the vital essence of hatha yoga from a perspective that will enable Westerners to experience authentic yoga practice directly. She works with universal movement principles that may be applied to all styles of yoga, including ashtanga, Igengar, Kripalu and viniyoga. It is a practical guide, beautifully illustrated, that provides one with the tools to expand one’s understanding and knowledge of yoga.
Bringing Yoga to Life: The Everyday Practice of Enlightened Living
Donna Farhi
This book by Donna Farhi provides a blueprint for understanding the complete philosophy of Yoga and restores the traditional role of Yoga as a complete, practical discipline for everyday living in the 21st century.
It is a practical and relevant resource for the modern practitioner of Yoga.
Yoga for Children
200+ Yoga Poses, Breathing Exercises and Meditations ...
Creative Yoga for Children
Adrienne Rawlinson
This book by Montessori teacher, Adrienne Rawlinson, offers forty fun thematic units that introduce Yoga to children in three age ranges – four to six, seven to nine and ten to twelve. It provides a creative, colourful and fun approach to teaching children and introduces them to a comprehensive foundation in yoga via physical and mental experiences.
These books helped me realise that teaching Yoga to children is an entirely different discipline to teaching adults.
Lisa Flynn
This was one of the first books I encountered on teaching Yoga to children and it has been a great introduction and ongoing resource. Teaching Yoga to children is significantly different from teaching adults. A holistic approach is still required but there needs to be practicality combined with joyfulness and encouragement for children to maintain interest and gain the benefits that Yoga offers.
This book has many practical instructions, skills and ideas for teaching children from 2 to 12 years of age.
Teaching Yoga:
Exploring the Teacher-Student Relationship
Donna Farhi
This book addresses the growing need within the Yoga community to establish professional standards of conduct and training for Yoga teachers.
Within its pages Donna Farhi explores with compassion and clarity the complex questions that lie at the heart of the teacher-student relationship.
It is a useful resource that raises important issues regarding teaching and learning.
Zenergy Kids Teacher Training Foundation Course
Zenergy Kids Teacher Training Advanced Course
Zenergy Kids Teacher Training Yoga Therapy Course
All three books by Loraine Rushton.
Having attended one of Loraine’s sessions at a Yoga Australia Conference in Melbourne, I was so impressed by her passion, commitment and knowledge about teaching Yoga to children that I committed to attending her first training course as soon as practicable. The need for specific training in the art of teaching Yoga to children was further impressed on me when I was invited to teach children at a local primary school. It’s one thing to know something about Yoga but entirely another thing to make it interesting and palatable for children.
I systematically enrolled in Zenergy Yoga for Kids starting with the Foundation Training Course, followed by the Advanced Course and the Yoga Therapy Course. These booklets are an essential resource for me and I utilise them constantly.