_Hatha Yoga Pradipika_ by Swami Muktibodhananda
Another one of our required reading texts for my yoga teacher training course was this rather thick text. Most of my yogi-mates have avoided reading these more historical/ancient books, but the nerdy literature academic in me loves these readings the most. 
As per my usual routine of breaking down the reading of books, I decided I would finish this book in a month over the summer and so read about 20 pages a day, which was just enough.
This text discusses the root of hatha yoga and how the breath (pranayama) should be done in practice. Hatha yoga is a “type” of yoga that people can do in studio classes. It mostly means there is more focus on breath as opposed to a Vinyasa yoga class, which focuses on the flow of poses or Bikram yoga, which is just really about sweating as much as possible. 
Hatha yoga may be generally be considered as an older style like Iyengar.
I really enjoyed reading this despite its length as I gained a better understanding of how to do some of our breathing exercises and sitting positions for meditation. Plus, classical pieces of literature just work for me. I do not think I would recommend it for just anyone to pick up for a quick read; however, if you have an interest in philosophy and learning more about the foundations of yoga, then read away! 
~T
