Happy Yoga: 7 Reasons Why There’s Nothing to Worry About
by Steve Ross
This month we will be reading Happy Yoga: 7 Reasons Why There’s Nothing to Worry About by Steve Ross. Steve is a musician and yoga teacher who travelled extensively around the world and studied yoga with traditional Vedantic masters. He was surprised to find that the way yoga is taught in the West is very different from what he had encountered in India. According to Steve, yoga is not about being serious, miserable, right or uptight and it is not a “militant painfest”. It’s about joy and happiness, but somehow we can lose track of that. So he encourages us to step back, re-access our values and recognize that we are looking for fulfillment in all the wrong places.
I chose this book because of author’s sense of humor and his ability to explain and illustrate some rather complex yogic ideas in a very down-to-earth common sense sort of way. With chapter titles like You can have true love, You are not fat (and neither am I), You are not your daily grind, this book is funny and sometimes profound. With that said, I am pretty sure that you will not agree with everything he says. I personally don’t care about his dietary advice or his recommendations of actual yoga poses. But the bottom line is that he brings joy and light-heartedness to his discussions of some pretty complex subjects. He makes you reassess the way you approach your life and your yoga practice, and he comes to it from a place of deep knowledge and understanding of the yoga tradition. That is why it is definitely worth a read. If this sounds interesting to you, please read the book and join our discussion!
I live in regional North Queensland and have to order these books online. It’s not available as an ibook. I just ordered this one, and look forward to getting into reading and discussing with the Happy U group- hope I can keep pace with your book schedule as it will take at a week + to get this one.
That’s great Vicky! You’ll have plenty of time. This is an older book, may be that’s why it’s not available in electronic form. Most of the other books we will be reading are newer, so hopefully they would be easier to get. And if you have a good library nearby, sometimes you can find those books there. Welcome aboard!
I’m in, ordering the book right now! Thanks!
Yey! I would love to know what you think about it 🙂
Love your recommendation and how you introduce Steve Ross and his book. My experience of Steve Ross was at Sedona Yoga Festival some years back. I took a yin class of his. I was intrigued by a few very deep and profound things he seeemed to “sneak in” during what seemed almost like a comedy! That prompted me to then also attend a kirtan he led. It was phenomenal. I was quite impressed with the depth that underlies his unique approach. I then ordered and read his book and agree with your assessment that it’s worth the read! Enjoy!!
Thank you for this comment Shelly! I am so happy to hear that Steve Ross actually lives the stuff he talks about in the book! One never knows 🙂 I will need to look up his events and see if I can experience one fr myself! I also like that he doesn’t seem to think of himself as guru.
It is going to take about three weeks for me to get this book. I hope I too will be able to join in the discussion.
I live in an area with limited and expensive internet access.
Would it be possible to get the reading list in advance so we can order ahead or find in our library?
Thank you
Terri
Hi Terry, this is a great idea. I will email you the list of the next four books to make sure that you find them in a timely manner.
Just ordered the book and look forward to following along with the discussion!
Olga, First of all, thank you so much for all the support and inspiration you so generously offer. I have been teaching yoga since the 1980s, yet now more than ever, there are new ways of thinking and being as a yoga practitioner. This is all exciting and keeps enlivening me as well as my teaching. I am at a place in life where reducing, rather that adding to my possessions (in this case books) is something that gives me Joy. That said, I found this book available in my local library system which made me very happy. I live… Read more »
Great to hear Marilyn! I totally agree with you about the library. And most of the other books we read in the future will probably be easier to find in the library.
Book arrived yesterday. Looking forward to start reading it. Definitely agree that yoga shouldnt feel like work!
🙂 Let us now how it goes!
I too have just ordered the book and as I’m in the UK it won’t arrive for another week. Look forward to reading it and sorry I can’t join the discussion. Jane
You can still contribute whenever you are ready Jane!
My pace is much much slower than yours, Olga 😉 So I am still reading the Happy Yoga book which I only received last week. It will take me a while to finish it, so many other things to read too, and also because it is a mixture of deep reflection and then some obvious stuff or annoying examples. So I don’t read it in one go. Little at a time is enough for me. There are some insightful thoughts in the book. I marked page 27-28 as I felt good explanations on attention. I am now in the chapter… Read more »
Thank you for your wonderful observations! And I think that you summarized the book perfectly as “a mixture of deep reflection and then some obvious stuff or annoying examples” 🙂 I also used the chapter on relationships and looking for fulfillment from them to reframe my perceptions of my loved ones. I am very happy to hear that the book had sparked some reflections and discussions – what else can we ask for? 🙂
After my teacher training last year, my teacher recommended this book. It’s easy to read and love all the stories. Time for me to read it again!