Mindfulness Resources - MelMarie Yoga

FOUNDATION COURSE RESOURCES

Self Care & Yoga Library

The Yamas & Niyamas by Deborah Adele

Understanding the 8 Limbs of Yoga and lifestyle choices better.

Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown

Exploring ways to create connection through being authentically you! Excellent read for empowerment, clarity, and courage.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo

Excellent read on self inquiry and serendipity.

The Yoga Sutras by Patanjali

Classical text on yoga philosophy for understanding the science of yoga.

Sacred Commerce by Matthew & Terces Engelhart

About making mankind your business. How to serve others and serve a greater purpose. Great business book. By the authors who founded Cafe Gratitude.

Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Despenza

Understanding the power of neurobiology and healing.

Ayurveda and the Mind by Dr. David Frawley

If Ayurveda and the doshas intrigued you, especially in the context of mental health this is so great for understanding doshas and psycho-emotional wellbeing. Helps conceptualize doshas.

Practice You Journal by Elena Brower

Melissa's favorite interactive journal ever. So much self care lives in those pages. Would buy as a gift for everybody. If you need something nourishing for you- this is it.

Yoga Fascia Anatomy and Movement by Joanne Avison

Incredible and digestible book on understanding fascia and anatomy in the context of yoga practice.

Anatomy Trains by Tom Myers

Tom Myers's teachings are timeless and incredibly awakening on understanding anatomy. Listen to podcasts by Tom Myers.

Marma Points of Ayurveda by Dr. Vasant Lad

The father of Ayurveda himself teaches on Marma therapy and Ayurveda. So interesting!

Your Body, Your Yoga by Bernie Clark

Excellent for understanding structural integration and anatomy.

Yoga for Wellness by Gary Kraftsaw

Excellent resource for neuromuscular facilitation and breath centric flows for rehabilitation and pain management.

Eastern Body, Western Mind by Anodea Judith

Understanding the chakras through psycho-emotional lens.

The Innate Design by Melissa Aguirre & Dr. Kyle Hoedebecke

Integrating the chakra modality into modern healthcare. Breaks down the chakras into psychosomatic pathology and guides techniques towards flourishing health.

The Body Keeps Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk

Understand the psycho-somatic byproduct of trauma. How the body holds trauma and how to integrate for healing.

Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn

All about mindfulness based stress reduction and using mindfulness in addressing health, pain and quality of life. Big book, looks daunting but digestible in parts and such a gem.

Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way by Nancy Liebler and Sandra Moss

Understanding depression through the lens of Ayurveda and Yoga. So interesting and useful in working with depression.

Yoga for Depression by Amy Weintraub

Amazing book on how to use yoga as adjunct in addressing depression. Excellent read in general in understanding yoga principals and healing.

The Revolutionary Trauma Release Process by David Bercelli

All about neurogenic tremoring and trauma recovery through movement. Excellent book in understanding how trauma lives in the body.

Light on Yoga by BKS Iyengar

Traditional book on understanding yoga, postures and breathing. Great resource!

Yoga as Medicine by Timothy McCall

One of the best resources on yoga for pathologies and understanding yoga therapy. Anything Timothy McCall is a gem.

The Subtle Body by Cyndi Dale

Everything and anything you need to know on energy medicine is found here. One of my favorite resources for understanding quantum mechanics and energy.

Meditations from the Mat by Rolf Gates

Beautiful resource that offers daily quotes and yoga philosophy. Great resource for understanding the eight limbs of yoga, thought-forms and lifestyle choice. Beautiful book.

Glossary

Asana: seat; yoga posture

Ayurveda: meaning “knowledge of life”, ancient Indian science of health based off of balancing the body with nature.

Bandha: internal lock; used for controlling the energy within the body during yoga practice; the common three bandhas taught are root lock, abdominal lock and throat lock

Bhagavad Gita: Ancient yogic text that articulates the practice of yoga and is based upon the concept of “what is the value of something without giving it away”. The philosophical text explains the practice of yoga as a way to use our gifts without being attached to the fruits of our actions and using meditation practices to ‘unbind us from the bonds of sorrow’.

Bhakti: devotion (as in Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion)

Chakra: Energetic blueprint in the body based off of the neuroendocrine system. The chakra system has seven main chakras (root, sacrum, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye and crown), each of which is associated with a color, element, syllable, significance, etc.

Dharma: life truth and purpose

Drishti: gazing point used during asana practice

Hatha: The most common branch of yoga. Describes the physical practice of yoga geared towards bringing balance to the masculine and feminine qualities of our wellbeing. It is using the asanas to uncover a balanced life.

Japa: Reciting mantras during meditation.

Karma: action; the law of karma is the law of cause and effect. Rightful action that leads to liberation.

Kirtan: a community gathering involving chanting, live music and meditation

Kosha: “Sheath” or “layer” of our being. The koshas give us an understanding of our makeup and provide a landscape to understand how to access flourishing health.

Mantra: a repeated sound, syllable, word or phrase; often used in chanting and meditation.

Mudra: a hand gesture that direct the flow of energy within the body.

Namaste: “the light in me honors the light in you”. Commonly said closing a yoga practice.

Om: the original syllable; chanted “A-U-M”; an invocation of unity.

Prana: life energy; chi; qi

Pranayama: breath control; breathing exercises

Samadhi: the state of complete Self-actualization; contentment and connection to the present moment.

Savasana: corpse pose; final relaxation

Shanti: peace

Sutras: classical texts; the most famous in yoga is, of course, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.