TLC Book Tours: Do Your Om Thing

Yoga has never been my thing. I know it should be my thing. I have tried yoga several times, but haven’t managed to stick with a routine.  Each time I did feel great – strong, relaxed, centered.  Yet, every time I started yoga, I found a reason to stop. Do Your Om Thing is meant to encourage, and demystify the practice of yoga and meditation. Written by Rebecca Pacheco, who has been practicing and teaching for many years, she also blogs at Om Girl. She promises that her book will not be preachy, hence the title, and instead she aims to make yoga more accessible. She mentions her yoga background, and explains how yoga can positively affect your life.

The book is divided into 4 sections, Yoga, Ancient and Modern, The Body, The Mind, and The Spirit. Included in the first part of the book is a brief history of yoga and yoga philosophy. She goes into great detail about an 8-limbed yoga path. It “guides yogis toward inner and outer peace through a series of simple practices and directions.” She explains the 8 things, and also how to incoprotate these things in every day life – making yoga more accessible. She also makes a connection (through yoga practice, tradition, and teaching) between happiness and these 8 things, not just exclusively through yoga practice.

I feel like I’ve always known (or at least known for a while) how great yoga is. It has a myriad of benefits, but it depends on how you practice and live your life. There is a physical and a spiritual part to yoga, which are connected. Both the physical and spiritual element are well described in the book.  She also talks about meditation, and describes how it can be beneficial in controlling in emotions and moods. If, as she describes, the ultimate goal of yoga is enlightenment (or sanadhi), meditation can deepen that experience.  It could lead to being fully awakened. There is also a guide on how to meditate, and how to find your own practice and style. This is something perhaps we all could use, and seems important in disconnecting. It reminds me so much of “mindfulness” which has become a popular topic.

The name of the book is also the name of a class she teaches in Boston. I would love to take this class, but the book was definitely not my thing. Her ideals about spiritual pursuits, like yoga, remind me of “me time”, if it benefits us, it benefits those around us.  And I totally get that.  It’s something I feel I should be more interested in, but I feel like many other women, I just don’t have time.  She reminds us that we should make time – and I just might.  I first about this book on NPR, when Pacheco was interviewed on On Point.  She spoke passionately about yoga as a apart of a healthy lifestyle.  I don’t think I’ll be doing a handstand any time soon (or maybe ever), but I know I should at least incorporate even 5 minutes of yoga or meditation into my daily routine.