Go Get a Book by Cate

I was bred to be a book lover. When I was a kid, my parents were voracious readers. When we went on vacation as a family, they b-lined to loungers with their paperbacks and tore through stacks. When I reached Judy Blume age, I started to understand their obsession. Are You There God? It's Me Margaret was the beginning of my LOVE of reading and of books themselves.

I've heard some people recommend keeping books out of your bedroom, because the bedroom should be simple and only about sleep. This sounds HORRIBLE to me. A bedroom without books is like a bed without a comforter. My nightstand pile is a reflection of me in this moment in time.

These days there are always at least a few trusty Kundalini Yoga books. Books I've read and referred to again and again. They are my pals. I need them by my side. 

I wanted to share with you the Kundalini Yoga books that have helped me the most and inspired me the  most. I also wanted to encourage you to buy a book or two. I love books on tape for the car, and I love the instant gratification of Kindle, but there is something about holding a book.

 For overviews of the practice....

• Kundalini Yoga as Taught by Yogi Bhajan: Unlock Your Inner Potential Through Life-Changing Exercise by Shakta Kaur Khalsa. This one has been an invaluable reference tool for me. It covers all the basics: the roots of the practice, how kundalini energy works, tuning in, breathing, bandhas (body locks), warm ups, kriyas (beginner and intermediate sequences with photographs included), meditations, and tips and recipes for daily life.  It's one of those beautiful Dorling Kindersley (DK) Books, full of gorgeous photographs and bite-sized information and is a great one to turn to when you have a question about something foundational to Kundalini Yoga. 
• Invincible Living: The Power of Yoga, the Energy of Breath, and Other Tools for a Radiant Life by Guru Jagat. This book is a more modern take on the technology of Kundalini, from a writer who has a near encyclopedic knowledge of Yogi Bhajan's teachings. She covers the topics of  addressing stress, balancing emotions, prosperity, relationships, and creativity. Interspersed throughout the chapters are breath practices, yoga, meditations, recipes and other lifestyle tips. To give you a flavor of Guru Jagat's unique voice, here's how she begins: "I am a modern woman, a yogi, a meditator, and in many ways my own version of a freedom fighter. I believe the new activism in this time is fighting for and freeing your mind, body, and emotions from the hypnotic media haze, denatured nutritional vitality suppression, and the general culturally accepted commotionality and subsequent fatigue that we call 'living a life.'" This is a yogi who is totally in her power, and she writes with authority about approaching all of life in a conscious way.

To explore Kundalini Yoga and the chakras... 

• The 8 Human Talents by Gurmukh with Cathryn Michon. Now, this book is a true, true treasure. Perhaps the most famous living Kundalini Yoga  teacher, Gurmukh discusses each energy center (or chakra), its associated talent (e.g., the heart chakra's talent is compassion), and how to use Kundalini Yoga to keep it in balance. She writes in an accessible way that is at once elevated and real. What I love most is that Gurmukh uses real examples from her own life and from the lives of her students to illustrate the benefits of working with the chakras.  I LOVE this book, and I know many people who cite this as the book that turned them on to Kundalini Yoga and to doing Teacher Training.

To explore Kundalini Yoga and the 10 Bodies...

• Waves of Healing: Listening to the Voice of the Soul  by Siri Atma S. Khalsa. If you've been to more than a few Kundalini classes, you've probably heard teachers talk about "the 10 bodies."  Yogi Bhajan taught that we are not only a physical body. We are first and foremost a soul. We also have three mental bodies, and five energetic bodies. In this book, Khalsa explains the meaning and qualities of each body and provides a kriya and a meditation for keeping each body strong and in balance. This book is very readable, and it makes an esoteric topic very accessible. 

To explore Aquarian Sadhana...

• Original Light: the Morning Practice of Kundalini Yoga by Snatam Kaur. From the most beloved devotional singer in Kundalini Yoga, this book is an eloquent unpacking of Aquarian Sadhana, a two and a half hour early morning practice given to us by Yogi Bhajan. For more about Aquarian Sadhana, you can read my blog here. What I love most about this book is that it comes from a true depth of devotion and experience, having grown up in the world of Kundalini Yoga and  dedicated herself to the mantras in her work. 

To explore an application of Kundalini Yoga...

• The Body Temple: Kundalini Yoga for Body Acceptance, Eating Disorders, and Radical Self-Love  by Ramdesh Kaur. Ramdesh has very important stuff to say about the application of Kundalini Yoga to body image issues and eating disorders in this book. Her understanding of this practice is deep and the way she writes about how the mantras, the meditations and the kriyas can help is illuminating. 

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