Light on Life is the most amazing complete insightful book on how yoga is life. BKS Iyengar writes incredibly insightful books on the healing power of yoga. He knew first hand how it transformed his life as when he was young he suffered from many illnesses (tuberculosis, typhoid, malaria) and from malnutrition. His brother-in-law however was the great Krishnamacharya and even though he didn't believe in the ability of Iyengar, he trained him and this made Iyengar one of the great yogis of his time. He focussed very much on the alignment aided with props. In this book he talks about how the yoga philosophy can help us in life.

“Here Iyengar explores the yogic goal to integrate the different parts of the self (body, emotions, mind, and soul), the role that the yoga postures and breathing techniques play in our search for wholeness, the external and internal obstacles that keep us from progressing along the path, and how yoga can transform our lives and help us to live in harmony with the world around us. For the first time, Iyengar uses stories from his own life, humor, and examples from modern culture to illustrate the profound gifts that yoga offers. Written with the depth of this sage's great wisdom, Light on Life is the culmination of a master's spiritual genius, a treasured companion to his seminal Light on Yoga.”

Maybe it was the timing of me reading this book (I had had it unread on my kindle for some time) but I ended up highlighting pretty much the entire book. Insightful to the extreme and a must read for yogis. But as it has so many of the yogic concepts combined in this book (the Koshas, 8-limbed path, gunas, etc.) it can be a bit challenging for those new to yoga. Stick with it though as he does explain and gives great real life examples. Just read and re-read.

“It is through the alignment of the body that I discovered the alignment of my mind, self, and intelligence.”

— BKS Iyengar

“Remember to love. Everything, everyone, yourself, the world around you. That is the work. Because if you can be with that love, embrace it, own it, and let it influence all the ways you are in the world, then you will know God, you will be home, and peace in every way possible will be your contribution to this life.”

— Seane Corn

So truthfully, at first this book didn’t resonate with me… I think I was a bit intimidated by the fierce, strong, beautiful woman on the cover. When I listened to her voice on my audiobook, she sounded like a no-nonsense, ballsy New Yorker, and this confidence, together with the image of the strong yogi made me feel very small. Fortunately the universe nudged me enough, through various other people recommending this book, for me to pick it up again. And I am so happy I did. It is honest, raw, an autobiography showing vulnerability but at the same time it is incredibly insightful, it explains some of the yoga philosophy in such a clear and relatable way. I love her, she is amazing.

“Remember that everything you feel, including the shadow emotions you have trouble acknowledging, lives in the body, and if you don’t allow your feelings to arise and then dissolve, they will become stuck there, taking up residence in places like the hips, the jaw, the shoulders. By creating distinct shapes through asana, you can move your awareness and your breath into those areas and encourage the energy to release. All of this helps you understand what your body is trying to tell you and offers you clues on how to bring these embodied “stories” into your awareness, and hopefully assist in your own healing.”

— Seane Corn

Seane’s real purpose is to guide us into a deep, gut-level understanding of our highest Self through yoga philosophy and other tools for emotional healing—not just as abstract ideas but as embodied, fully-felt wisdom. Why? To spark a “revolution of the soul” in each of us, so we can awaken to our purpose and become true agents of change.

To take us there, she shares “the highlights, lowlights, and what-the-fucks” of her own evolution, including:

• How, in the gritty clubs and cafes of New York’s 1980s East Village, Seane meets the first everyday “angels” that will change her path forever

• Her first yoga classes (with dirty sweats, Marlboros, and the mother of all monkey minds in tow)

• How a variety of unconventional therapists masterfully helped Seane embrace her shadow and resolve her childhood trauma, OCD, unhealthy behaviors, and relationship wounding

• A pilgrimage to India where Seane receives stinging truths about false gurus and our need to trust the teacher within

• Poignant, hard-earned lessons on how to be a truly effective and heart-centered activist

• How she came to understand the connection between the inner work of transformation and the outer work of social change

• And many other stories, each illuminated by immersive teachings

“When we heal the fractured parts of ourselves and learn to love who we are and the journey we’ve embarked upon,” writes Seane, “we will see that same tender humanity in all souls. This is the revolution of the soul.” And with this book, you’re invited to be a part of it.”

“In his third book, The great work of your life, Stephen Cope uses the Bhagavad Gita to talk about Dharma. We often feel overwhelmed by the realities of daily life and about how to realize your life's true purpose—what spiritual teachers call dharma. He writes that in order to have a fulfilling life you must, in fact, discover the deep purpose hidden at the very core of your self. In The Great Work of Your Life, Cope describes the process of unlocking the unique possibility harboured within every human soul. The secret, he asserts, can be found in the pages of a two-thousand-year-old spiritual classic called the Bhagavad Gita—an ancient allegory about the path to dharma, told through a timeless dialogue between the fabled archer, Arjuna, and his divine mentor, Krishna.” If you are interested in reading the Bhagavad Gita, I really enjoyed Eknath Easwaran’s interpretation (also in book-club).

