BelovedYoga’s Beloved Books

February 25, 2013 by Dina McQueen

Maryam Ovissi is the owner of Northern Virginia’s two beloved yoga studios, aptly named BelovedYoga: Flow from the Heart. She is a yoga and meditation teacher, a practitioner of both, a savvy businesswoman, a mom, wife, and a lover of books. “There’s a quality about books that I love,” says Maryam. “I like opening a book, turning pages. You have to be so in your head, browsing online for books. It’s a much different experience from browsing for books in a bookstore.”

When asked to share her feelings about the shift away from printed books to electronic devices she says, “I don’t feel it’s an all or nothing choice. I feel we can live with both. But to think of replacing one with the other in my opinion is not the most intelligent decision.”

Below, you will find a short list that Maryam recommends for various levels of yoga practice (all usually available at the BelovedYoga book/gift shops):

For the beginning practitioner who wants to gain some perspective about the practice of yoga, Maryam suggests two essential books:
1. The 30 Essential Poses, by Judith Lasater, Ph.D., PT
2. Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness, Erich Schiffmann

For the student that has dabbled in a variety of yoga lineages and wishes to explore with more depth, Maryam recommends books that present a more philosophical approach:
1. The Heart of Yoga—Developing a Personal Practice, by T.K.V. Desikachar
2. The Yamas & Niyamas—Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice, by Deborah Adele. According to Maryam, studying The Yamas & Niyamas is vital for anybody who wants to embody the teachings of yoga, not just learn the asanas (poses). “At the end of the day, I run every decision I make about this studio by the yamas and niyams, just to make sure there’s compassion, abundance, honesty—all those layers.”

Maryam recommends this book for the seasoned practitioner:
1. Beyond Power Yoga: 8 Levels of Practice for Body and Soul, by Beryl Bender Birch. This author and yoga scholar brought the term “Power Yoga” into the mainstream. It lays out the astanga yoga sequence but, according to Maryam, it does so much more. “This book has so much intelligence in it,” she says. “It provides a very wholistic approach to yoga.” (Beryl Bender Birch is scheduled to teach a workshop at BelovedYoga in November 2013.)

What books have you come across in your yoga practice that others might benefit from reading?