100 books like Theories of the Chakras

By Hiroshi Motoyama,

Here are 100 books that Theories of the Chakras fans have personally recommended if you like Theories of the Chakras. Shepherd is a community of 10,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Meetings with Remarkable Men: All and Everything, 2nd Series

Rande Brown Author Of Geisha: A Life

From my list on what the West can learn from the East.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m an American Jewish girl who was born knowing that I had been Japanese in my previous lifetime. After graduating with a degree in Japanese studies from Princeton University, I moved to Japan at 21 and became a well-known translator. One day the Geisha Mineko Iwasaki, the inspiration behind Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha, asked me to co-author the story of her life. Published in 2002, Geisha, a Life became a bestseller. Writing Geisha awakened memories of my past life as a courtesan in fourteenth-century Kyoto. I began a deep study of reincarnation, which has led me to study the intersection of Buddhism and Psychoanalysis. Please look out for my forthcoming book, Reincarnation Karma.

Rande's book list on what the West can learn from the East

Rande Brown Why did Rande love this book?

I read this book when I was a teenager, and it taught me two very important things: that Enlightenment is possible—even for a Westernerand that living Spiritual Masters exist out in the world who can help to guide you there. This helped me gather the courage to leave home and travel throughout Asia in search of my true teacher, who I eventually found in Japan. My own Remarkable Man.

By G. I. Gurdjieff,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The Armenian-Greek spiritual teacher, G.I. Gurdjieff's autobiographical account of his youth and early travels has become something of a legend since it was first published in 1963. A compulsive read in the tradition of adventure narratives, but suffused with Gurdjieff's unique perspective on life, it is organized around portraits of remarkable men and women who aided Gurdjieff's search for hidden knowledge or accompanied him on his journeys in remote parts of the Near East and Central Asia. A classic work, suffused with a haunting sense of what it means to live fully - with conscience, with purpose and with heart.


Book cover of Zen and Japanese Culture

Rande Brown Author Of Geisha: A Life

From my list on what the West can learn from the East.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m an American Jewish girl who was born knowing that I had been Japanese in my previous lifetime. After graduating with a degree in Japanese studies from Princeton University, I moved to Japan at 21 and became a well-known translator. One day the Geisha Mineko Iwasaki, the inspiration behind Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha, asked me to co-author the story of her life. Published in 2002, Geisha, a Life became a bestseller. Writing Geisha awakened memories of my past life as a courtesan in fourteenth-century Kyoto. I began a deep study of reincarnation, which has led me to study the intersection of Buddhism and Psychoanalysis. Please look out for my forthcoming book, Reincarnation Karma.

Rande's book list on what the West can learn from the East

Rande Brown Why did Rande love this book?

Zen and Japanese Culture, the twentieth century's leading work on Zen Buddhism, completely changed my life when I read it at sixteen. This classic text, a profoundly simple introduction to Japanese art and philosophy, held the key to my young compulsion toward the transcendent aesthetic perfection of Japan and began to prepare me for understanding the world of the Geisha. It awakened the need within me to move to Japan to study Zen Buddhism in an authentic Zen Temple. Which I did. 

By Daisetz T. Suzuki,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Zen and Japanese Culture as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Zen and Japanese Culture is a classic that has influenced generations of readers and played a major role in shaping conceptions of Zen's influence on Japanese traditional arts. In simple and poetic language, Daisetz Suzuki describes Zen and its historical evolution. He connects Zen to the philosophy of the samurai, and subtly portrays the relationship between Zen and swordsmanship, haiku, tea ceremonies, and the Japanese love of nature. Suzuki uses anecdotes, poetry, and illustrations of silk screens, calligraphy, and architecture. The book features an introduction by Richard Jaffe that acquaints readers with Suzuki's life and career and analyzes the book's…


Book cover of The Shape of Ancient Thought: Comparative Studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies

Rande Brown Author Of Geisha: A Life

From my list on what the West can learn from the East.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m an American Jewish girl who was born knowing that I had been Japanese in my previous lifetime. After graduating with a degree in Japanese studies from Princeton University, I moved to Japan at 21 and became a well-known translator. One day the Geisha Mineko Iwasaki, the inspiration behind Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha, asked me to co-author the story of her life. Published in 2002, Geisha, a Life became a bestseller. Writing Geisha awakened memories of my past life as a courtesan in fourteenth-century Kyoto. I began a deep study of reincarnation, which has led me to study the intersection of Buddhism and Psychoanalysis. Please look out for my forthcoming book, Reincarnation Karma.

Rande's book list on what the West can learn from the East

Rande Brown Why did Rande love this book?

