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A smoker from Seattle heads to Bali to train as a yoga teacher, providing an entertaining voice to her doubts and inner rebellion.
Morrison followed Indra, her beautiful blond yoga teacher, and her mind-reading husband Lou, to a remote Indonesian village for a two-month training program. While there, the author struggled with the austere lifestyle and faced unresolved spiritual issues from her Catholic youth. Upon discovering her beloved guru’s flaws, Morrison became disillusioned with yogic teachings and began drinking milkshakes in an act of rebellion, leading to open resistance and rejection of the higher path, and returned to America disappointed to be the same woman. Ten years later, Morrison found herself in New York, still unforgiving of the yoga world. She humorously dismisses the urban yoga scene, calling the practice “yogaerobics,” the teachers “celebriyogis” and the boutiques “sacred schwag.” Optimistic despite her constant questioning, Morrison reflects on her time as “a real yogi in Bali,” and finally is able to forgive her teachers their humanity and move toward acceptance. Though her love life provides the framework for her story and decisions, the author candidly describes her thoughts in detail, whether selfish, cynical or mushy, without professing a message or conquering her own dualistic world view, allowing the reader to participate in her processes along the way.
Brings the higher path down to Earth with refreshing honesty.
