Here are 100 books that Yoga for the Wounded Heart fans have personally recommended if you like Yoga for the Wounded Heart. Book DNA is a community of 13,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Ayurvedic Self-Care Handbook: Holistic Healing Rituals for Every Day and Season

Victoria Moran Author Of Main Street Vegan: Everything You Need to Know to Eat Healthfully and Live Compassionately in the Real World

From my list on yoga and Ayurveda.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm an American author of thirteen books (so far). Some are on vegan living (Main Street Vegan, The Love-Powered Diet); others (Creating a Charmed Life, Shelter for the Spirit, Younger by the Day) are about wellbeing and crafting an inner life. My passions are spirituality -- yoga primarily, but all the ways people find meaning; compassionate living: extending loving-kindness to ourselves and all beings; and creating vibrant health through yoga, Ayurveda, plant-based eating, and a grateful outlook. (Here's a little preview: I'm in the early stages of a book about aging like a yogi.)

Victoria's book list on yoga and Ayurveda

Victoria Moran Why Victoria loves this book

I had to have this little square book when I saw that it comes with a satin ribbon bookmark, and I was not disappointed. I only wish I'd had this simple, practical guide to the healing tradition of Ayurveda, yoga's sister science, when I was new to it. Dr. Kucera (she's a chiropractor and a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner) cuts through 5000 years of history and tradition to give us the information we can use, enjoy, and benefit from right now. (I've become a total fan and have had Dr. K. on my Main Street Vegan Podcast three times.)

By Sarah Kucera ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Ayurvedic Self-Care Handbook as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Feeling burned out, unmotivated, or stuck? THE AYURVEDIC SELF-CARE HANDBOOK is here to help. This authoritative guide to ancient healing will introduce you to the role that ritual plays in overall health, and reveal how reconnecting our internaL rhythms to nature's cycles can create physical and emotional balance.

Whether you're looking for a way to boost and stabilize your energy levels, overcome the trials of transitions (from life or seasonal shifts), or prevent and heal disease, you'll find a solution in one of the more than 100 simple rituals that give structure and space to your day. Plus, reflective prompts…


If you love Yoga for the Wounded Heart...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

Book cover of Eat Feel Fresh: A Contemporary, Plant-Based Ayurvedic Cookbook

Victoria Moran Author Of Main Street Vegan: Everything You Need to Know to Eat Healthfully and Live Compassionately in the Real World

From my list on yoga and Ayurveda.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm an American author of thirteen books (so far). Some are on vegan living (Main Street Vegan, The Love-Powered Diet); others (Creating a Charmed Life, Shelter for the Spirit, Younger by the Day) are about wellbeing and crafting an inner life. My passions are spirituality -- yoga primarily, but all the ways people find meaning; compassionate living: extending loving-kindness to ourselves and all beings; and creating vibrant health through yoga, Ayurveda, plant-based eating, and a grateful outlook. (Here's a little preview: I'm in the early stages of a book about aging like a yogi.)

Victoria's book list on yoga and Ayurveda

Victoria Moran Why Victoria loves this book

To me, a cookbook is supposed to be a book, too -- one that you can read as well as cook with. This is one of those. For me as a vegan, I like that there's no dairy here (in a lot of Ayurvedic cookbooks, I have to work around milk and clarified butter), but well beyond that, I appreciate this young author and her fresh outlook. The recipes are accessible and her Ayurvedic suggestions are real-world applicable and easy to incorporate into a busy life.

By Sahara Rose Ketabi ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Eat Feel Fresh as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Introducing Eat Feel Fresh, an all-encompassing vegan Ayurvedic cookbook with over 100 healing recipes.

Venture on a journey of wellness and serenity with the ancient science of Ayurveda.

New to Ayurveda? No worries! It teaches that food is a divine medicine with the power to heal, and is packed with holistic healing recipes suited for your individual needs. This beautifully illustrated cookbook gives a detailed look at how to eat according to your body's specific needs, and will help you connect with your inner self.

Dive straight in to discover:

-Over 100 deliciously vegan and gluten-free recipes
-A clear easy-to…


Book cover of The Goddess Pose: The Audacious Life of Indra Devi, the Woman Who Helped Bring Yoga to the West

Cyndi Lee Author Of May I Be Happy: A Memoir of Love, Yoga, and Changing My Mind

From my list on Buddhist and yoga biographies and memoirs.

