Yoga Girl

I have been practicing yoga on and off for 15 years; and it is honestly one of my favorite things to do but also often a little challenging to fit in - I manage to work out each day but finding a yoga class that I can fit in between work is tough and for that reason I typically practice just once a week! I just felt like I needed a little more inspiration and with all the rave reviews for Yoga Girl , I went ahead and purchased this book!I will begin with the first thing that stood out, and that is the pictures. Beautiful inspiring shots of yoga poses, or just simple every day moments set in stunning scenery! Makes me just want to practice more, preferably in a location that is depicted in this book! But what also is notable, is Yoga Girl aka Rachel Brathen , is a normal looking healthy individual! There are so many books out there , with tiny, almost emaciated people airbrushed to perfection, telling others how to reach those standards which, are smoke and mirrors thanks to careful editing or require mammoth daily exercise time and a diet of nothing but green smoothies! It is refreshing to see a healthy and attainable look featured!The introduction simply makes sense - the fact that we all run around, trying to earn more, own more, diet more, look better, searching for balance when in fact balance simply comes from slowing down " understanding your body and needs". I also love, love, love her mantra that balance means you can have your red wine and your green juice, your chocolate and your kale - I have always believed in a healthy and happy balance and yoga Girl does too!The book is then divided into 7 chapters - the first Yoga Every Damn Day looks the lives we lead and finding ways to incorporate balance and yes, yoga into our lives - simple measures we can take. It is well written and encouraging; peppered with a Sun Salutation Sequence as well as notes for success,Chapter two talks about in order to love the future, you need to love "what has come before" and the author takes us through her background with very different beginnings, involving drugs, alcohol and excessive behavior and , how this shaped her path and the life she leads today! Its compelling reading; and the notion of making peace with the past makes sense and we cannot change what has happened, only learn! This section has a great sequence : " Twists, hips and hamstrings"Chapter three talks about life paths, opportunities, and taking charge of our lives, again heavily centered around the experience of the author ,but detailing ways we can make change too. The yoga sequence is core, balance and shoulder work.Chapter 4 is about the soul ; the energy we put out, finding balance, and listening to your body , ending with a great Vinyasa sequence, including a beginners guide. Chapter 5 is something I can certainly stand to follow more and that is going with the flow, accepting the fact that challenge is part of life, and embracing the good times as well as the bad, with a great restorative sequence to follow! Chapter six helps readers to put love over fear - moving past fears, understanding that nervous energy is us breaking new ground and collecting new experiences including a detailed and challenging inversion set!Finally we end with moments of silence; the manta: "We must love ourselves in order to receive love from others". This section had my favorite photography; and simply talks about being present in our lives and seeing the beauty that surrounds us. I also loved the fact that this section ends with medication; and is a simple, attainable guide to getting started!There is so much to love about this book. Though it can help us achieve more balance and get more yoga into our lives, it is not done in a preachy way, but instead the authors shares personal experiences from her life that tie back to changes we can make. The workout sequences are detailed both in pictures and illustrations making them easy to follow along, and they are compact enough that you could do a little each day, or make one longer workout! There are even recipes thrown in - nothing necessarily new or complicated, but healthy, plant based ideas that are simple and easy to make!A great read and beautiful guide to a more balanced...and yoga filled...life!

An easy and uplifting read for sure. You can't help but be a little taken by Rachel's enthusiasm and her stupid, raw likability! She's the modern yogi living a pretty blessed life now, but she worked her ass off to get there and she preaches that you do the same--quit your bitching, believe in yourself, and know that somewhere out there a higher order in nature doesn't want you to fail--so take on a healthy existence and listen to your damn breath already. Your breathing is your ticket to enlightenment, but it does take some practice to get comfortable with opening your heart to it all. Read her story, follow her directions on some yoga poses and meditations (and fab recipes to boot!) and you will be transformed. I had never loved any yoga class I attended because I am overwrought with self-conscious, worrisome thoughts that I had never taken the time to see over until Rachel wrote about exactly that. You hear the same advice over and over and somehow holding this book in my hand gave me a cathartic understanding of why I have failed at connecting to the yoga practice (and indeed a lot of other things!) before. The practice is endless, but there's no time like the present to just begin. This book will move you in exactly the right direction from a guide who is lovely and real (she even curses, how fabulously refreshing!) and conscious of all the sadness at play in our lives, but willing to show you how to break free from it when it's crushing.

I enjoyed this book and read it really quickly, even though I generally avoid reading books because I'm a slow reader and pretty ADD about it. This one is mostly pictures, yoga instructions, and recipes with Rachel's life story intertwined so it's really not heavy on text anyway. Her message is very upbeat and positive, much like her Instagram feed and public presence. My complaint about the book, though, is how scattered it is, and how it just skims the surface of some very deep topics - her life story included. Maybe this was at the request of the publishers and not from the author's intent.... But she does say somewhere that the book was written over the most chaotic, travel-intensive year of her life, and IMHO that really comes through in the writing. She touches on the surface of her life story and what brought her to the lifestyle she now leads, but didn't really go into depth any further than the TV and radio interviews I've heard her do. She also dips into some of her deeper insights on life and growth, and the purpose of yoga, but again, it felt choppy and almost frantic, and didn't go into anything in depth. This is more of a coffee table book... with light stories intertwined. There are a few interesting recipes like a raw coconut chocolate, but also some irrelevant stuff thrown in (a recipe for fresh herbal tea??) From reading Rachel Brathen's Instagram feed over time, I would say this woman has more of a writer within her than this book lets on. If you're looking for something meaty, you will be disappointed. If you're looking for color, light inspiration, and some very basic yoga instruction, this might keep you occupied for a few hours. I, for one, will be waiting for something more mature and substantial from Rachel Brathen after she's lived some more life and gives another go at writing a book. ;)

This book has contributed to me deciding to quit my job and start teaching yoga! I wouldn't say that the book itself is responsible but I was drawn to the beautiful photos and poses on or by the water. I've practiced yoga for 16 years so technically speaking the book isn't very advanced, but it's different and inspirational! So here goes, wish me luck and maybe some time in the future I'll have a book on here for sale!

A very good and open story of Rachels life. The book gives good advice on how to be happy with who you are and how to improve your yoga practice. I have been doing yoga on and off for some years now and this book helped me to focus and inprove my practise. Would recomend this book to any one who is look to start or improve their life or yoga

I love how real this book is and straight from the heart. Rachel is telling us her truth through and combining it with some useful facts and great tips.This book is inspirational, motivation and helps you love yourself for who you are.

Very disappointed about the book. It is not at all what i was expecting.. Just a girl who went through teenage crisis and found a way to leave but there is really nothing that much about yoga that i could learn about or being inspired.

Bought this for my 18 year old daughter and she is captivated by it. She loves the honesty and overriding sense of purpose delivered by Rachel's words. Why did I buy it? I heard Rachel on Radio 5 by chance on day and she really struck a chord.