Books on Yoga
A list of my favourite yoga books which have inspired me and which I refer to again and again 
. (You can get any of these books at Amazon, but you could also try 'Dervish' on Aungier St. - it has a particularly good selection of Bihar Yoga publications.)
Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha by Swami Satyananda Saraswati
This is a classic. It’s the first yoga book I ever bought and I continue to use it almost daily. It’s practical, comprehensive and all the practices in it are clearly explained. As the title suggests, this book contains chapters on how to perform asana (beginners, intermediate and advanced), pranayama, mudra and bandha. It also contains chapters on the Chakras and Hatha yoga Shatkarma cleansing practices. If you only ever buy one yoga book in your life, it should be the APMB! Available in Hodges Figgis for €18.
The Bhagavad Gita with commentary by Eknath Easwaran
The Bhagavad Gita, ‘The Lord’s Song’ is probably the best known of all Indian scriptures. It tells the story of Prince Arjuna who had lost his way in the battlefield of life. He seeks to find his path again by asking direct and fundamental questions of life of his spiritual guide Krishna. Easwaran provides a clear and readable introduction to text and then goes on to give separate introductions to each individual chapter. He tells us “…the Gita’s subject is the war within, the struggle for self-mastery that every human being must wage”.
The Upanishads with commentary by Eknath Easwaran
An excellent translation and commentary on the 11 principal Upanishads, ancient texts which address fundamental questions about life, death, the nature of existence, God, meditation and Karma,. Easwaran’s writing is clear and comprehensive and he manages to convey the beauty and wisdom of the Upanishads. I keep this book beside my bed and every time I dip into it (perhaps only reading a couple of sentences at a time) I always gain some little bit of wisdom or insight that helps me to make sense of life.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali with commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda
I love Swami Satchidananda’s commentary. It’s comprehensive and his deep understanding of the text is obvious, but at times the commentary is also lighthearted and humorous. He makes the sutras relevant to life today.
Prana Pranayama Prana Vidya by Swami Niranjananda Saraswati
This book contains detailed information on a wide variety of pranayama techniques (such as full yogic breathing, ujjayi, nadi shodhan, bhramari, kapalbhati and bhastrika)as well as a comprehensive description of the yogic concept of prana and a few chapters on the physiology of breathing. Eight chapters are also given over to the more advanced practices of prana vidya.
The Yoga Tradition – It’s History, Literature, Philosophy and Practice by Georg Feuerstein
A huge tome of a book, definitely not the kind that you’ll read cover to cover. It’s more of a resource, the type of book that you’ll dip in and out of or use for research purposes. Excellent if you are interested in the history of yoga. It includes sections on pre-classical yoga, classical yoga, post-classical yoga and tantra.
Practical Yoga Psychology by Dr Rishi Vivekananda
Practical Yoga Psychology is an attempt to simply blend the teachings of yoga with those of psychology, psychiatry and other branches of Western science to give us an overview of the human personality, an idea of where we are going, and guidelines to proceed on our journey. Dr Rishi Vivekananda covers topics such as the chakras, the koshas and the gunas and yogic lifestyle.
Kundalini Tantra by Swami Satyananda Saraswati
Probably all you'll ever need to know about Kundalini, The Chakras, Kundalini Yoga practices and Kriya Yoga is contained in this book. Kundalini is defined and explained and a comprehensive description of each chakra is given. Techniques are given to balance each chakra in preparation for the rising of kundalini shakti. 20 of the kriyas and their preparatory practices are also outlined.
Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff
The illustrations in this book are fantastic. They show various key hatha yoga postures from different angles with the muscles and joints involved clearly visible. I found it excellent for gaining a deeper understanding of how muscles are used in certain poses. The author also provides information on obstacles and points to note for each pose presented, and considers how the breath can be used to go deeper or to find greater stability in a pose. There are also interesting chapters on the spine and the dynamics of breathing.
Moola Bandha - The Master Key by Swami Buddhananda
This is a fascinating little book dedicated to the very profound practice of moola bandha. It explains the theory and practice of bandha (jalandhara, uddiyana, moola and maha) and contains a whole section spcifically on moola bandha practices. Moola bandha is generally regarded as the most important of the bandhas as it is the key to unlocking kundalini shakti in mooladhara chakra. According to the Hatha Yoga Pradipika "Moola bandha brings about the union of prana and apana, nada and binbu. This will bestow perfection in yoga. Of this there is no doubt." (9:65)
