book reviews

If you practice yoga, you’ve likely heard of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, a foundational text of classical yoga philosophy. Maybe you’ve even read it.

“I am fat. I am not the person you would typically imagine teaching or practicing yoga. Or even sitting behind a reception desk in a yoga studio.”

Picture a scantily attired competitor performing a series of stunts on a spotlighted stage at the Westin Los Angeles. Two billboard-sized screens broadcast every miniscule muscle twitch to a room of more than a thousand spectators, who are silent except for the MCs commentating between performances. A row of scrutinizing judges award points for each maneuver based on its difficulty and the skill and grace with which it’s executed.

The gut seems to be the next hot topic, with prebiotics, probiotics, and gut health as innocuous as talk about the weather.

Crow pose: You start in a squat, from which flight seems unlikely. You lift your hips, plant your palms, place your knees on your upper arms, and then…well, often, nothing. Flight is scary—the fear of face planting keeps many people grounded.

Raw dairy, sprouted bread, cooked vegetables and organ meats might not seem like trending cuisines, but traditionally prepared foods are making a comeback, in part thanks to knowledgeable researchers and scientists. Catherine Shanahan, M.D., is one such researcher.

A dear friend gifted me the book How Yoga Works by Geshe Michael Roach. After tearing away the wrapping paper to expose a yellow cover displaying the chin mudra and the title How Yoga Works, my initial thought was, Okay, an instructional book about yoga…nice.

Organic, holistic living is becoming more popular with the rise of big-name grocery stores like Whole Foods, the increasing trend of weekly farmer’s markets in cities across the country, and through practices like yoga. Many of us watch what we eat, are curious about where our food came from and want to know how it was produced.

A couple of years ago, I got this text from my sister: “Yoga question: In the book I’m reading, part of what they do is drink their pee. Have you heard of that?”

I had, in fact, heard of “urine therapy” in books on yoga, but it certainly wasn’t a topic covered in my yoga teacher training, and I thought it was a long-dormant practice. Call me odd, but I was intrigued. I asked her what she was reading.

Making Sense of People: Decoding the Mysteries of Personality

By Samuel Barondes

            In this book, Samuel Barondes describes a system for thinking about personalities that may help you avoid many mistakes – such as picking the wrong job,  misinterpreting a coworker’s intentions and becoming inappropriately defensive or aggressive, etc. Each chapter will make it easier for you to start noticing characteristics that you may have overlooked.