The Yoga Teacher

August 4, 2008
Gray ("Ten Men") portrays the world of Westernized yoga, from its true disciples to spandex-wrapped poseurs, in this uplifting tale of starting over. Languishing in an unfulfilling pharmaceutical sales job, unhappy in her relationship with an unemployed single dad and still mourning the death of her previous boyfriend, Londoner Grace sees the daily yoga classes at Swami Ps as her only salvation. A business meeting that turns personal inspires Grace to ditch both job and boyfriend and become a yoga teacher. Yet Graces new path is far from blissful; she teaches heart sinker patients at a health clinic and privately instructs socialites, a starlet and an aging supermodel. She also carries on a correspondence with the doctor who sparked her decision to change her life, and their letters are full of potential for a future together. The narration can be frustratingin the same passage, the reader will be inside of Graces head one moment and a detached observer the nextbut if Grace seems distant, her decisiveness at making a new life is still an inspiration for anyone whos ever yearned to pursue a dream. "(Aug.)" .

July 15, 2008
Grace is a London-based pharmaceutical sales person by day and a yoga devotee by night. The loss of loved ones has left her reluctant to reach out to others. Then she meets Dr. David James, and their conversations reveal much common ground. Both see the flaws in their current jobs, and both aspire to better and more fulfilling lives. The chemistry between them bubbles beneath the surface. Still, they partGrace to a California training program for yoga teachers, David to a Vietnamese course in non-Western medicine. Once certified, Grace returns to London and collects an eclectic array of yoga students, which helps her crystallize her plans for the future. David also returns to practice holistic medicine. With a little push from a friend, Grace and David are reunited, equally optimistic, refreshed, renewed, and ready to pursue a romantic relationship together. Gray's second novel (after "Ten Men") details the mental and spiritual realignment of the midlife crisis. She captures the struggle and its consequences. Funny, sad, engaging, and optimistic, this story conveys almost as much about yoga as it does about the human condition. Recommended for all general fiction collections.Joanna Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Coll. of Continuing Education Lib., Providence

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