Book Review - Yoga at Home

Yoga at Home: Inspiration for Creating Your Own Home Practice by Linda Sparrowe, Universe Publishing, 2015  Images by Sarah Keough.  Yoga at Home: Inspiration for Creating Your Own Home Practice is a beautiful hard bound, 8" x 10"  edition that contains 240 pages as well as 250 color photographs.

I am so excited to be sharing this book review with you.  Yoga at Home has introduced me to a world that I've often heard about, but never experienced.  I have certainly heard about Yoga, as well as seen other people doing it, but I never really knew much about it.  This book has really opened my eyes.

Yoga at Home can be read and enjoyed not only by Yoga students and teachers, but by novices such as myself.  It's an excellent introduction into the world of Yoga and everyone who reads it will be sure to glean something of value from between its covers.

The benefits of yoga are many...

• strengthens the relationship between the mind, heart and the body
• increased flexibility, muscle strength and tone
• improved respiration and vitality
• weight reduction
• cardio and circulatory health
• stress management
• a path towards self discovery

The key to home practice is to take some classes and then go home and digest what you've learned.  Practicing at home will take you deeper into what you've learned because hopefully you will have less distractions and can focus on yourself.  You are free to take what you've learned and bend it to fit your needs.  Perhaps one day you want to work on meditation and maybe the next your body is telling you to stretch and strengthen your muscles.  At home, you can do whatever you like for whatever period of time you have available that day.

Yoga at Home combines a compilation of hints, tips and techniques from 50 of the world's most renowned yoga teachers and practitioners.  They offer a rare glimpse into their homes so we can actually see how they create their personal practice spaces.  Each space is as different and individual as the person.  You will come to realize that there is no specific way to do it.   Learn how to create a special sanctuary and you are free to pick and choose whatever props appeal to you,  Add color, light, music, incense, photographs and altars as you see fit.  Design a space as large as an entire room or as small as a corner of your living room.  Learn how to work with what you have to create something that is uniquely yours.

Home practice teaches you to be aware of your body and what it needs.  It will help you to bring balance to your life and to release tension.  You strengthen your willpower every time you get on your mat and work out, even if your inner voice is saying you're too tired.  Your routine can be simple or it can be regimented.  That's the beauty of home practice - it can be whatever you want it to be.

The thing that struck me the most with this book is the peace and harmony that yoga brings and I was truly moved and affected by this book.  I was fascinated by the photos of the poses and the meditation and I am in awe of one teacher in particular.  She is almost 70 years old and to see the strength and agility she possesses just blew me away.  How many seventy year old women do you know who can do this?

She is in fantastic shape.  If that's what yoga can do, where do I sign up?  Everyone in the book had a couple of similarities - they all look happy, peaceful and serene.  Many of them talk about simplicity.   Who wouldn't want that in their life?

The back of the book contains over 20 pages of poses and sequences for you to try.  It was helpful for me to see the poses and learn their names.  And yes, I did try a few.  My life is busy, hectic and stressful.  Yoga and meditation is something that I'd like to explore further.  I can see myself doing yoga, learning the poses, finding my way.  I actually think I could learn to do this....

And no, you do not have to be young and in perfect shape to try or start yoga and that's the beauty of it.  So come back tomorrow when author Linda Sparrowe comes by to share some words of wisdom, hints and tips to get you started.  It's attainable, believe me.

In the meantime, pick up a copy of the book.  I promise it will inspire you to get up and stretch, relax and discover more about yourself.   Namaste.

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I was given an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.