Yoga has been a life-changing practice, helping me to recenter, reprioritize, and rewrite how I approach my life day in and out. It has become such a central point to my life that I don't even have to be on my mat to tap into the tools it has taught me through the years. It is also central in my mothering as I strive toward a slower, more present experience with my son.

These books have supported my yoga journey. Many of them were recommended books for my yoga teacher trainings. I have used most of them as references and have not necessarily read each book all the way through in a session. Most are useful to revisit when I want to explore certain yogic concepts, especially as I examine how I can continue to apply yoga philosophy to my life.

Check your local library as your first stop for picking up a new book. If you love the book, you can choose to purchase it from your favorite local or online used bookstore or order it through your favorite independent bookshop.

I will continue to update this article as I read!

Yoga Books that Support Me as a Busy, Working Mom

1. Yoga Life: Habits, Poses, and Breathwork to Channel Joy Amidst the Chaos by Brett Larkin

This book by my yoga teacher Brett Larkin is a walkthrough of how to apply yogic concepts and philosophy to your every day life through your personal practice. It offers tangible advice for making your practice your own, no matter how much time you have, how busy you feel, or how "advanced" you are on your yoga journey.

2. Year of Yoga: Rituals for Every Day and Every Season by Kassandra Reinhardt

This book is amazing for the mom leaning into a seasonal rhythm. Kassandra Reinhardt from the Yoga with Kassandra YouTube channel offers seasonal practices and rituals to tap into the energies of nature throughout the year. As a biologist, general nature-lover, and someone constantly looking to matching my rhythms to nature's, this book is a great guide for tying my yoga practice into that cadence as well. It also comes with yoga and meditation videos so you can follow along.

3. MetaAnatomy: A Modern Yogi's Practical Guide to the Physical and Energetic Anatomy of Your Amazing Body by Kristin Leal

Kristin Leal is one of the most authentic and hilarious teachers I have had the honor of learning from in my yoga studies. She taught in both of my yoga teacher trainings and I took an in-person spine workshop with her years ago. Her depth of knowledge of both physical and energetic anatomy shines through in this book, which supports your physical practice and your exploration of the subtle body through your yoga practice.

4. Patanjali's Yoga Sutras

Patanjali's Yoga Sutras are the foundational yogic philosophy text and represent a culmination of yogic wisdom pulled together and organized into chapters by Patanjali sometime in the early centuries CE. Each sutra is concise and describes the process of engaging with a yoga practice and the results you may expect through the eight-limbed yoga path.

The entire book is short, but I recommend picking an option that has commentary and sitting with each sutra or section of sutras for an extended time rather than reading straight through. Application of yoga to your life is a critical component of the practice, and reading straight through may provide information, but won't give you space to begin integration.

There are multiple translations and commentaries of this book, and I am listing just three options available to you.

• Tantra of the Yoga Sutras: Essential Wisdom for Living with Awareness and Grace by Alan Finger with Wendy Newton

• Inside the Yoga Sutras: A Comprehensive Source Book for the Study and Practice of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras by Jaganath Carrera

• The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Sri Swami Satchidananda (I do not own this version, but my yoga teacher Brett Larkin recommends it as essentially the most foundational translation and commentary that other versions commonly reference)

Yoga Books on My TBR

These books are on my list to read. I have actually read some of them as part of my yoga teacher trainings, but because I was experiencing information overload during my trainings, I'd like to revisit many of them before recommending them.

1. A Path With Heart: A Guide through the Perils an Promises of Spiritual Life by Jack Kornfield

2. Eastern Body, Western Mind: Psychology and the Chakra System as a Path to the Self by Anodea Judith

3. The Bhagavad Gita - another foundational text with multiple translations and commentaries, this book is one I have learned about extensively but have not sat down to read through on my own yet

4. A Beginner's Guide to the Roots of Yoga: How to Create a More Authentic Practice by Nikita Desai

5. Radiant Rest: Yoga Nidra for Deep Relaxation and Awakened Clarity by Tracee Stanley

6. The Yamas and The Niyamas: Exploring Yoga's Ethical Practice by Deborah Adele

Yoga and More to Support Your Busy Mom Life

• The online yoga studio for busy, working moms seeking a slower way of life offers monthly pre-recorded yoga and meditation you can use to sink into a slower pace, plus a slow down framework where you can restructure your most overwhelming challenges into peaceful, rhythmic routines that support you and your family.

• Two-minute Reset Meditations for Routine Calm Days includes ten completely free two-minute meditations for you to capture a moment of calm right now, without spending an hour at the yoga studio or taking paid leave.

• The Mama Naturalist on my website and Substack is a space where I share both conceptual and practical guidance on slowing down, connecting to nature, and living seasonally.

• Mindful Moms Digest offers exclusive yoga and meditation classes, nature stories from a wildlife biologist (me!), and free, supportive resources including links back to every blog post for busy, working moms journeying toward a slower, more seasonal way of life.

• Cultivate Calm Mornings is a structured series of three yoga workshops that supports you in transforming your morning routine from chaotic to calm.