This is the best book in English that illuminates the intensive interpenetration of Eastern and Western thought that took place in the ancient world, when half-naked yogis wandered the streets of Alexandria, Egypt, and Greek philosophers traveled to the Hindu Kush to study Buddhism. This brilliant book helped me make sense of the Eastern and Western parts of myself, reflections of my former incarnations in Greece, Tibet, and Japan, and helped me to understand that we are all of one mind.  

By Thomas C. Mcevilley,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Shape of Ancient Thought as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This revolutionary study by the renowned classical philologist reveals the interplay of Greek and Indian thought at the roots of Western culture.

Thomas C. McEvilley’s magisterial work demonstrates that Eastern and Western civilizations have not always had separate, autonomous metaphysical schemes, but have mutually influenced each other over a long period of time. Examining ancient trade routes, imperialist movements, and migration currents, he shows how some of today’s key philosophical ideas circulated freely in the triangle between Greece, India, and Persia, leading to an intense metaphysical interchange between Greek and Indian cultures.

While scholars have sensed a philosophical kinship between…


Book cover of Thoughts Without a Thinker: Psychotherapy from a Buddhist Perspective

Rande Brown Author Of Geisha: A Life

From my list on what the West can learn from the East.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m an American Jewish girl who was born knowing that I had been Japanese in my previous lifetime. After graduating with a degree in Japanese studies from Princeton University, I moved to Japan at 21 and became a well-known translator. One day the Geisha Mineko Iwasaki, the inspiration behind Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha, asked me to co-author the story of her life. Published in 2002, Geisha, a Life became a bestseller. Writing Geisha awakened memories of my past life as a courtesan in fourteenth-century Kyoto. I began a deep study of reincarnation, which has led me to study the intersection of Buddhism and Psychoanalysis. Please look out for my forthcoming book, Reincarnation Karma.

Rande's book list on what the West can learn from the East

Rande Brown Why did Rande love this book?

This is one of the first, and still one of the best, comparisons of Buddhist thought and Western psychology. In contemporary times, the lines between psychology and spirituality have become indistinct, and many seekers are finding benefit within both disciplines (a subject I discuss in my article "When Mindfulness is Not Enough"). Dr. Epstein illustrates how tools learned from Buddhism and psychotherapy can be used together to create a “healthy emotional life.”

By Mark Epstein,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Thoughts Without a Thinker as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The line between psychology and spirituality has blurred, as clinicians, their patients, and religious seekers explore new perspectives on the self. A landmark contribution to the field of psychoanalysis, Thoughts Without a Thinker describes the unique psychological contributions offered by the teachings of Buddhism. Drawing upon his own experiences as a psychotherapist and meditator, New York-based psychiatrist Mark Epstein lays out the path to meditation-inspired healing, and offers a revolutionary new understanding of what constitutes a healthy emotional life.


Book cover of Become a Medical Intuitive: The Complete Developmental Course

Susan Corso Author Of Energy Integrity Rose Thymus Chakra: How to Own & Use the Power of Your Personal Energy

From my list on the chakra curious.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been fascinated by—and working with—the chakra system for more than 40 years. Because of my practice as a metaphysician, I have long sought the meanings behind what we experience as reality. Meaning is what makes reality worth living. The chakra system is a vital key to creating a life past surviving to thriving. Over the years, I’ve seen detective work in the chakra system unravel issues from the past, present, and future gently and for keeps. Every single one of us should know our chakras as a matter of basic health, and my 40 years of experience with clients proves it!

Susan's book list on the chakra curious

Susan Corso Why did Susan love this book?

Tina Zion is the real deal. A fourth-generation medium, she teaches how to be a medical intuitive. Her premise is that we all have this ability. I agree with her. I also like the ethics she teaches. Becoming a Chakra Detective, similar to a medical intuitive, but using the chakra system primarily as its interface, we do need to become detectives because… no two of us are alike. Ever. This is why I suggest you start at home, with yourself, before you attempt to help others with their chakras. Working through your own patterning from the past, your own present biases and blind spots, and your future fears and worries with the chakras is not only possible, it’s phenomenal… if you’ll do the work.

By Tina M. Zion,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Become a Medical Intuitive as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

You are naturally wired to be an intuitive!

Yes, you are already intuitive! Yes, you can learn medical intuition! You are already wired to be intuitive. It is only a matter of noticing in a different way.

This book provides a complete training experience to become a medical intuitive. Each chapter advances you, step-by-step, to intensify your intuitive abilities and your x-ray perception.

