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Yoga, The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness –Erich SchiffmannPaperback; @ £6.59 Available from www.amazon.co.uk ISBN: 0671534807 If I could only have one yoga book by a western teacher, this would be it! Erich Schiffmann explores Yoga beyond the postures with sincerity and humbleness. He talks about Yoga with authenticity, the principles behind it, breathing, meditation and gives extremely detailed and easily understandable explanations of the asanas. |
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Light on Yoga –B.K.S IyengarPaperback; @ £10.49 each Available from www.amazon.co.uk ISBN: 0007107005 This book is considered the classic text for all serious students of yoga asanas. Iyengar reveals the mental and physical benefits of each posture which is very helpful for understanding the health benefits of practicing asanas. |
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Ashtanga Yoga “The Practice Manual” –David SwensonHardcover; @ £11.77 each Available from www.amazon.co.uk ISBN: 1891252089 If you are interested in practicing Ashtanga, this book offers very clear instructions with clear and large photographs to illustrate each pose. There are also suggested short practices at the end of the book. |
ADVAITA
Advaita or non-dualism is one of the oldest philosophies in India. There are many masters of Advaita-Vedanta and I highly recommend checking out the Advaita principle. Nisagardatta Maharaj’s book “I am That”, is what many spiritual seekers call “a spiritual bible!” Ramesh Balsekar is an 89 year-old awakened sage. The simplicity, clarity and above all, practicality of his unique teaching of Advaita has affected the lives of thousands of people.
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I Am That –Nisargadatta Maharaj -Paperback 531 pages; @ £24.50 each Available from www.amazon.co.uk ISBN: 8185300534 If I was stranded on a desert island and could only have one book, this is the one. It is amazing, simply brilliant. I have been reading and re-reading this book for at least 15 years and still discover new depth each time I open it. For example, opening at random I find Sri Nisargadatta saying, "Abandon false ideas, that is all. There is no need of true ideas. There aren't any." His ability to use just the right bold-simple turn of a phrase to drive home an abstract point is unparalleled. Along with Sri Ramana Maharshi, he is considered the foremost proponent of Advaita Vedanta of the twentieth century. This collection of questions and answers is his seminal work. It is an incredibly rich feast of wisdom but it is best read a few pages per day over an extended period of time. |
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Be as You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana MaharshiSri Maharshi and David GodmanPaperback: 272 pages Available from www.amazon.co.uk ISBN: 0140190627 This book is a masterful display of spiritual wisdom and advice. Although I confess that it was only years after being a spiritual seeker that I was able to grasp the concepts in this book, but once you do, this books becomes a ‘friend.’ In my view David Godman did an excellent job with this book beyond anything else published on Ramana. |
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Who Cares?! The Unique Teaching of Ramesh S. Balsekar –Ramesh BalsekarPaperback Available from www.amazon.co.uk ISBN: 0929448189 Ramesh Balsekar is generally regarded as the leading living exponent of Advaita Vedanta, the philosophy of Non–Duality. Born in 1917, educated at The London School of Economics, a householder with children and grandchildren who retired over twenty years ago having risen to President of the Bank of India, Ramesh, now eighty-nine years old, holds satsang seven days a week in his Mumbai apartment. Ramesh has written over twenty books and is known and loved by seekers from around the world. I would recommend all of his books, going to see him, and viewing the DVDs. Suggesting to someone where to start reading Ramesh is not easy. This book solves the problem, because its collection of questions and answers is well edited and distributed. |
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The Open Secret -Tony ParsonsPaperback: 54 pages Available from www.amazon.co.uk ISBN: 0953303209 The Open Secret is a book for new 'seekers.' It is written simply and it is a good introduction to the Advaita concept of non-duality. |
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As It Is -Tony ParsonsPaperback; 138 pages; @ £7.55 ISBN: 1878019104 Available www.amazon.co.uk More of Tony Parsons easiness to describe what ‘he’ knows. |
BUDDHISM
The Buddhist religion has become very popular in the West. Many people associate it with a statue of Buddha, some words from the Dalai Lama, the fact that Tibet was invaded by China and the idea of meditation. Buddhism is a huge subject and is worth looking into it. Here is a selection of books that will give you a very good idea of what this religion/philosophy is all about. |
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Buddhism: A Concise Introduction –Huston Smith and Philip NovakPaperback 256 pages (January 1, 2005); @ £6.39 Available at www.amazon.co.uk ISBN: 0060730676 Huston Smith is universally regarded as the leading authority on the world's religious traditions, and Novak is an award–winning professor of world religions and a Buddhist practitioner. This compelling work by two great scholars is the most insightful, up–to–date, and accessible introduction available today to this great and immensely appealing religious tradition. If you are interested to understand what Buddhism is all about and have a very interesting (and easy) read about Buddha’s life, this book is a must have. |
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A Cave in the Snow: A Western Woman’s Quest for Enlightenment -Vicki MackenziePaperback; 256 pages (July 27, 1999); £6.39 Available at www.amazon.co.uk ISBN: 0747543895 This is the story of Tenzin Palmo, a spiritually heroic woman, born in London, who in her early twenties journeys to India. There, she recognizes her reincarnated guru, the 7th Khamtrul Rinpoche, and begins her journey as one of the first Western Buddhist nuns. As a renunciant, she spends 12 years in a Himalayan cave, fine tuning her spiritual discipline, and her spiritual evolution. Her spiritual wisdom is clear and practical. Some of her words: "…realizations are quite bare…They are not accompanied by lights and music. We're trying to see things as they really are. A realization is non–conceptual. It's not a product of the thinking process or the emotions—unlike visions which come from that level. A realization is the white transparent light at the centre of the prism, not the rainbow colours around it…” |
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Zen: the Path of Paradox -OshoPaperback: 192 pages @ £7.19 Available from www.amazon.co.uk ISBN: 0312320493 It is a difficult task to recommend an Osho book. There are so many excellent ones. The reason I chose this one is because the Zen path is fascinating to me and Osho talks beautifully on its paradoxes and simplicity. |
SELF-UNDERSTANDING
There is no inner journey withougt at least a basic understanding of what 'you' are up to in your daily life. There is no Yoga without Awareness. YOSSUM employs the Enneagram system to ignite that search.
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The Wisdom of the Enneagram - Complete Guide to Psychological and Spiritual Growth for the Nine Personality TypesDon Richard Riso and Russ HudsonPaperback; 400 Pages; @ £10.11 ISBN: 0553378201 Available from www.amazon.co.uk This book is an essential reading for anyone who is interested in spiritual discovery. It covers all of the many aspects of the Enneagram system and is throughly readable. |
