“Yoga is the stilling of fluctuations in the heart-mind field of consciousness.”
— Yoga Sturas of patanjali 1.2
Namasté
If you haven’t heard me cite a translation of namasté before, my favorite is: “the inner light of awareness in me sees and honors the inner light of awareness inside you.”
It’s good to have your light shining here! This page is for curious yogis to continue their study. After all, physical yoga (postures) are just one small part of the overall practice of yoga…
In my opinion, understanding mindfulness/yoga/spirituality/the soul (whatever lens you want to look at it from) is the most radical adventure we can undertake as a human being. That being said… It can also be daunting in its mystery, staggering in its scope, and frustrating in its breadth.
Thank God for teachers, friends, mentors, books, mother nature. I count myself blessed to have learned from many.
Below you’ll find a compendium of what I consider crème de la crème of resources. Mind you, I’m no authority and this list is definitely subjective (and subject to change as I learn more!). I have simply bumbled my way around for 15 years in the realm of meditation/mindfulness/yoga/spirituality, and perhaps have spent an inappropriate amount of my brain-power pondering the unanswerable questions of life. My hope is some of my already spent effort will accelerate or catalyze your own process of self-study and inquiry.
Please know this page is, like me, a work in progress. As such, it may or may not be complete when you visit. It’s meant to be dynamically updated as I learn more, so I thank you for your patience and understanding with errors or incompleteness :)
I hope something here is of benefit to you.
Love and Metta*,
Wei-Ming
*Metta: loving kindness, compassion
Books
When making this section, I initially scrounged the internet for a stock photo of books… Then I figured, why not use a photo of my actual bookshelf?
Books are incredible. For a few dollars, one can expose themselves to ideas and information that can entirely change the trajectory of a life or establish new belief systems. Tremendous return on investment, in my opinion.
Regarding links: I have done my best link you to the original publisher such that you can make a neutral, unbiased decision on where to shop.
Introductory Yoga Texts
The Heart of Yoga: Developing A Personal Practice by TKV Desikachar – Neophyte friendly, The Heart of Yoga brings readers from a cursory understanding to a more nuanced view of the vast philosophical and spiritual practice that is yoga. The first yoga book I recall buying. Commonly included in yoga teacher training curricula.
Diving Deeper
The Yoga Sutras Desk Reference by Nicolai Bachman –
I suggest pairing this with the author’s audiobook titled The Yoga Sutras: An Essential Guide to the Heart of Yoga Philosophy. The latter brings you an even richer experience of the sutras through their spoken sound – a different bhavana (feeling tone) and vibration indeed.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: Translation and commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda – There are many translations and commentaries available. As you continue to study, it is helpful to have multiple translations because sanskrit is an extremely potent language. One sanskrit word can be a cornucopia of meaning, and may require several words in a modern language to begin to understand its essence.
The Bhagavad Gita: Translation by Eknath Easwaran – A cornerstone of the Hindu religion, the Bhagavad Gita literally means “song of the Lord.” It is also thought of as a foundational text on yoga. Like the yoga sutras, there are many translations and commentaries of the Gita. I have 4, and I return to this one the most for its readability and accessibility. If you appreciate hearing the original text, a nice online companion is The-Holy-Gita.org which has a chanting of each verse.
Autobiography of A Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda – In the 1920s, Yogananda was one of the people who helped initially bring yoga to the west. This unique book penned by a modern day spiritual master is a mind-expanding and inspirational read. The link includes a way to read the book completely free of charge online.
Deeper Still…
The Aghora Trilogy by Dr. Robert Svoboda – I almost hesitate to include Aghora, as it is quite esoteric in nature. However, they are a treasure trove of stories and perspectives from Bharat (India), and I feel those who are drawn will find it an expansive read. Dr. Svoboda was the first westerner to graduate from an Ayurvedic medical college in India and studied under his mentor the aghori Vimalananda for many years.
Mindfulness/Meditation
Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach
The Wise Heart by Jack Kornfield
Things Fall Apart by Pema Chödrön
Getting Unstuck by Pema Chödrön
Search Inside Yourself by Chade Meng-Tan
Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality by Anthony De Mello - A deeply insightful and surprisingly humorous book that exposes the nuance of daily waking consciousness. Athough De Mello was a Jesuit priest, his approachable prose welcomes any spiritual or religious background.
Fiction & Poetry
Why this section? Narrative work and poetry helps open my mind in ways that non-fiction just doesn’t compare. Here are a few of my favorite works.
The Prophet by Khalil Gibran – A collection of poems that offers the modern reader access to timeless wisdom on a variety of perennially reflective topics. On Joy and Sorrow gets me every time. Ebook available freely/by donation at The Khalil Gibran Project.
Dune by Frank Herbert – Widely considered one of the best science fiction novels of all time.
Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa – A novelization of Miyamoto Musashi’s life – a legendary undefeated samurai who lived during the early 1600s.
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts – This epic novel set in late 1970s India is based off of the author’s own life. The rough story-line is a convict escapes from Australia, flees to Mumbai and becomes a slum-doctor, gun-runner, and mafioso. Incredible.
The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu – Another sci-fi fave. The book is jaw-dropping in its ability to integrate real history and imagination to create a work that is adjacent enough to base reality to feel familiar, yet creatively inventive enough to blow past the bounds of our world to something new.
Meditation Resources
Courses/Beginner Friendly
Mindfulness Daily – A free 40-day, less than 15 minutes a day, guided experience to get introduced to meditation and establish a habit of mindfulness. Created by Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield, two contemporary pioneers in mindful practices.
Apps
Insight Timer – An app with oodles of guided meditations and supplemental practices. I use it a lot for yoga nidra which help me fall asleep when my mind is extra busy. (Yoga nidra can be translated as yogic sleep).
Retreats/In-Person
Vipassana Meditation – Vipassana can be translated as “seeing clearly.” Taught in the tradition of SN Goenka, Dhamma.org provides 10-day silent meditation retreats at their worldwide network of centers. This is an immersive experience that offers a pretty complete un-plug from “regular” day-to-day life such that you can effectively turn inward and focus on developing your practice. Amazingly, the foundation is operated on a dana (donation) basis. This means that if you can make your way to one of their centers, you can take the 10 day course on a completely sliding scale basis that meets you where you are financially. There is no set cost to participate, and the program includes housing and delicious vegetarian meals.
Music
If you’ve practiced yoga asana with me before, you may have noticed I utilize primarily, if not exclusively, instrumental music. Here are my current playlists, should you be interested in them.
