Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi

September 15, 2012

In 1989, not many people--especially men--did yoga, but Leaf (McGraw-Hill's Top 50 Skills for a Top Score) didn't let that stop him from taking a yoga class as an elective in his freshman year of college. Almost immediately, he became a yoga zealot. After a lifetime of stress, anxiety, and colitis, the deep relaxation that yoga provides was a welcome relief. This memoir follows Leaf as he explores yoga and various related practices including Ayurveda, meditation, energy healing, and more. The numerous pop culture references (e.g., a comparison of his first yoga teacher's beard to Zach Galifianakis's in The Hangover; a cathartic shouting scene referencing Cameron in Ferris Bueller's Day Off) set his story firmly in the 1990s through the present. He focuses on the humor of his experiences, often revealing embarrassing details, but he also offers advice at the end of most chapters. Several appendixes explain the basics of yoga and meditation. VERDICT Anyone with an interest in transformational memoirs and open to New Age ideas will gravitate to this story.--Mindy Rhiger, Mackin Educational Resources, Minneapolis

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