The Yoga Book Worm

There is something very exciting about purchasing a new book, or borrowing one from a friend.  Holding a bound clump of paper in my hands sends quite the hullabaloo of a feeling through me.  I mentioned it in a previous post but I was not always such an avid reader.  As a child my parents practically had to force me to get through a book.  Now, it's as though I can't get enough.  I have the habit of buying new books when I am not even half way through the current one I am enjoying, just so I don't have to have a day without one.  Now I don't read every single day, but just knowing that a new story is waiting for me is incredibly nourishing.  Yesterday I took a gander at Amazon- the power of my purse has met its match!  My Yoga Teacher Training starts in just over a month (yippe!) and I have already started compiling a small collection of required and suggested readings for the training.  I am happy to report that I was able to find 3 books that are far more affordable when ordered on-line than going into the store. 

The first is a required reading entitled The Anatomy of Movement by Blandine C. Germain.  I can't quite describe intensely enough how enthusiastic I am to dive into those pages.  The human body is such a marvel.  To gain an understanding on each twist, turn and bend of every limb and joint is something my mind is just screaming to eat up.  I may very well never look at a human body the same way- I intend on being flabbergasted!  I remember going to a physiotherapist a few years back for a sore neck.  She asked me to lie down on my back so she could feel around my neck.  My hands were resting on my belly, with my fingers intertwined into each other.  She told me to leave my hands flat because the tangling of my fingers may affect what she feels in my neck.  What!?  I was instantly amazed.

The second is a book that was not required, but suggested.  My FabTeach actually proposed this book to me before I even realized it was on the list.  It's entitled Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior by Chogyam Trungpa.  I have tried dabbling in mediation a little bit, but to be quite honest, I don't really know how to meditate.  Now is there really a way to lean how to meditate, or does it just appear from your heart and your breathing once you are in a state of calm?  There is the Shambhala Meditation Centre across the street from my original studio.  My FabTeach, again, suggested this place to me.  I went to visit during an open house a few months back and really felt comfortable there.  Everything was so pretty and so peaceful.  The people were friendly (everyone there is a volunteer), the rooms were welcoming, and the story behind it all was wonderful.  Once a month they organize Introduction Classes (free of charge, a simple donation is asked) to give interested individuals insight on how to begin their mediation process.  That way, you can meditate at home, at the Centre, or pretty much anywhere you can, and really know how to dive down into yourself to get the most out of the experience.  Unfortunately for myself, I have been unable to attend these classes.  My work schedule was always a factor.  I was offered a private class, but it seems that the schedules would again coincide with each other, and it became difficult to find a time to go.  Thankfully this little pocket book will help me get my feet (or should I say mind, body and soul) onto that path of meditation.

Finally, the 3rd book I splurged on (although it was not a splurge at all- very cheap actually!) is Yoga Body Buddha Mind by Cyndi Lee.  Wouldn't you know, another suggested reading that FabTeach mentioned I should pick up before I noticed it on the list.  Since I cannot go to my original studio as often as I'd like as a result of work and the big move to the Burbs, FabTeach offered a book I should read to help me with my home practice (by the way, the yoga room is slowly coming together- almost ready to paint!)  The book seems great.  There are different sequences you can try, depending what it is you are looking for and feeling on that particular day.  I am slowly learning which positions flow appropriately with others (another thing I am just so giddy about expanding with the YTT) so this book will support me in deepening this understanding.  I will now officially get the most of an at-home experience.

There are other books associated with the training that I am very excited to get my hands on.  It seems like this book worm will definitely have a sufficient amount of reading to get lost in- and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Namaste,
Lady Lotus