Why am I passionate about this?

I've been a practicing yogi and Buddhist for 50 years. For me these lifelong practices started with reading, or as my Zen teacher calls it, being a “Book Buddhist.” Buddhism and Yoga are not typically called “faith-based” practices, but there is an element of faith — it is faith in the process. But you can’t have faith until you have experienced the benefits of practice. The unconventional lives of the yogis told in these books illustrate for all of us how we, too, can develop wisdom, joy, and compassion. I found each of these books really, really fun to read and I’ve gained much insight and inspiration for my own spiritual path.

Cyndi's book list on Buddhist and yoga biographies and memoirs

Cyndi Lee Why Cyndi loves this book

You might recognize the author’s name – she is a regular contributor to the Opinion Page of The New York Times. In this book, she has used her journalistic skills to uncover the layers of Indra Devi, from her birth in Russia to her status in Hollywood as one of the first yoga teachers to the stars. Indra Devi was a longtime devotee of Krishnamurti, and the first-ever woman to convince the great yoga master Krishnamacharya to teach her yoga. I remember knowing about her back in the ’70s when I was a novice yogi/college student in southern California and Devi was still teaching privately in Los Angeles. But only through reading this book did I learn how much her work contributed to the current popularity and acceptance of yoga in western culture.

By Michelle Goldberg ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Goddess Pose as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When the woman who would become Indra Devi was born in Russia in 1899, yoga was virtually unknown outside of India. By the time of her death, in 2002, it was being practiced everywhere, from Brooklyn to Berlin to Ulaanbaatar. In The Goddess Pose, New York Times best-selling author Michelle Goldberg traces the life of the incredible woman who brought yoga to the West and in so doing paints a sweeping picture of the twentieth century.

Born into the minor aristocracy (as Eugenia Peterson), Devi grew up in the midst of one of the most turbulent times in human history.…


If you love Tatiana Forero Puerta...

Book cover of Glimmer of the Other

Glimmer of the Other by Heather G. Harris,

Delve into this internationally best-selling series, now complete! A fast paced laugh-out-loud mix of Urban Fantasy and Mystery.

I can tell when you’re lying. Every. Single. Time. I’m Jinx, a PI hired to find a missing university student, I hope to find her propped up at a bar–yet my gut…

Book cover of Yoga and Veganism: The Diet of Enlightenment

Victoria Moran Author Of Main Street Vegan: Everything You Need to Know to Eat Healthfully and Live Compassionately in the Real World

From my list on yoga and Ayurveda.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm an American author of thirteen books (so far). Some are on vegan living (Main Street Vegan, The Love-Powered Diet); others (Creating a Charmed Life, Shelter for the Spirit, Younger by the Day) are about wellbeing and crafting an inner life. My passions are spirituality -- yoga primarily, but all the ways people find meaning; compassionate living: extending loving-kindness to ourselves and all beings; and creating vibrant health through yoga, Ayurveda, plant-based eating, and a grateful outlook. (Here's a little preview: I'm in the early stages of a book about aging like a yogi.)

Victoria's book list on yoga and Ayurveda

Victoria Moran Why Victoria loves this book

The first moral precept of yoga is ahimsa, harmlessness, nonviolence, reverence for life. This is one of the reasons why the traditional yogic diet has always been vegetarian. Gannon, the co-founder of Jivamukti Yoga, contends that for our practice of ahimsa -- and yoga's other ethical convictions -- to be complete, we need to move toward a pure vegetarian, i.e., vegan, lifestyle. She supports her contention with the yamas and niyamas, yoga's ethical code put forth in The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. And she brings the blissful combination of yoga and veganism together with stories of other vegan yogis. (Full disclosure: I'm one of these. And in the audio version, each contributor reads their own story.)

By Sharon Gannon ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Yoga and Veganism as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In Yoga and Veganism, Sharon Gannon—co-creator of the renowned Jivamukti Yoga method—weaves together a compelling exploration of the intersection between the spiritual practice of yoga, physical health, care for the planet, and a peaceful coexistence with other animals and nature. Through clear and accessible language, Gannon unpacks the wisdom of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, one of the oldest and most revered texts focused on the philosophy of yoga, and draws a fascinating course to greater enlightenment for the contemporary practitioner.

