Review – Yin, Yang, Yogini by Kathryn E. Livingston

Exercise is often stated as a coping strategy for mental health. I use exercise myself and love the release of endorphins that it gives me. However, yoga specifically is often given as a coping strategy for anxiety. The calmness of yoga and the idea of non-attachment can be very helpful for someone who suffers with anxiety. Being told this can seem silly and I used to wonder how that could possibly be true. How is focusing on my breathe going to help me?

Within this book Kathryn shares how she went from someone with extreme and sometimes debilitating anxiety to someone willing to put herself out into the world. To her this would not have been possible without yoga. She does a great job writing about the transition from her one self to her new self. The words are well chosen and the writing is clean.

I found that I struggled to get into the book in the first bit, kind of like how I struggled to get into yoga (yes not only do I do yoga

but I am also a yoga teacher). As I continued to read to I identified more and more with Kathryn and am so glad that I didn’t put the book down. By the end I couldn’t put the book down.

Not only was I identifying with her journey of learning yoga but her journey with cancer. She had breast cancer and I had cervical cancer. When she writes of wondering if it will ever return I feel her worry. When she writes about having to come to terms with this illness I feel her pain. She doesn’t gloss over the strong emotions that come with this diagnosis. She embraces that part of her journey and shares it openly with all of her readers. I felt like someone else finally understood me!

If you have ever wondered about yoga this book is for you. If you have struggled with cancer and the emotions that go with it, this book is for your. If you love a well written story about someone’s life, this book is for you!

You can purchase your copy on amazon.