Six Books From My Bookshelf

These six books I have referred to constantly since I bought them and they have helped me make sense of myself and the world.

Living Yoga by Georg Feuerstein, Stephan Bodian with the Staff of Yoga Journal. This was the book I bought when I first began Yoga. I knew that I liked everything about doing it, but realised I didn't know too much about it, generally speaking. This book is a "comprehensive guide for daily life" and was a great introduction. I knew I wanted more Yoga after devouring this dog-eared copy. I now get my Yoga fix on-line at Yoga Journal.

Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar. This is my Yoga 'bible'. I knew I was serious about Yoga when I bought this book! I refer to it when I am creating a new sequence of postures, or if I need a posture for a particular ailment. It has a great glossary, a whole section on pranayama and suggested asana courses, including hints and cautions.

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron This was given to me as a gift by my sister and I did the course by myself back in 2003. It was only when I began blogging that I discovered whole groups of recovering artists and revisited the book this year, with great results. It really got me thinking about creativity and where it comes from and how I could harness it fully. I know most of you reading this will have read this book already. I have not read Cameron's second book "Finding Water" yet, and due to not so wonderful reviews by the Finding Water group, I may not bother. Have you read it? What do you think?

The Western Guide to Feng Shui by Terah Kathryn Collins This is all about creating balance, harmony and prosperity in your environment. It gave me a simple de-cluttering technique to use and made me aware of the energy of my surroundings. I now see my world with "Feng Shui eyes".

The Celestine Vision by James Redfield This is a follow up book to "The Celestine Prophesy" which was written as fiction. The Celestine Vision is about the spiritual evolution of the world which sometimes seems a little fanciful, but it is a vision, so I guess it remains to be seen whether it all comes to pass. It did get me thinking though.

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.. I loved the simple message of this book - don't dwell in the past, don't engage in thought about what might happen in the future - simply live in the now. It is about living consciously in the present moment. This practice has brought new meaning to my everyday life, and my Yoga practice and meditation is way more peaceful. I loved this book!

Winging its way to me in the post, is "The Yoga of Eating" by Charles Eisenstein, which has been glowingly referred by Olivia.

Also on the reading list is "A Course In Miracles". I know that this book was first published in 1976 - has anyone else out there read it? Is it still relevant?