•Develop inner sight for the deeper cause of illness.
• Feel, sense, and see the entire person on all levels.
• Access a person's eternal story for healing.
• Understand the electromagnetic energy of thought and emotion.…


Book cover of Llewellyn's Complete Book of Chakras

Susan Corso Author Of Energy Integrity Rose Thymus Chakra: How to Own & Use the Power of Your Personal Energy

From my list on the chakra curious.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been fascinated by—and working with—the chakra system for more than 40 years. Because of my practice as a metaphysician, I have long sought the meanings behind what we experience as reality. Meaning is what makes reality worth living. The chakra system is a vital key to creating a life past surviving to thriving. Over the years, I’ve seen detective work in the chakra system unravel issues from the past, present, and future gently and for keeps. Every single one of us should know our chakras as a matter of basic health, and my 40 years of experience with clients proves it!

Susan's book list on the chakra curious

Susan Corso Why did Susan love this book?

Cyndi Dale is perhaps the doyenne of the chakra experts. I’ve read a lot of her books, and she’s quite knowledgeable. However, I completely disagree with much of her chakra system. It’s too complicated for my taste, but then I am most interested in the whole population knowing how to work with their own chakras in an everyday way just like we brush our teeth. She’s training experts. Her work is valuable to know what others have discovered, and… her section on the history of the chakra system as well as how it has been a part of health and healing in cultures from the Incas to the Taoists to the Hindus to the Sufis to the Maori and more throughout time is quite simply the best. 

By Cyndi Dale,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Llewellyn's Complete Book of Chakras as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Powerful centres of subtle energy, the chakras have fascinated humanity for thousands of years. Llewellyn's Complete Book of Chakras is a unique and empowering resource that provides comprehensive insights into these foundational sources of vitality and strength. Discover what chakras are and how they work. Explore how to work with chakras for personal growth and healing. Examine the ways our understanding of chakras has transformed through history and across cultures. Lively and accessible, this definitive reference explores the science, history, practices, and structures of subtle energy systems. With an abundance of illustrations and a wealth of practical exercises, Llewellyn's Complete…


Book cover of Yoga of the Subtle Body: A Guide to the Physical and Energetic Anatomy of Yoga

Carol Krucoff Author Of Relax Into Yoga for Seniors: A Six-Week Program for Strength, Balance, Flexibility, and Pain Relief

From my list on for yoga teachers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a yoga therapist, health journalist, mother, and grandmother with a passion for helping people harness the powerful medicine of movement. Physical activity is essential to good health, and yoga can be particularly effective because it’s a holistic discipline that enhances all aspects of wellbeing—physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual. I started taking a weekly yoga class in my early 20s to stretch tight muscles and relieve stress from my busy job as a Washington Post reporter. Nearly 50 years later, yoga is central to my life, with practices that have helped me through several major health challenges, and kept me balanced, fit, and centered in our unpredictable world.  

Carol's book list on for yoga teachers

Carol Krucoff Why did Carol love this book?

Much of the Western approach to yoga views it as a fitness activity and focuses primarily on the physical body. Yet authentic yoga practice is rooted in the reality that the body is not separate from the psychospiritual forces that animate it. In this book, Tias Little who is one of the foremost yoga instructors in North Americaoffers a guided tour of the body’s physical anatomy, then uses this awareness to explore the fascinating and mysterious arena of the subtle body. Drawing on ancient texts and modern science, Little explains the yogic view of the energetic body (prana, nadis, and chakras), explores the esoteric subtleties of the mind-body connection, and provides thought-provoking insights into the secrets of our innermost being.  

By Tias Little,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

With his expert teachings, philosophical insights, and pragmatic imagery, world-class yoga instructor Tias Little turns the anatomy of the physical body into a tool for navigating the subtle body

If you spend considerable time doing yoga, you begin to see that it is about much more than just the body—the practice of yoga in fact reveals that the body is in no way separate from the psychospiritual forces that animate it. Here, Tias Little provides a way to understand these forces as they relate to an integrated yoga of body, mind, and spirit. He unites somatic concepts and wisdom teachings…


Book cover of The Book of Chakra Healing

Susan Corso Author Of Energy Integrity Rose Thymus Chakra: How to Own & Use the Power of Your Personal Energy

From my list on the chakra curious.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been fascinated by—and working with—the chakra system for more than 40 years. Because of my practice as a metaphysician, I have long sought the meanings behind what we experience as reality. Meaning is what makes reality worth living. The chakra system is a vital key to creating a life past surviving to thriving. Over the years, I’ve seen detective work in the chakra system unravel issues from the past, present, and future gently and for keeps. Every single one of us should know our chakras as a matter of basic health, and my 40 years of experience with clients proves it!

Susan's book list on the chakra curious

Susan Corso Why did Susan love this book?

