Currently I am making my way through the hard cover book you see, The Goddess Pose by Michelle Goldberg. I’m extremely excited to recommend this book to anyone in the yoga world, or just anyone interested in history. Yoga as we know it now grew out of a complicated dialogue between the East and West. Around the 1930’s in India, the practice of Hatha yoga was being newly revitalized. One of the Yogis leading the way was a teacher named Krishnmacharya. During his long journey as a teacher, he had four illustrious pupils who went on to become famous teachers in their own rites: Pattabhi Jois, B.K.S Iyengar, T.K.V. Desikachar, and Indra Devi.
These four instructors helped to disseminate yoga to the rest of the world, and started their own lineages of the tradition. The only woman among them was Indra Devi. As the author writes, her life was “audacious” to say the least. Born Eugenia Peterson, a Russian actress before the Bolshevik revolution, she made her way across Europe, and eventually to India, what she considered her spiritual home. She didn’t begin her study of yoga until well into her thirties, and from there took her teaching to China. Did you know that in the Japanese concentration camps set up in China during WWII there were yoga classes going on thanks to Indra Devi?
After the war, she arrived in Los Angeles where she was able to ingratiate herself into society and began sharing her knowledge of yoga once again. So much of what we now see in the modern Yoga world is thanks in large part to Indra Devi. Before her tutelage with Krishnamacharya, it was relatively unheard for a woman to have anything to do with the practice of Hatha Yoga. Indra Devi introduced what we now recognize as vinyasa yoga to women (and men) all over the world.
The second book is Quiet (The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking) by Susan Cain. If nothing else, this book is vindicating for an introvert like me. So much in our world is focused on Personality rather than Character. Often times we tend to value the biggest voice over the wisest voice. This book helps to explain the psychology of our society at present, and gives some insights as to how introverts can functionally navigate our noisy world. Roughly half of the U.S. population considers themselves to be introverted, so this is a great book for everyone to read, even you if you happen to be more of an extrovert.
Not pictured here (because it’s already out on loan) is my favorite fiction series: Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. They made one of the books into a movie some time ago…but if you saw the movie, forget what you watched and read the books instead. The books have a fascinating message that weaves together physics, religion, and the mysteries of the universe with a heart stopping adventure tale. There’s even romance. Though technically these are children’s books, I get more out of them every time I re-read them, and would recommend them to any adult who wants to enjoy a well told piece of fiction that also feeds their mind and inspires their heart.
My Final Book recommendation (Also not pictured, also on loan) is Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss. Caroline Myss might be categorized as “self-help” writer, except that she asks questions rather than providing all the answers. Anatomy of the Spirit gave me what I still consider to be the best introduction to the human chakra system. She draws parallels between human anatomy, spiritual well being, and rights of passage seen in different traditions and cultures. Every chapter is concluded with a list of provocative and thoughtful questions. The intention with this book is for the reader to develop their awareness, and to become their own spiritual healer. I always find myself coming back to this book when I feel that I have slumped into a spiritual malaise or that my body has become unwell. If you’re curious about the chakras or looking for a way to inspire your own spiritual growth, get your hands on this book. I promise it’s worth the read.
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