5 Books about Yoga, Human Body & Life everyone should read: Part 1

I'm amazed how much there is to learn and to discover about yoga, human body and life in general. The more I delve deeper into these topics, the more I realise how little do I know and the bigger the thirst I have to continue exploring further.

I love reading. With a cup of tea and a blanket. Or while travelling on a train or bus. Or in between rock climbing as in the photo above. It's like a breath of fresh air. Breath of new information and ideas to ponder about.

Below is a list of 5 books that I'd like to share with you, all of them are engaging and easy to read. They are listed at no particular order. At first, I included 20 books, but decided to keep it short this time. Let me know if you read any of these, what you think and what other books would you add to the list. So, without further ado. Here we go:

1. Bringing Yoga to Life: the Everyday Practice of Enlightened Living by Donna Farhi

Oh my! I absolutely loved this book! The down to earth approach of applying yoga philosophy to daily life. In the end, yoga is not only the physical postures that we do on the mat, but a life practice. And Donna Farhi in her book explains that perfectly. There are so many great quotes that I highlighted while reading this book. Want to share one with you below as well: "Instead of measuring our success in practicing a Yoga posture by how far can we go, we can ask how present we are in each moment. How aware are we of the movement of our breath, the sensations in our body and the thoughts that pass through us? We can inquire what positioning honours rather than injures our unique physical body. Something is tragically missing in our yoga practice if through our most diligent efforts we manage to become a perfect Yoga posture rather than a person."

2. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

I read this one quite many years ago, but still remember it vividly. It's a very short, little book that took me a day or two to finish. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom Miguel Ruiz shares four agreements that act as a practical guide towards, as he says, personal freedom.

One of the four agreements is: "Always do your best: Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret."

3. The Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science for Greater Mindfulness by J. Graves, J. Yates, and M. Immergut

Ok, this might be the most informative and easy to digest meditation manual ever written. It combines Buddhism teachings and Neuroscience perspective about meditation. The book also shares ten stages of the meditation practice, explaining each of them in-depth with illustrations and charts. Recommended not only for those who are just starting meditating, but also for those who are doing it regularly. 4. Move Your DNA - Restore your Health through Natural Movement by Katy Bowman

Katy Bowman shares that exercise is good, but it’s not good enough. We need to think bigger than exercise, we need to think outside of the exercise box. Our bodies require more ‘movement nutrition’ than exercise, as we do it, provides in order to ensure healthy human function. This book inspired me to learn more about the movement that my body is capable of doing and add a big variety of 'movement nutrition' into my life.

5. Radical Acceptance: Awakening the Love that heals fear and shame within us by Tara Brach

This book touched me deeply. It encouraged me to embrace and relax about 'imperfections' and as a result to do things that I was once scared of. "Zen master Seng-tsan taught that true freedom is being “without anxiety about imperfection”. This means accepting our human existence, all of life and all what we do as it is. Imperfection is not our personal problem - it is a natural part of existing.

When we relax about imperfection, we no longer lose our life moments in the pursuit of being different and in the fear of what is wrong."

******* Hope this is useful for you. Would love to hear your book recommendations. You can send me a message on Instagram or write a comment below. ******* P.s. Disclaimer: if you'd like to purchase any of these books - I included links to the seller. These are affiliate links, meaning if you purchase any of these books from the links provided I receive a small commission at no additional cost for you. Thank you!