With yama, or restraint, the Yoga Sutras outline the first step on the path to spiritual liberation through…


Book cover of Radiant Rest: Yoga Nidra for Deep Relaxation and Awakened Clarity

Lauren Walker Author Of The Energy to Heal: Find Lasting Freedom From Stress and Trauma Through Energy Medicine Yoga

From my list on understanding what energy is and how to use it.

Why am I passionate about this?

I remember being a kid and wanting to know everything about everything. After I’d been teaching yoga for several years, and finding myself struggling with stress and trauma that the yoga wasn’t helping, I really started to dive into the world of Energy. That world is fascinating, endless, and powerful. And the more I study and learn, the better my life gets. I’ve created my own teaching methodology from all the studies I’ve done and helped thousands of people find their own inner strength and healing. I love learning how other people overcame their struggles and how at the root, we basically all want to help each other! That's the kind of world I aspire to. 

Lauren's book list on understanding what energy is and how to use it

Lauren Walker Why Lauren loves this book

In our house, we now talk about having a Tracee Stanley day, or hour, or time out. A time to nurture deeply and find peace and rejuvenation. In the busy world we all live in, this is a must-do practice. Tracee’s book is wonderful, clear and comprehensive, and gives so much valuable information on why it is important to rest, why we resist rest, and what we gain by taking rest. Many people think working harder is the way to go, but Tracee lovingly and convincingly teaches the opposite. The more you nurture yourself, the more you are able to show up in your life with wisdom, calm, and energy.

By Tracee Stanley ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Radiant Rest as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Develop a powerful practice of deep relaxation and transformative self-inquiry with this essential guide to yoga nidra, accompanied by downloadable audio meditations.

Yoga nidra is a practice devoted to allowing your body and mind to rest while your consciousness remains awake and aware, creating the opportunity for you to tap into a deeper understanding of yourself and your true nature. At its heart, yoga nidra is about waking up to the fullness of your life. In Radiant Rest, Tracee Stanley draws on over twenty years of experience as a yoga nidra teacher and practitioner to introduce the history of yoga…


Book cover of The Healing Power of Pleasure

Diana Richardson Author Of Slow Sex

From my list on a life of harmony & happiness.

Why am I passionate about this?

Being born during the apartheid era in South Africa motivated me to study law and pursue justice, so I completed a 6-year university degree (BA LLB). However, when I finally arrived in the law courts, I realized this was just not me. I foresaw a life of mind, having to be smart and clever, when in fact I wanted a life of hands and heart. I then trained in therapeutic massage, and in my early 30’s, I began exploring sex – relaxing, being more present, trusting my body. This innocent curiosity totally turned my life around – I’ve written 8 books and thousands of couples have participated in my Making Love Retreats. 

Diana's book list on a life of harmony & happiness

Diana Richardson Why Diana loves this book

I love this book because of the way sensuality is encouraged.

Wonderful to feel the sweet teachings of presence, embodiment, and love that have been so helpful in my life for creating a delicious relationship. There is a gentle shining presence to this book, full of passion, energy, and practical exercises. Reading it was a relaxing and satisfying experience.

Hollenbery’s suggested 7 medicines are markers on a journey to connection, delight, and joy. I appreciate the depth and breadth of spirituality, careful attention to detail, and welcoming warmth. I found it beautifully written, engaging, and good fun.

I value how each word invited me into a deeper connection with myself and my body, and as a by-product, a healthier and more intimate connection with others.

By Julia Paulette Hollenbery ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Healing Power of Pleasure as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A step-by-step journey into sensuality to rediscover the delight that lies just below the surface of everyday experience

* Shares seven easily accessible spiritual "medicines"--slowing down, embodying, deepening, relating, pleasure, power, and potency--so you can discover more sensual pleasure and delight in your body, relationships, and way of being as well as inner confidence, instinctual power, and aliveness

* Presents reflections, practical somatic and breathing exercises, prompting questions, meditations, and energetic transmissions for each medicine

* Explores body awareness, managing emotions stored in the body, the five realms of relationship, the different kinds of love, sexuality, passionate intimacy, and pleasure…


If you love Yoga for the Wounded Heart...

