HAPPY YOGA: 7 Reasons Why There’s Nothing To Worry About by Steve Ross

I woke up with Steve Ross for years. Inhale Yoga with Steve Ross was on the Oxygen network at six a.m. from 2000 to 2010. Because I needed to leave for work at seven, I taped the show and did my workout from five until six in the morning. I have since worn out the tapes and fried my VHS player. I was addicted to Inhale Yoga for many reasons: Steve’s effortless smile, humor, the rocking beat of the music he played and the happiness I walked away with at the end of each session. One day I might venture out to the west coast and experience his effervescence in person at Maha Yoga, in the meantime I have Happy Yoga.

There is no need to have a background in yoga to reap the benefits from Ross’s book. But my guess is by the time you finish reading you’ll be searching for a yoga class. That said, although each chapter ends with a few asanas that reinforce the material, this is not a detailed instructional book on yoga poses. Happy Yoga sheds light on the aspects of yoga often overlooked in Western classes, where the focus is often on toning and dropping pounds.

From intriguing chapter titles like You’re Not Fat (And Neither Am I) to the offering of sage advice:

Your trials did not come to punish you, but to awaken you—to make you realize that you are part of Spirit and that just behind the spark of life is the flame of infinity.

—Paramahansa Yogananda

Ross invites readers to consider the possibility of change in their lives through Inner Yoga exercises. Without pressure, dares or guilt Happy Yoga shines light in the shadows of your life and simply asks, “Is this the way you want to live?” And if you’d like to change each chapter presents suggestions on how you may transform into a happier you.

Real yoga is about transcending the serious and allowing joy into your life, your body, your mind and hopefully your practice itself. It’s about lightening up.

Whether you’ve been studying yoga for years or haven’t quite managed to step onto a mat, Ross’s book will inspire and guide you to a deeper level of understanding through his clarity, humor and love for this ancient Eastern philosophy.

Worry less, breathe more and wake up your life with Happy Yoga.