Book Recommendation:
YOGA AND YOU
Esther Myers

This book, recommended by my first teacher, Julie Rosier, was one of my early introductions to learning about yoga and how to create my own practice. I would open the book on the floor beside me and twist and roll and contort to see if I was doing the pose properly. I carried it everywhere with me, reading as greedily as I read the Twilight series. I read and re-read and pondered over points, practicing each instruction when I could. I carried it with me on a visit to New York City and felt pious as I read it on the plane, flipping between pages to tie the teachings together.

I went on to have the extreme fortune of joining a teacher training class with Esther Myers. Esther's matter of fact approach to yoga is refreshing and empowering. She breaks yoga down into bite-size chunks, leaves out all the fluff, and transforms it into a practice that anyone can do. Don't get me wrong, I love some of the fluff, but Esther's style made yoga accessible for me.

It is not a very thick book. It is written in clear, simple to understand language. The instructions are precise and concise. I often find myself going back to this book and flipping through it's tattered, note-filled pages, looking for a better way to instruct a pose, or looking for answers to a question, or just in a moment of searching. Esther's poses are also amazingly grounded and open. Esther embodies the concept of being instead of doing a pose.

If you are just beginning your yoga practice, or if you've been practicing for decades, this book is a yoga library staple.

my tattered copy

Notice the amazing openness in the front of her body in all these pictures. She is completely rooted to the ground and lifting out of her center. These poses are just beautiful!

Sorry for the picture quality - I'm learning!