Book cover of Tsunami

Tsunami by LeeAnn Pickrell,

On the morning of December 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. The resulting tsunami killed an estimated 230,000 people across fourteen countries, from Indonesia to Sri Lanka to Thailand to the Maldives to India and all the way to East Africa.…

Book cover of Spontaneous Healing: How to Discover and Enhance Your Body's Natural Ability to Maintain and Heal Itself

Brandon LaGreca Author Of Cancer, Stress & Mindset: Focusing the Mind to Empower Healing and Resilience

From my list on to read after a cancer diagnosis.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was 32 when diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. As a clinician, and now cancer survivor, I’ve become increasingly focused on empowering cancer patients through and beyond remission. Nearly two decades of clinical practice have taught me that an informed and committed patient makes better decisions about their care, harmoniously interfaces with their healthcare team, and stays focused on living a healthy lifestyle. I’ve read countless books about cancer, but this list outlines the essentials that I recommend to patients beginning their healing journey.

Brandon's book list on to read after a cancer diagnosis

Brandon LaGreca Why Brandon loves this book

The perennial classic on a healing mindset, legendary integrative medical doctor Andrew Weil, shares stories of natural healing with case studies covering many disparate health challenges, including a chapter dedicated to cancer. Dr. Weil reviews his eight-week program for optimal healing and how to avoid obstacles to wellness, such as medical pessimism and environmental toxins. Spontaneous Healing leaves little doubt that the body’s natural ability to heal can be enhanced when the power of the mind and spirit are properly leveraged.

By Andrew Weil ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Spontaneous Healing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this work Dr Andrew Weil aims to show how the the concept of spontaneous healing can change all our lives for the better. Examining the mechanisms and processes of the body's own healing system he describes the operation of this system and explains its interactions with the mind, its biological organization and its methods of self-diagnosis, self-repair and regeneration. Numerous case histories provide evidence of the success of spontaneous healing in dealing with serious medical conditions, ranging from arthritis to heart disease to cancer. Calling on his traditional training as a medical doctor, and his knowledge of alternative treatments,…


Book cover of The Fear Cure

Shanita Liu Author Of Dear Durga

From my list on BYE to fear and HELLO to courage.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a mama bear, I must be courageous for my three little warriors. It took a while, however, before I could activate my courage. Why? Because I had to face years of fears related to cultural shame, family guilt, inner criticism caused by oppressive patriarchal rules, and ancestral traumas. I even wrote a warm and witty memoir to capture my journey. I love sharing my stories and teaching my Courage Kit® framework to adults and kids. Fun fact: At age 8, I was a book presenter on the PBS series Reading Rainbow

Shanita's book list on BYE to fear and HELLO to courage

Shanita Liu Why Shanita loves this book

I loved how Dr. Lissa Rankin focused on how fear (in all its devious forms) shows up in life. I learned all about her methodology for calling in courage and the physiological impacts of fear on the human body (this was especially enlightening as I was accepting my ever-changing postpartum body). 

I also appreciated Rankin’s advice to readers about courage not being a “one-size-fits-all” approach. I felt reassured that I can customize my courage-cultivating journey however I like. I was able to take away her “prescription for courage,” which included concrete steps to reframe scary thoughts and a few meditations to do during stressful moments.

By Lissa Rankin ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Fear Cure as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Not many people in the medical world are talking about how being afraid can make us sick-but the truth is that fear, left untreated, becomes a serious risk factor for conditions from heart disease to diabetes to cancer. Now Lissa Rankin, M.D., explains why we need to heal ourselves from the fear that puts our health at risk and robs our lives of joy-and shows us how fear can ultimately cure us by opening our eyes to all that needs healing in our lives. Drawing on peer-reviewed studies and powerful true stories, The Fear Cure presents a breakthrough understanding of…


Book cover of Heartbreak: New Approaches to Healing - Recovering from Lost Love and Mourning

Sam Carr Author Of All the Lonely People: Conversations on Loneliness

From my list on the psychological challenges of being human.

Why am I passionate about this?