The first edition of this book is visually stunning, and I like it, first, for that reason—chakras need color and beauty and imagery and vitality, not black and white prose. They are, after all, the animation of the life force itself viewed through a prism. How that could possibly ever translate into just words on a page, I’ll never understand. Second, her practices are simple and exemplary with Archetypes, Altars, Physical Exercises, Crystals, Meditations, Daily Questions/Journaling, and Affirmations. They touch on all four aspects of each of us: Body, Heart, Mind, Spirit. Information about chakras is fine but useless. Working with your own chakra system is the entire point as far as I’m concerned.

By Liz Simpson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Book of Chakra Healing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Book of Chakra Healing is a comprehensive guide to the ancient Indian system of chakras. These centres of 'spinning energy' in the body help maintain your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual balance. This book offers practical ways to work on your chakras and shows you how to unblock and rebalance your energy. Understanding chakra healing involves colour, knowledge of ancient myths, archetypes, bodywork, crystals, meditations, visualizations, open questions and affirmations.


Book cover of Messages from the Body: Their Psychological Meaning

Susan Corso Author Of Energy Integrity Rose Thymus Chakra: How to Own & Use the Power of Your Personal Energy

From my list on the chakra curious.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been fascinated by—and working with—the chakra system for more than 40 years. Because of my practice as a metaphysician, I have long sought the meanings behind what we experience as reality. Meaning is what makes reality worth living. The chakra system is a vital key to creating a life past surviving to thriving. Over the years, I’ve seen detective work in the chakra system unravel issues from the past, present, and future gently and for keeps. Every single one of us should know our chakras as a matter of basic health, and my 40 years of experience with clients proves it!

Susan's book list on the chakra curious

Susan Corso Why did Susan love this book?

To say that Dr. Lincoln is eccentric understates the case. His interpretations of varied symptomologies can be truly harsh. Make sure you feel strong enough when you use him as a reference to push away what doesn’t resonate for you. His book is the one I return to over and over again because it meets at the crossroads of Louise Hay’s You Can Heal Your Life (the original classic in the field, if a little glossed-over) and Taber’s Encyclopedic Medical Dictionary, both of which I also use. The point is this: human bodies are remarkable, first and foremost, because they don’t lie. They don’t lie because they can’t lie. When we learn to listen to our bodies, we are that much closer to health and healing.

By Michael J. Lincoln,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

2019, 50th Celebration Special Edition with pictures of the author through the years. Messages From The Body is more than a BDR (Body's Desk Reference) from the Homeopathy Field. Illnesses and disorders are linked to beliefs and changes of beliefs about oneself, about the nature of one's relationships with others, about position in the social world, and about where one stands in relation to the Universe. And these, in turn, are determined by life experiences, by interventions in the world, and by soul history. This reference book will bring awareness from the physical into the mental! Enjoy!


Book cover of The Chakra Bible: The Definitive Guide to Working with Chakras

Susan Corso Author Of Energy Integrity Rose Thymus Chakra: How to Own & Use the Power of Your Personal Energy

From my list on the chakra curious.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been fascinated by—and working with—the chakra system for more than 40 years. Because of my practice as a metaphysician, I have long sought the meanings behind what we experience as reality. Meaning is what makes reality worth living. The chakra system is a vital key to creating a life past surviving to thriving. Over the years, I’ve seen detective work in the chakra system unravel issues from the past, present, and future gently and for keeps. Every single one of us should know our chakras as a matter of basic health, and my 40 years of experience with clients proves it!

Susan's book list on the chakra curious

Susan Corso Why did Susan love this book?

This is a beautifully produced book, as the chakras deserve, and full of many different practices as a great supplement to the Liz Simpson book. I particularly liked her teaching on yoga asanas. As chakras are frequencies of light, they are of course ephemeral. They are also grounded in the human body by the endocrine system. Those who are inclined toward physical and/or exercise types of healing will benefit here. She’s an expert. Her history section, whilst brief, is also hugely informative. This is a great beginner book for people at the outset of their chakra journey. Her emphasis is all on healing, wholing, and well-being.

By Patricia Mercier,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Chakra Bible as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Harness the power of the chakras for healing and harmony.

Chakras are the centers of energy in our body that profoundly affect our well-being. Through this exquisitely designed volume, newcomers to this alternative form of spirituality can understand every aspect of chakra power. In addition to an illuminating introduction, a detailed guide covers each chakra, with their associated colors, Indian deity, healing stone, and emotional and physical actions. One by one, go through the base, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, brow, and crown chakras, as well as some newly discovered ones and chakras from different traditions. There’s also invaluable information…


5 book lists we think you will like!

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