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Japa Yoga A Comprehensive Treatise on Mantra-Sastra

Sivananda Saraswati · ★★★★★ · 190 pages · 1987

As always Swami Sivananda’s books are immensely practical and actionable. This book on Japa definitely answered most of my questions on the practice. Though I think a physical book would have been better to flip and reference.

Practice of Karma Yoga: Work is God...

Sivananda Saraswati · ★★★★★ · 231 pages · 2004

This is one of those books I wish I read a long time ago. In a way it complements Vivekananda’s Karma Yoga by being the exceedingly practical guide of putting Karma Yoga into action. Karma Yoga is selfless work. It is pretty difficult to put into practice because of how ego centered our lives are. But this book shows all the places the ego is hiding in the things we do and how to overcome them.

How to Be a Yogi

Abhedananda · ★★★★☆ · 159 pages · 1940

Most of it is pretty generalized information on the different paths of yoga, but the last chapter was worth the read.

Jnana Yoga

Vivekananda · ★★★★★ · 327 pages · 1899

Jnana Yoga took me a while to read and in all honesty deserves a deeper reading with critical analysis. In it is a series of lectures on the Yoga of Knowledge. The nature of Brahman and the Atman as compared to both the Abrahamic religions as well as the dualist schools of Vedanta. Vivekananda does an amazing job of trying to enlighten a lay mind on the nature of Brahman. Each chapter is a different way of explaining the same subject in different ways.

The Mahabharata (Penguin Classics) by Anonymous (2009-07-28)

Anonymous · ★★★★★ · 1895

I listened to this whole book and to be honest I don't think I would have made it through if I didn't listen to it. Even as an abridged version the Mahabharata seems to contain literally everything. It took over a year, but it was worth it as the story is one of the most important for an Indian.

Meditation & Its Practices: A Definitive Guide to Techniques and Traditions of Meditation in Yoga and Vedanta

Adiswarananda · ★★★★☆ · 504 pages · 2003

This book took me a while to get through. It covers the meditation techniques for Vedanta with the foundation being the Yoga Sutras. It covered the different traditions as well as the detailed expectations of each type of meditation. For example I didn’t expect there to be such a long chapter on meditating on Om.

Bhakti Yoga: The Yoga of Love and Devotion

Vivekananda · ★★★★★ · 50 pages · 1978

One of the problems growing up in the west as an Indian is that there is a definite fear of God as the primacy of worship. Maybe it is the Puritan world view of America, The commandment “don’t take God’s name in vain.”

Raja-Yoga

Vivekananda · ★★★★★ · 256 pages · 1982

An overview of how to get to meditative states using Patanjali’s Yoga Aphorisms as the basis. Largely a commentary on the aphorisms to understand their meaning.

Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine

Mike Michalowicz · ★★★☆☆ · 222 pages · 2014

This could have just been a long blog post. Basically, pay yourself first then work backwards to setup the processes for addressing expenses. Regardless, something I needed to read as a small business owner you don't really pay attention to your own accounts always seeking to build the business instead. I guess the important note is that paying yourself when you are a business owner is important.

MAKE: Bootstrapper's Handbook

Pieter Levels · ★★★★☆ · 194 pages · 2018

As a software engineer there is a tendency towards perfection. However, an entrepreneur can usually duck tape things and aren’t afraid to ask money for it. In my own personal journey I’ve struggled with the entrepreneur bit as the engineer side worries about things. But I see products all the time that don’t actually do what they said they would do get released and seemingly get rewarded with money.

The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison*: Inside Oracle Corporation; *God Doesn't Think He's Larry Ellison

Mike Wilson · ★★★★★ · 400 pages · 1997

I didn’t know what to expect with this book and was frankly surprised by how interesting the history of Oracle was. For what seems like a boring database company the history is littered with made for tv bigness in its over the topness. The history includes stealing from IBM, gold bars, murder suicide, having the DoD be their QA department, crazy ex girlfriends, rivalry with Microsoft, and yachts.