I guess we all have a "calling." Mine has always been to explore the deeper, darker, less palatable aspects of being human. I’m a bit like a space explorer of the human psyche. I’m lucky in the sense that my day job permits me to research, teach, and better understand things like love, death, and loneliness. I’ve been researching and writing about them for many years now. I always treasure books that help me to shed light on these themes. They are like shiny pebbles or jewels that I pick up and keep in my pocket. I hope you enjoy and learn from some of the treasures in my personal collection!  

Sam's book list on the psychological challenges of being human

Sam Carr Why Sam loves this book

I think I read this book when I was heartbroken. I imagine that’s why most people would initially gravitate to it.

Heartbreak is something we are all likely to experience at least once in a lifetime. I remember how sick I was of being told by other people that they "understood" how I felt and that they’d "been there too." Ginette Paris didn’t do that. In fact, I remember how she stated that nobody really knows what YOU feel like when you’re heartbroken because nobody has lost exactly what YOU’VE lost. There’s never been a loss exactly like your relationship before because what you lost is in some sense completely unique.

The book is full of revelations about heartbreak that brought me far more comfort than the usual well-meaning platitudes.

By Ginette Paris ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Heartbreak as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Look at your broken heart with the curiosity of a naturalist, as you would pay close attention to your pet, to understand what is going on.

The pain of mourning and heartbreak is neurologically similar to being submitted to torture. There seems to be only one way to end that agony and to limit somatic damage; neurobiology calls it an evolutionary jump and psychologists call it an increase in consciousness.

Past theories of grief therapy considered recovery from the point of view of stages: a one-year cycle of mourning was supposed to heal the heart. Not so! A true Liberation…


If you love Tatiana Forero Puerta...

Book cover of In Bad Faith

In Bad Faith by Geoffrey Carter,

Nelson West, a former Chicago homicide detective, is hired by wealthy heir Lionel Bing to discreetly help “fix” scandals and legal problems for his father’s wealthy friends.

Bing, a brilliant but troubled investigator, suffers from PTSD symptoms as a result of being kidnapped and witnessing the murder of his mother…

Book cover of Ancestral Medicine: Rituals for Personal and Family Healing

Lisa Bonnice Author Of Castle Gate

From my list on exploring ancestral/generational trauma and healing.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a program host with The Shift Network and have interviewed hundreds of experts on the topics of ancestral healing, mediumship, and the “veil between the worlds.” I was drawn to these topics because of my discoveries of ancestral trauma in my family tree, including an ancient curse and a fiery mine disaster. Eventually, I realized we ALL have generational trauma. Just watch the news—we’re all acting out from inherited trauma, and we need to heal our own stuff in order to heal the global condition. I feel like it’s my life’s work to heal my family’s trauma-based dysfunctions and spread the word to others doing the same work.

Lisa's book list on exploring ancestral/generational trauma and healing

Lisa Bonnice Why Lisa loves this book

Daniel Foor is one of my favorite teachers/authors on this topic. He really knows what he’s talking about, and, in addition, he’s a deeply thoughtful and compassionate man.

Working with Daniel, I’ve been able to dive backward into my lineage and pull forward helpful information and healing energies. I’ve felt empowered to actually do something about the ripple effects of the trauma that my ancestors experienced.

If you have a chance to take a class with Daniel, especially one based on this book, I highly recommend it!

By Daniel Foor ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ancestral Medicine as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Offering a practical guide to understanding and navigating relationships with the spirits of those who have passed, Daniel Foor, PhD, details how to relate safely and effectively with your ancestors for personal, family, and cultural healing. He provides exercises and rituals, grounded in ancient wisdom traditions, to help you initiate contact with your ancestors, find supportive ancestral guides, cultivate forgiveness and gratitude, harmonize your bloodlines, and assist the dead who are not yet at peace. He explains how to safely engage in lineage repair work by connecting with your more ancient ancestors before relating with the recently deceased. He shows…


Book cover of The Ayurvedic Self-Care Handbook: Holistic Healing Rituals for Every Day and Season
Book cover of Eat Feel Fresh: A Contemporary, Plant-Based Ayurvedic Cookbook
Book cover of The Goddess Pose: The Audacious Life of Indra Devi, the Woman Who Helped Bring Yoga to the West

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Interested in healing, pain, and yoga?

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