SUMMER Book Club 2025 is HERE!

June 2, 2025/Jennie Williford CIYT
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Between distraction of rereading the Introduction to Light on Yoga and my great anticipation of my first trip back to India since COVID, I almost forgot it was SUMMER!!!! Thank you to a good student and friend who asked if we were doing bookclub again this year. OF COURSE we are! And, I had already picked the book.

We are going back to Iyengar Yoga roots – literally – and we will read Tree of Yoga by BKS Iyengar for this year’s summer read. Tree of Yoga is an easy and insightful read that is a practical look at how all the eight limbs of yoga may be applied in our life. All parts of the tree work to build and sustain and protect the life of that tree, so also all the parts of yoga are set up to build, sustain, and protect our human life.

Tree of Yoga is now a required read for our Level 1 Teacher Assessment, so it is a great first read and /or introduction to the philosophy of yoga. Even if you are already familiar with the philosophy of yoga, Tree of Yoga brings fresh perspective to support your understanding of practice.

“Based on lectures and discussions with his students, the text is enlivened by many of the author’s personal experiences in the practice of yoga postures and breathing as well as in putting spiritual principles into action” – from the back cover book description.

Below is the schedule I will follow with the blog. You can get Tree of Yoga at most of your favorite book providers. It is a quick read and we will have our discussion group in August this year due to my leaving for India at the end of that month. As always, I hope you enjoy the book read, or at the very least follow along with the blog!

  • June 9 – Week 1: Foreword through The Aims of Life
  • June 16 – Week 2: Childhood through Faith
  • June 23 – Week 3 : Effort Awareness and Joy through Branches
  • June 30 – Week 4 : Leaves through Fruit
  • July 7 – Week 5: Health as Wholeness through Yoga and Ayurvedic Medicine
  • July 14 – Week 6  : The Practical Approach through The Healing Art
  • July 21 – Week 7: Return to the Seed through Patanjalis Yoga Sutras
  • July 28 – Week 8 : Pranayama through Energy and Divine Grace
  • Aug 4 – Week 9 : Meditation and Yoga through From Boday to Soul
  • Aug 11 – Week 10 : Yoga as an Art though to THE END

Happy Summer Everyone! See you in class!

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Jennie Williford CIYT

Jennie Williford (CIYT Level 3) is a transplant to LaCrosse via Montana, Illinois, and originally Texas. Throughout her life moves and 5 trips to India, Jennie has acquired a well-rounded and multi-faceted approach to Iyengar Yoga since her start in 1998. Jennie loves the experimental and explorative nature of yoga in accessing deeper knowledge of the Self on every level. The practice of yoga can be intense and introspective, however as practitioners we can be light-hearted and open-minded in our discipline. Jennie is intrigued by the philosophy of yoga and hopes to share this depth of subject while teaching the physical and mental benefits that come from the practice of posture.