Customer Reviews

An Offering of Leaves

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Ruth Lauer-Manenti has an incredible capacity to see the great beauty in ordinary circumstances and the potential for hope in the midst of suffering -- beyond that she's able to translate the depth of her understanding into words -- stories that show her readers how to live in the world with kindness and compassion and connect with others through small, simple acts. Reading An Offering of Leaves is like spending time with a very dear, wise friend -- intimate, surprising, funny, deeply affecting and honest, this book will remind you of your own ability to experience life in all its myriad joys and sorrows and engage with the world, rather than turning away. A real treasure--and one which is meant to be shared!

This book is for everyone. It's touching, it's moving, it's deep, it's sweet, it's not ordinary, it grabs you, it pulls you, it makes you look at your own life, it makes you want to study, it makes you want to love another being and care for them, it makes you proud of the humanity and kindness we all share, it makes you want to get on your yoga mat or at least move your body in such a way so that your mind will become clearer, sharper, wiser. You can pick this book at any time and find something useful, something that is not merely invented bur rather ancient, just perhaps a little forgotten. Lady Ruth cuts right through the reader with her unique style and profound knowledge that stems from incredible devotion to her teachers, years of study and her ability to dwell on the experiences of life. You can read this book 108,000 times and offer it to 108,000 people and you will still find it in you to read it again and offer it again.

Lady Ruth gives us an insight into the practical applications of Master Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, Bhagavad Gita, and many foundational texts of Yoga. Her real life experiences and observations remind us that this wisdom is not to be read quietly and locked away, but applied in our daily lives. A real service to all teachers and students of Yoga!

As I read each teaching, I want to stop, let it sink in, affect me in all the ways that it has touched me. Then, I am drawn in to read another. Reflect on the sanscrit, the translation, the intimate way in which Ruth has related it directly to living life today. Tears of sentiment and joy, grace and goodness. Thank you for such inspiration and relateability.

Ruth Lauer-Manenti reminds us through the telling of both the private and shared moments of her life of the depth of human experience that can be accessed at anytime. As one reads from one story to the next it becomes clear that what links them together is her honest investigation and devotion to the potentials of existence from the day-to-day and everything in between. I can't recommend it enough!

In an "Offering of Leaves", Lady Ruth shares her life experiences in the form of 40 short stories, or dharma talks. Each story has a simple yet extraordinary message for the reader. Her compassion and infinite knowledge of the subject comes through on these pages. You will not want to put it down. Thank you for these teachings!!

As a librarian with more than two decades in academic libraries, I would recommend this book for all public, college, and university libraries. It is accessible without dumbing down the material; it is thought-provoking without being preachy; and it is precious, not because it is sweet, but because it is so careful, sparse, and ruminative. If people who are interested in yoga use your library, they would be delighted to discover this slim volume of stories on your shelves.

As a yoga practitioner and a sometime teacher, I would recommend that yogis of all flavors consider starting your collection with two copies of this text. One you'll want to keep, and one you'll soon find yourself giving away. This book is like that -- you want to give it away. You want to give it because you want to spread the good news of its many interesting messages, you want to give it because it is full of goodness, the kind of goodness that helps heal our sometimes broken world.

Some of the stories are part of the lineage of yoga, like the story "Ram's Greatest Quality." What makes this book unique and charming are the author's personal stories, as in the story "Bending the Rules," where she describes introducing her elderly father to her guru, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Ruth Lauer-Manenti and her editor, Andrea Boyd, have made a significant contribution to the reading lists of yogis for years to come. This is not a book to keep. It is a book to have, to share, to give away, and to return to for a lifetime.

This book is a collection of beautiful short talks that the author gives before her yoga classes. I practice yoga, but a practice of yoga is not necessary to gain from reading it. It is really short stories that help guide life. My friends who do not practice yoga still find the book easy to read and meaningful. Highly highly recommended!

I cannot recommend this book highly enough! This is a deeply moving, very beautiful compilation of the teachings of Ruth Lauer-Manenti, one of the wisest and most profound spiritual storytellers of our time. With sweetness, insight, and crackling humor, she offers many stories that read like modern parables about uncovering moments of beauty in our harried contemporary times. Each chapter opens with a yoga sutra or other spiritual text, and then follows with one of Ruth Lauer-Manenti's beautiful stories, so that her story not only stands alone as a wonderful story, but also serves as an exegesis on the sutra, a way to access, even more deeply, the sacred teachings. I will add that the book itself is absolutely wonderful (high quality paper and a gorgeous cover) so it makes a wonderful gift, too.

Ruth has this magical ability to take life's experiences and reveal our potential for joy and living fully engaged with the world and all the beings around us. Whether it is trying to find a phone to make a call from India to New York, or taking her elderly father to get his hair cut in a salon, her story-telling is touching and universal, and allows us to recognize not just ourselves, but the ever-present magic and opportunity for happiness in our own lives.