Tar Pit Yoga

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My Book & Video Recommendations

	Meditation and Zen	Yoga for Absolute Beginners
	Back Pain and TMS	Yoga for "Seasoned" Beginners
		Yoga for People with a Lot of Asana Experience

Meditation and Zen

Everyday Zen
by Joko Beck
Nothing Special
by Joko Beck

Joko's books are the most accessible Zen books I've read, and I highly recommend them to anyone even considering a meditation or yoga practice. Most books that try to explain Zen or meditation discuss it in rather esoteric terms, and it's hard for the reader to see how it actually relates to daily life. Start with Joko's books first, and then later when you read other books on Zen or meditation or yoga, they'll make a little more sense.

Being Zen
by Ezra Bayda
At Home in the Muddy Water
by Ezra Bayda

Ezra is a Zen teacher who is also one of Joko's students, and he's written two great books. They are very down-to-earth. Like Joko's books, they explain how to practice with everyday issues without all the fluff about "divine bliss" or some other mystical-sounding hooey.

Radical Acceptance
by Tara Brach

Recognizing and working with ick feelings can be unpleasant to say the least, but here's a book to help. Joko recommended it to me, and I quite like it. I have to admit that it's a little on the touchy-feely side, and there's a big Buddhist vibe to it, but it's very useful.

Books for Back Pain and TMS

The Mindbody Prescription
by John Sarno, MD

Dr. Sarno's the best. This is the most recent of his books, and is probably the best at explaining the psychology behind TMS.

Healing Back Pain
by John Sarno, MD

This book is a little older, but it's still quite useful.

Mind Over Back Pain
by John Sarno, MD

This is the oldest of Dr. Sarno's books, so it's not quite as informative as the newer ones, but it's still useful. The Mindbody Workbook
by David Schechter, MD

Here's a workbook that's meant to be used with The Mindbody Prescription. It contains a lot of journaling exercises that you may find helpful.

Back Sense
by Ronald Siegel, PsyD

Freedom From Fibromyalgia
by Nancy Selfridge, MD

To Be or Not to Be...Pain Free: The Mindbody Syndrome
by Marc Sopher, MD
Rapid Recovery From Back and Neck Pain
by Fred Amir

Just for extra reinforcement, it's nice to hear other professionals support Dr. Sarno's TMS theory. Read Dr. Sarno's books first, but you may want to read Back Sense, Freedom From Fibromyalgia, To Be or Not to Be...Pain Free, and Rapid Recovery from Back and Neck Pain for reinforcement. They're written by health professionals who've had personal experience with TMS.

Spontaneous Healing
by Andrew Weil, MD

This book really isn't about TMS, but it has one chapter dedicated to it. Dr. Weil has also been quoted as saying, "Dr. Sarno has had great success in treating TMS simply by explaining to patients the true nature of their pain. I'm convinced that Dr. Sarno is right and that all chronic back pain should be considered TMS until proved otherwise." So you may want to read the case study Dr. Weil describes in the book. The Truth About Chronic Pain
by Arthur Rosenfeld

This book is a collection of interviews with people discussing chronic pain. I only read the one with Dr. Sarno, and if I remember correctly, it basically summarizes what he's written in his books. I believe he mentioned that he's working on another book, too.

Yoga for Absolute Beginners

Yoga the Iyengar Way
by Silva Mehta, Mira Mehta, Shyam Mehta

This is probably the most user-friendly beginning yoga book around. It focuses on the most commonly used postures, it has nice big pictures, and it has lots of instructions on how to use props. It also includes some basics about yoga philosophy which serve as a nice introduction.

Yoga Journal's Yoga for Beginners (DVD)
with Patricia Walden

This is a nice introduction to asana practice for beginners. It's nice and slow. In general, the Patricia Walden videos (there are quite a few of them) are probably the best ones for beginners to start with because they are so gentle.

Yoga Journal (Magazine Subscription)

Sometimes I think yoga practitioners get too caught up with physical practice of yoga--it seems like they're mistaking physical skill for "spirituality." That's not surprising, since most videos and magazines (like this one) emphasize the beauty of asana practice. But if you can get past the "pretty" yoga and the oodles of ads, you can find some very interesting articles in here. I particularly appreciate the "Dharma Wisdom" section and the detailed "Asana" column. Yoga for Beginners Kit
Props definitely make yoga more enjoyable, and this is a reasonably priced starter kit. The video doesn't provide very valuable instruction, so absolute beginners will probably want to work with a live instructor. Or they'll at least want to buy an additional beginning video.

Yoga for "Seasoned" Beginners

Total Yoga: The Flow Series: Earth (VHS)
with Ganga White and Tracy Rich

Living Yoga - Power Yoga for Beginners (VHS)
with Rodney Yee

Ashtanga Yoga: The Practice Manual
by David Swenson
If you're interested in practicing the ashtanga style of yoga, buy this book. It gives great instructions and modifications for each posture, and it's spiral bound so it stays open while you practice.

Yoga Short Forms (VHS)
with David Swenson
This is a great companion video to the Ashtanga Yoga Practice Manual.

Light on Yoga
by B.K.S. Iyengar

This is a great reference text for asana practice. It covers a lot of postures, and it gives quite a bit of instruction, but it's not real user-friendly. The Heart of Yoga
by T.K.V. Desikachar
I like this book--it gives a detailed explanation of the philosophy of yoga. However, it's one of those books that explains yoga in a rather academic style. There's a lot of Sanskrit terminology, and it can be a little overwhelming. It also includes Desikachar's translation and discussion of Patanjali's Yoga Sutra.

Yoga for people with a lot of asana experience...

Yoga With Richard Freeman: Ashtanga Yoga: The Primary Series (VHS)

Students who are new to ashtanga (but have prior yoga experience) may be able to follow along, but most people are going to need to work with a qualified instructor first. Even if you don't practice with the video, ashtanga yoga is pretty remarkable to watch, so the tape may just serve as inspiration.

Yoga With Richard Freeman: Ashtanga Yoga: The Intermediate Series (VHS)
This tape is meant for people who are proficient at the primary series of ashtanga yoga. It's very challenging, but is a great home practice tool for ashtanga students.

Ashtanga Yoga, 2nd & 3rd Series (VHS)
with David Swenson
This tape includes the intermediate series and 3rd series of ashtanga yoga, and is designed for people who are proficient at the primary series. It's a great home practice tool, but for crying out loud, work with an instructor before attempting this. Babar's Yoga for Elephants
by Laurent de Brunhoff

Eh, why not. It's cute.