The Practice of Mindful Yoga: A Connected Path to Awareness by
Hannah Moss
My rating:
5 of 5 stars
Many thanks to NetGalley, Leaping Hare Press, and Hannah Moss for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advance copy.
Hannah Moss has been practicing yoga for 20 years. There was a period of six years where she was practicing Ashtanga yoga and noticed that after a while it became mechanical. It became a task, something she “should” do, it became rote and she was no longer listening to her body. Thankfully, she started to search around for different styles, teachers and finally found something that spoke to her. It was no longer about the perfect pose, but rather how she felt on the inside. This was when she discovered mindful yoga.
This book was not what I expected. I’m not sure that I had expectations, but whatever they were, Moss blew them out of the water. This is the most comprehensive, insightful, instructive approach to combining mindfulness and yoga that I have read. Moss not only explains in a down to earth, easy to understand, completely relatable way what mindfulness is and what yoga is, but what a mindful yoga practice should feel like. She breaks down the roots of yoga and what the different practices can be and how they tie into a mindful way of living. Moss also instructs you on the basics of meditation in a nurturing and supportive way. She then ties in how to use that breath from meditation to the breath control you use in yoga. In living a mindful life, she reminds us how to destress and focus on what is important. You learn how to be kind to others and how to be kind to yourself. Moss has an approach that is real and concrete so that you can easily apply these lessons to your daily life. It isn’t a bunch of buzz words or cliche sayings about how you should be. She gives you the real tools that you can use in steps that are achievable, always reminding us that it is the practice of doing that is important, not the end result. Also discussed are body scans and gratitude practices. She touches on so many important aspects of any yoga practice and the traps of what can happen when you are trying to be mindful. She discusses the important qualities to look for in a good teacher and how you need to be given permission to move in a way that is comfortable for you, connecting to how it feels, rather than trying to achieve some goal of how far you can reach. Letting go of the ego is a huge part in living a mindful life.
Moss really bring home the point of if it is not making you happy and living a better life, than why are you doing it? Having a holistic approach of connecting your mind, to your breath, to your body, is really the best way to achieve that. Taking that extra breath, thinking of others, becoming aware of what you are feeling can make all the difference in living a more fulfilled life. Her exercise on awakening your senses, or breathing are all geared to helping you achieve those ideals. Accepting the way things are, whether it is as simple as trying to touch your toes, or the bigger picture of where you are in your life right now, can lead to a happier, more content way to live. Practicing is the key. You never achieve completion, because we are human and this is a human practice. There are ups and downs. Some days are better than others. You step onto the mat because you want to, not because you should, or because it is the ‘right’ thing to do.
So much of this book spoke to me, either to reinforce what I have learned in the past, or to teach me something new. One part that was especially meaningful was when she talked about deep listening, loving speech and loving kindness. She also warns of the downfalls or traps that we can sometimes get into when trying hard to do it the right way. Jumping on a bandwagon, trying to achieve an ideal, or conforming to one way of doing things is not the way to do yoga mindfully. The last part of the book gives you several different sets of yoga sequences that you can adapt as part of your practice.
I cannot tell you how much I learned in this book. Moss combines not only theory, but practice as well. She is relatable, knowledgable and covers the material in an approachable manner. It is something that I will read over and over again because it has so much in it. I found it inspiring and it made me feel like I wanted to learn more, do more and recommit to doing things in a mindful way. I will be gifting this to everyone I know. Really, one of the best reads on this subject that I have read in a long time.
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