The best books to revolutionize yoga by how you practice and teach

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm an author, movement coach, and yoga teacher. I've been practicing yoga on and off for about 48 years. I was introduced to yoga by my mom through a really old book called Be Young with Yoga at 3 years old. Yoga has been a part of my entire existence in one way or another. I have had the honour and privilege to study with yoga teachers and educators for the past 30+ years and it has been life-changing. I have been a yoga teacher and movement coach for 30+ years, I have watched yoga make sad people feel better, injured people get strong, and shy people become leaders in their communities around equity and diversity. 


I wrote...

Yoga for Everyone: 50 Poses for Every Type of Body

By Dianne Bondy,

Book cover of Yoga for Everyone: 50 Poses for Every Type of Body

What is my book about?

Bring Dianne’s body-positive yoga philosophy to your mat. No matter who you are, what you look like, or what your abilities are, you can do all 50 poses in Dianne Bondy’s new book, Yoga for Everyone: 50 Poses for Every Type of Body.

Learn how to adapt 50 classic yoga poses and how to put them all together to create 10 sequences you can practice at home. Explore how to use yoga props for each pose to make your practice uniquely your own. Discover how to harness yoga postures to experience specific physical and mental benefits.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage and Compassion

Dianne Bondy Why did I love this book?

I love this book so much I wish I wrote it. It speaks to creating equity not only in yoga spaces but out in the world. This book features quite a few yoga rebels that are changing the game and are my friends and colleagues. Yoga Revolution teaches the world how to apply yoga philosophy to help the world be a better place for all of us. It is about healing our communities. Rebels are about the revolution; knowing the rules so you can break them. Breaking the rules that need to be broken.

By Jivana Heyman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Yoga Revolution as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It is time to address the dissonance between the often superficial way yoga is currently being practiced and the depth of yoga’s ancient universal spiritual teachings. In this clarion call to action, Jivana Heyman offers a blueprint for cultivating a practice based in the ancient wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras in service of those experiencing exclusion and oppression.

Heyman illuminates the yogic mandate of seva—or acts of service that see, care for, and uplift those around us—as a way to serve the world without losing your way. Through pose sequences, practice prompts such as “Embracing Failure,”…


Book cover of Meditation with Intention: Quick & Easy Ways to Create Lasting Peace

Dianne Bondy Why did I love this book?

Meditation is an amazing tool for stress relief, mental clarity, focus and balance. Meditation has been shown to help with depression, mental health, and reduction of blood pressure. This book helped me to establish a consistent and meaningful meditation practice. The author Anusha is an incredible teacher and advocate for increased mental health awareness. She provides a practical and sustainable approach to meditation.

By Anusha Wijeyakumar,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Meditation with Intention as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

With just five minutes of meditation a day, you can achieve a more focused, balanced, and peaceful life. Join wellness consultant Anusha Wijeyakumar, MA, as she shares the transformative meditation program that she developed for California s world-famous Hoag Hospital. You will discover the vital intentions and five-minute meditations designed for heart opening, chakra balancing, trusting your inner truth, embodying courage and strength, and more. These meditations and pranayama-breathwork exercises will help you create more joy and peace in your life while learning to control negative internal chatter. Raised in the philosophy of Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) on her way to…


Book cover of Yoga Where You Are: Customize Your Practice for Your Body and Your Life

Dianne Bondy Why did I love this book?

In my humble opinion one of the best and only books that address yoga, diet culture, pose adaptation, yoga history, body image, and progressive accessibility. Helping readers and practitioners to find their level of practice exactly where they are. You can start as a true beginner and progress to challenging arm balances and poses with this book.

By Dianne Bondy, Kat Heagberg,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Yoga Where You Are as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Find freedom in your yoga practice with this empowering guide from beloved yoga teacher and social justice activist Dianne Bondy and Yoga International editor-in-chief Kat Heagberg.

Yoga Where You Are welcomes readers of all backgrounds, body sizes, and abilities into the practice of yoga. Dianne Bondy and Kat Heagberg offer everything you need to know to build a custom yoga practice that supports you exactly where you are--now and at every stage of your life's journey.

Yoga Where You Are discusses how yoga intersects with body image, introduces essential information on elements like breathwork and meditation, and celebrates yoga's diverse…


Book cover of Body Mindful Yoga: Create a Powerful and Affirming Relationship with Your Body

Dianne Bondy Why did I love this book?