Stephen Cope writes beautifully and I truly loved his previous books; “Yoga and the Quest for the True Self” and “The Wisdom of Yoga”, which Mona recommended to me. This third book however is even better still; based on the Bhagavad Gita it is about the pillars of Karma Yoga (the yoga of Action) and finding your Dharma or calling in life;

1. Discern your calling

2. Do it full out

3. Let go of the outcome

4. Give it to God

His books really are fantastic books for yogis; this book on the Great Work of Your Life however can be read by anyone as he uses the philosophy of Karma yoga in historic people who found their true calling (Walt Whitman, Jane Goodall, John Keats and Harriet Tubman to name some).

Reading his books (which he wrote while at Kripalu in the USA) aspired me to do my yoga therapy teacher training at Kripalu and it was as magical as I had imagined. I was lucky enough to meet him on my second visit, where he kindly signed his latest book for me.

“People actually feel happiest and most fulfilled when meeting the challenge of their dharma in the world, when bringing highly concentrated effort to some compelling activity for which they have a true calling. For most of us this means our work in the world. And by work, of course, I do not mean only ‘job’.”

— Stephen Cope

“The great benefit of practicing mindfulness... is presence of mind within a storm of emotions.”

— Phillip Moffitt

Why do we suffer? Is there a purpose to our pain? Noting that human beings have wrestled with such questions for thousands of years, Phillip Moffitt has found answers for his own life in Buddhist philosophy and meditation. Reflecting on his own journey from Esquire magazine editor-in-chief to Buddhist meditation teacher, Moffitt provides a fresh perspective on the Buddha's ancient wisdom, showing how to move from suffering to new awareness and unanticipated joy.

In this deeply spiritual book that is sure to become a Buddhist classic, Moffitt explores the twelve insights that underlie the Buddha's core teaching--the Four Noble Truths--and uses these often neglected ideas to guide readers to a more meaningful relationship to suffering. Moffitt write: "These twelve insights teach you to dance with both the joy and pain, finding peace in a balanced mind and calm spirit. As the most specific, practical life instructions I have ever encountered, they serve as an invaluable tool for anyone who seeks a life filled with meaning and well-being." Practicing these twelve insights, as Moffitt suggests, will help readers experience life's difficulties without being filled with stress and anguish, and they will enhance their moments of happiness.

Solve for Happy, by Mo Gawdat is a wonderful book, in which I recognise a lot of yoga philisophy, but it is a non-yoga book (Mo was  Chief Business Officer for Google X) on how to be happy by identifying what makes us unhappy (he believes that everyone is born happy); it dismantles 6 illusions and 7 blind-spots, before leading to the 5 truths which connect us all. The 6 illusions are Thought, Self, Knowledge, Time, Control and Fear which are all concepts our mind wants to cling onto, but are destined to make us disconnected from ourselves. It is followed by the blind-spots which are hard-wired into our DNA, but outdated in the modern world; Filters, Assumptions, Predictions, Memories, Labels, Emotions and Exaggeration. Finally the 5 universal truths of Now, Change, Love, Death and Design.  It is all packaged in some way or another in our yoga philosophy (awareness, being present, letting go of judgement, what causes us to suffer) so it was fascinating to read it in a scientific way. It is easy to read; I am a very slow reader and I read it in one go and have gifted it to many friends.

I was lucky to be able to hear Mo speak live at an ActionForHapiness event recently and he is such an inspirational, eloquent, insightful, grounded and open person; hearing him talk about Solve For Happy revealed more insights and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Please check out his #onebillionhappy mission; together we can make the world a happier place!

For my teacher training I had a reading list which included; The Bhagavad Gita, I chose the version introduced by Eknath Easwaran who writes beautifully.

“The Bhagavad Gita is the best known of all the Indian scriptures, and Eknath Easwaran’s best-selling translation is reliable, readable, and profound.”

The Bhagavad Gita opens, dramatically, on a battlefield, as the warrior Arjuna turns in anguish to his spiritual guide, Sri Krishna, for answers to the fundamental questions of life. Yet the Gita is not what it seems – it’s not a dialogue between two mythical figures at the dawn of Indian history. “The battlefield is a perfect backdrop, but the Gita’s subject is the war within, the struggle for self-mastery that every human being must wage if he or she is to emerge from life victorious.”

“Strive to still your thoughts. Make your mind one-pointed in meditation. The mind is restless and difficult to restrain, but it is subdued by practice.”

— Lord Krishna, Bhagavad Gita