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41 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Meditations from the Mat: a daily dose of inspiration, December 23, 2002
This review is from: Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga (Paperback)
Mediations from the Mat is a one-a-day vitamin for the yogic soul. There are 365 essays here designed to nourish you on your journey off and on the mat. If you practice yoga, you will appreciate this book. If you like thought-provoking quotes, you'll find them here. If you're on a path toward spiritual and emotional well being, this book is for you. Grasping Patanjali's 8-limb path is a daunting task. Gates, along with gifted writer/editor Katrina Kenison, simplifies these lessons by presenting them through examples of his own life experiences and discoveries. What I like best about this book is that it's simple and it's Real. Anybody can relate to these stories of suffering, joy, tragedy, and love, regardless of whether they practice yoga. So with each daily reading, we begin to realize that yoga is not some esoteric, mountain-top guru thing, but a means of meeting ourselves and learning our truth -- simply by showing up on our mats and in our lives. Gates doesn't claim to have answers. He gives us what he has to give: the lessons he has learned through the erratic, grace-filled ride he's had so far. As the essays gradually build on one another, we begin to understand that amid our suffering, fear, and doubt, we can "experience a visceral sense of belonging in a universe held together by love." If you take in one of these essays each day, you will nourish your soul. No doubt about it. I'm only on Day 31 and I feel the difference already!
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30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Teaches that yoga is much more than just a physical practice, February 17, 2004
This review is from: Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga (Paperback)
I am a fairly casual yoga practitioner; I've just begun to try to incorporate asana (posture) practice on an almost daily basis. This book goes beyond the practice of yoga postures and takes you deep into the philosophy behind yoga. It contains a series of essays and reflections, one for each day of the year; each entry begins with a quote derived from yoga texts, popular culture, or yoga students and teachers. The book is broken down into eight sections which correspond to the eight branches of yoga--the postures, or asanas, are just one of these branches, and the essays focus on incorporating yoga into your daily life both on AND off the mat. Although I found most of the essays to be interesting and enjoyed learning more about yogic traditions, I felt that the book had limited applicability to my own practice, which is more limited to asana. However, those who are interested in integrating yoga/yogic philosophy more pervasively into their lives are likely to enjoy this book.
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35 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally, a yoga book for everyone., December 20, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga (Paperback)
I have a dozen yoga pose books gathering dust on my shelf. This book has been in my hands every day since I bought it. Having bought one for a yogi friend, I flipped through it, and had to get a copy for myself -- and also for my friend in recovery, a New Age friend, and several others who don't even do yoga, but who will love the tone and message of this inspiring collection. The authors bring yoga out of the yoga studio and into everyday life. In these 365 short personal essays, Rolf Gates, a young yoga teacher, talks about what it means to really live according the principles of yoga. It is really about living well, and thoughtfully, with compassion for yourself and others. Each day's reflection begins with a quote, and they are great. This must be the only book on the market that quotes from Leonard Skynard, the movie ALmost Famous, the Yoga Sutras, Henry Thoreau, Martin Luther King, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. . .Gates finds his isnpiration everywhere, and that's just the point he makes: We are all living our yoga all the time. Even on days when I don't get near my yoga mat, I am reading this book. Two minutes grounds me for the day. This book is for everyone on any kind of a spiritual path, and for anyone who needs a helping hand staying on track -- which certainly must be all of us.
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