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MICHAEL FERGOT YOGA​

SUGGESTED READINGS

ASANA

Light on Yoga, by B.K.S. Iyengar

Look at this as the periodic table of elements of asana. Not the most user friendly guide, and yet, when you examine the contents closely, you have access to amazing data.  Irreplaceable.  

Yoga for Arthritis, by Ellen Saltonstall and  Dr. Loren Fishman

Don’t let the title fool you.  If you have a skeleton, this is the owner’s manual that you always wanted.  Ellen’s “All Stars” are almost everything you will need to know about good bio-mechanic principles.

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PHILOSOPHY

Bhagavad Gita

This has been translated in English alone over 300 times, and has helped to shape civilization for the last 2000 years at least.   This work influenced Americans like Emerson, Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Martin Luther King Jr., and countless others.  The Bhagavad Gita arrived on American shores more than a century before asana, physical postural practices were introduced.  While you will discover a version that “sings” more for you, here are a couple of recommendations.

1. Translated by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood, with a marvelous introduction by Aldous Huxley.

2. Translated by Juan Mascaro, again with a wonderful introduction.
3. Translated by Eknath Easwaran.

These three translations are very accessible, with no commentary.  A perfect read on a summer day at the beach, by a fire in the winter with a cup of cocoa and every time in between.

Translated by Winthrop Sargeant.  This is a much more academic approach to the text, with translation and transliteration as well as the original text material.  Little commentary, but a deep look into the language that reveals endless possibilities for meaning.

 

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Again this material has been translated into most languages over many centuries.  In English there are many versions, each with it’s own virtues.
 

Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, by B.K.S. Iyengar

Shiva Sutras

A foundational text of the non-dualistic philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism. Recommended translations:

 

1. Translated by Jaideva Singh. 

2. Translated by Paul Muller Ortega

A brief note to those unfamiliar with sutra style texts.  These are compilations of aphoristic phrases that are meant to be unpacked by the reader/practitioner.  Subject to much interpretation because of the density of meanings contained within them.  Conversation about the texts is invaluable.

Tantra Illuminated, by Christopher Wallis

A magnificent job of bringing several centuries of thoughtful examination into contemporary language.  Presenting the key teachings, foundational lineages, and transformative practices of Tantra.

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ONLINE RESOURCES

Here are a couple of excellent choices for classes and study of asana and beyond:

Noah Maze  www.yogamaze.net 

Todd Norian  www.ashayayoga.com 

Ellen Saltonstall  www.ellensaltonstall.com

Christina Sell  www.livethelightofyoga.com 

 

Here are a couple of excellent choices for philosophy:

Douglas Brooks   www.rajanaka.com 

Sally Kempton   www.sallykempton.com  

Paul Muller Ortega  www.bluethroatyoga.com 

Christopher Wallis  www.hareesh.org

"My husband and I have benefitted immensely from Michael's skill and knowledge of the therapeutic principles of alignment, he has helped us cure many aches and pains.  He has an intuitive gift for combining progress with the caution to prevent injuries."  

 

-L. Herrmann, PhD History

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