In 1997 Simon and Schuster published a book I wrote called, “Teach Yourself Yoga”. It took me 5 months to write it, in between teaching classes. I was really chuffed that I could pull this off, being a first time book writer and all. I remember getting a note from my editor after I sent her the first chapter of the book and she wrote back saying, “You’ve hit the exact market we’re aiming for. Keep on keeping on.” I delivered the completed manuscript on the day it was due. I felt pretty good about that too.
Something else I feel proud about is the quality of the book. I’ve been using some of the text for the next project I’m working on, and it still sounds fresh, enthusiastic, and clearly communicated. This is due in part to the fact I had a great editor, too.
I was commissioned to write the book to enthuse beginners to want to learn yoga and stay with it as a practice. That’s exactly why I teach yoga, because I think it’s a useful, liberating discipline.
Here’s a quote from how I finished the book:
In summary, there are many things to attend to when you’re learning yoga, the most important of which are your attitude and your awareness. Developing these is a process that is simple, but not necessarily easy. It is, after all, life training. You are building up a muscle for taking care of yourself on all levels – body, mind and spirit. In the beginning, especially, you have to work at it, but the rewards are great. Persevere.