I love this book because it addresses the issues we have with body image and how to heal ourselves from our negative words, thoughts, and beliefs. We get to dig deeper into our relationships with our bodies through the yoga practice. This book shows us mindful steps on how to listen, learn, love, and live with specific practical practices that can change our lives. If you live in the world today you have been faced with lots of body blaming and shaming. This read will help you find body peace and contentment.

By Robert Butera, Jennifer Kreatsoulas,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Body Mindful Yoga as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Transform negative words, thoughts, perspectives, and beliefs into personal empowerment with Body Mindful Yoga s unique approach to combining yoga and the power of language. The words you think, speak, and absorb inform how you feel about your body. With this book s inspiring guidance, you can begin to move through the world with an attitude that radiates self-confidence, contentment, and peace of mind. Open your eyes to how words affect your body image using four Body Mindful steps: Listen, Learn, Love, and Live. These steps lead to amazing insights through practical techniques and hands-on exercises. The latter two encourage…


Book cover of Science of Yoga: Understand the Anatomy and Physiology to Perfect Your Practice

Dianne Bondy Why did I love this book?

While I don't believe in perfection but I do believe in permanence.  Practice makes permanent. This book is a great illustration of how the muscles work in the yoga practice and how it benefits the body. The illustrations are beautiful. It is easy to follow. It is great for science nerds who love to see the body in motion. I really love this book for beginners and advanced physical practitioners as well.

By Ann Swanson,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Science of Yoga as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Explore the biomechanics of 30 key yoga poses, in-depth and from every angle, and master each asana with confidence and control.

Take your knowledge of yoga to the next level with this ground-breaking 360 degree visual resource - made for serious practitioners and teachers.

Recent scientific research now backs up what were once anecdotal claims about the benefits of yoga to every system in the body. Science of Yoga reveals the facts, with annotated artworks that show the mechanics, the angles, how blood flow and respiration are affected, the key muscle and joint actions working below the surface of each…


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Mindleap: A Fresh View of Education Empowered by Neuroscience and Systems Thinking

By Jim Brown,

Book cover of Mindleap: A Fresh View of Education Empowered by Neuroscience and Systems Thinking

Jim Brown Author Of Mindleap: A Fresh View of Education Empowered by Neuroscience and Systems Thinking

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I have spent my entire professional life quietly patrolling the frontiers of understanding human consciousness. I was an early adopter in the burgeoning field of biofeedback, then neurofeedback and neuroscience, plus theory and practices of humanistic and transpersonal psychology, plus steeping myself in systems theory as a context for all these other fields of focus. I hold a MS in psychology from San Francisco State University and a PhD from Saybrook Institute. I live in Mount Shasta CA with Molly, my life partner for over 60 years. We have two sons and two grandchildren.

Jim's book list on brain, mind, and consciousness

What is my book about?

In this thoroughly researched and exquisitely crafted treatise, Jim Brown synthesizes the newest understandings in neuroscience, developmental psychology, and dynamical systems theory for educators and others committed to nurturing human development.

He explains complex concepts in down-to-earth terms, suggesting how these understandings can transform education to engender optimal learning and intelligence. He explores the nature of consciousness, intelligence, and mind.

Brown then offers a model of optimal human learning through lifelong brain development within a supportive culture--drawing on the work of Piaget, Erickson, Maslow, Kohlberg, and Steiner--and how that work is being vastly expanded by neuroscience and dynamical systems thinking.

Mindleap: A Fresh View of Education Empowered by Neuroscience and Systems Thinking

By Jim Brown,

What is this book about?

In this thoroughly-researched and exquisitely crafted treatise, Jim Brown synthesizes the newest understandings in neuroscience, developmental psychology, and dynamical systems theory for educators and others committed to nurturing human development. He explains complex concepts in down-to-earth terms, suggesting how these understandings can transform education to truly engender optimal learning and intelligence. He explores the nature of consciousness, intelligence, and mind. Brown then offers a model of optimal human learning through life-long brain development within a supportive culture--drawing on the work of Piaget, Erickson, Maslow, Kohlberg, and Steiner--and how that work is being vastly expanded by neuroscience and dynamical systems thinking.


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in yoga, Hatha yoga, and body image?

11,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about yoga, Hatha yoga, and body image.

Yoga Explore 115 books about yoga
Hatha Yoga Explore 18 books about Hatha yoga
Body Image Explore 23 books about body image