This week’s Book Chat topic is school assigned reading. I took a bit of a different approach to this topic. By far, my favorite books that I read while in school as assignments were Catcher in the Rye and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. I have already done book related posts on both of those books (you can click here and here to read those), so I thought I would post about what I am currently assigned to read.
The following are books that I am reading as part of my yoga teacher training.
1. The Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali. This book is packed with amazing amounts of wisdom. It is comprised of insightful bits not just about yoga, but also about living your life in general, relating to other people and being introspective about yourself. I have read it twice through already since the training started, and I still feel like I have only scratched the surface of it’s knowledge base. I know it is a book I will come back to again and again, and still find something useful for myself.
2. Yoga Mind Body & Spirit by Donna Farhi.
I love Farhi’s approach to yoga, she emphasizes that it is not just about the body, but as the title implies, about the connection between the mind and spirit have with the body.
She gives great details about pose break downs as well, that have helped me understand poses that I have previously struggled with.
I have skipped around in this book, based on what has been assigned, but I do plan on reading it cover to cover, once the training is over.
3. Juvamukti Yoga by David Life & Sharon Gannon
This book is not assigned for me to read, but it was suggested by one of my yoga teachers, to help me with my final research paper. I am about halfway through the book right now. Gannon and Life take an interesting and different approach to yoga, and I am still digesting how I feel about that. I will reserve my full opinion until I am finished with the book, but it is definitely an interesting and thought-provoking read.
What were your favorite assigned school readings?
Check out other posts from this week’s Book Chat here.
Angie Eats Peace 
That’s interesting and different to see “school assigned” books for a different training. Also Catcher in the Rye is one of my favourite books I read at university!
Thanks! Catcher in the Rye is definitely one of my favorites!
I love your different take on the topic. I really like the cover on the last book. What a beautiful pose! I’ve never really thought about picking up a book about yoga to read…but now I just might. =)
That pose is awesome, isn’t it? I actually tried doing it last week and it didn’t look anything close to that 🙂
This is so interesting; I’ve never thought of “required reading” in this way, but I guess any good training for a new job requires reading! 🙂 Good luck as you begin teaching!!
Thank-you, Megan!
Catcher is one of my all-time favorite books but it was never assigned to me. Nor was Caged Bird although I read it voluntarily for an assignment once (admittedly, it was randomly picked off a list but, of course, I loved it). Somehow I think I missed the “everyone was assigned this” books but yet I’ve read most of them. I’m still jealous of your yoga teacher training and will likely remain that way for quite a while 🙂