Nine books to read now on yoga therapy and health

Yoga therapy can inform care across a range of disciplines—from rehabilitation to diabetes care to learning self-care through the yogic map of mind. Here are nine books that will teach you more about how yoga therapy can support your practice or profession.

For yoga therapists and healthcare professionals

Trauma-Informed Yoga: A Toolbox for Therapists: 47 Simple Practices to Calm, Balance, and Restore the Nervous System 

By Joanne Spence

“Spence intended this book to be a how-to for talk therapists to begin incorporating yoga into their practices, and she manages to remain easily accessible to those who may be newer to the field or newer to working with trauma survivors while still including pearls of wisdom that will resonate with even seasoned yoga therapists.” —Savanna Scott, MS, LPC, LAMFT

 

Yoga Therapy for Diabetes 

By Evan Soroka

“Yoga Therapy for Diabetes should be a valuable resource for physicians, registered dietitians, certified diabetes educators, nurses, and mental health clinicians with an interest in patient self- regulation and yoga…This is the guide I wish I’d had 20 years ago when I began to include yoga in the care of people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.”  —Cynthia Moore, MS, C-IAYT

 

 

Integrative Rehabilitation Practice: The Foundations of Whole-Person Care for Health Professionals

Edited by Matt Erb and Arlene A. Schmid

Integrative Rehabilitation Practice is a gem of a text for those interested in deepening their understanding of the various theories, frameworks, and holistic therapeutic practices currently categorized under the client-centered model of whole-person reha- bilitation care…this book manages to capture the wide range of integrative models and treatment approaches in one comprehensive volume.” —Kim Mollo, OTD, OTR/L

 

 

Yoga Therapy Foundations, Tools, and Practice: A Comprehensive Textbook 

Edited by Diane Finlayson and Laurie C. Hyland Robertson

“While yoga therapy tools are infinite, essential techniques are synthesized in a way that both informs best practices and sets a foundation for further study. These include: accessible asana, pranayama, ayurvedic asana and pranayama interventions, mudra (gestures), bandha (locks), Yoga Nidra, meditation, and yamas and niyamas (lifestyle practices).” —Felicia Tomasko, RN, C-IAYT

 

 

For yoga therapy students and practitioners 

 

Yoga for Your Mood Deck: 52 Ways to Shift Depression and Anxiety

By Amy Weintraub

Weintraub supports yoga practitioners of any experience level through accessible pranayama (breathing), asana (posture), and mudra (hand gesture) techniques geared toward balancing mood and stabilizing the mind.

 

 

 

 

Enlighten Up! Finding Clarity, Contentment, and Resilience in a Complicated World 

By Beth Gibbs

Gibbs shares practical yoga therapy tools and techniques for cultivating self-awareness through understanding the five koshas (layers of being) and how this model applies to contemporary challenges.

 

 

 

 

MetaAnatomy: A Modern Yogi’s Practical Guide to Physical and Energetic Anatomy of Your Amazing Body 

By Kristin Leal

Leal provides a comprehensive look into the physical, emotional, and energetic aspects of the human being geared toward helping yoga teachers and students recognize their innate wholeness.

 

 

 

 

Messages from the Deep: Calm Anxiety & Lift Depression with Yoga and the Elements 

By Deniz Aydoslu

Aydoslu weaves together the scientific and spiritual mechanisms underlying anxiety and depression—plus practical yoga programs that support finding balance and well-being through these lenses.

 

 

 

 

The Practice is the Path: Lessons and Reflections on the Transformative Power of Yoga

By Tias Little

Little takes readers through his personal journey of transformation with stories and reflections from 30 years of yoga practice and teaching.

 

 

 

 

Read the full media reviews from the Summer 2021 issue of Yoga Therapy Today.

IAYT features media reviews in our triannual publication, Yoga Therapy Today—available to IAYT members worldwide.