What are you reading?

Do Your Om Thing: Bending Yoga Tradition to Fit Your Modern Life Rebecca Pacheco

Genre?

Self-help

How did you get hold of it?

A friend gave me the book for my birthday. I’ve been practising yoga for six years and took her to a class here!

What’s it about?

A step-by-step guide to the fundamentals and philosophy of yoga. Importantly, it covers the areas that I don’t learn in my regular classes. I’ve got the physical side covered – asana (poses) and pranayama (breathing) – but there’s lots more to learn about the mind: attitude, concentration and meditation, for example.

The author, Rebecca Pacheco, stumbled across yoga as an 18-year-old and it has truly become her life’s work; she’s a master instructor, blogger (omgal.com) and Instagram star. She has a great sense of humour and doesn’t get bogged down with too much technical, spiritual or historical detail. Rather, she honestly explains how the centuries-old practice of yoga fits into the context of our busy, 21st-century lives. She homes in on how it can benefit us, and what we can do for ourselves to get more out of it.

How far have you got?

Three-quarters of the way through (though I’ve read ahead at various points, at the author’s recommendation). I’m working slowly through the meditation section and taking up her challenge to “just start” – even though it’s difficult. And why not try it? The scientific benefits are now well known: your brain becomes stronger, decision-making improves, emotions are regulated and anxiety is eased.

Would you recommend it?

I totally connected with this book and will probably keep it with me for years. It’s easy to read, practical and down to earth. There are many phrases and passages that I hope to remember, but the one that sticks is “trust your journey” – something for us all to keep in mind through life’s ups and downs.