Reflecting back, writing this book and journal about yoga changed the way I feel about life.

Yoga Affect Book and Journal Link

Three years ago while in India, I decided to write a book and companion journal about yoga. The book series answers three major questions.

1. How did yoga evolve?

2. How does yoga work to bring balance and wellness to the body?

3. Why does yoga work to bring insight, leading-edge viewpoints, and inspiration? 

My call to embark on such a difficult task for an amateur author and apprentice Yogi stemmed from my first contact with yoga literature forty years earlier. I realized early on, finding a clearly written book without jargon or ambiguity is difficult. During those early years and later while immersed in yoga teacher training I remained frustrated with rehashed expressions and vague references. The three straightforward questions I pose above remained unanswered. Not only that, my advanced training and education led me further away from what attracted me to yoga in the first place. My yoga experience lost its spiritual nature. Some call it yoga burn-out; although, for me, it seemed more like a dead-end. 

Then came my solo trip to India. Invigorated by the trials of traveling alone through India, I became inspired and awake. After being urged to write the book and journal by a teacher and mentor, I welcomed the challenge. Two elements motivated my will to succeed. The first was utter personal stubbornness. I wanted my yoga practice back the way it was before I started, and second, my dissatisfaction with the yoga industry, which I believed caused my spiritual setback. 

Consequently, I grew determined to find the truth about yoga, the reality of self-awareness and carry out the task of sharing it all. Hence, I tracked yoga's evolution from pre-historic yoga to current trends. 

Along the way, I added interesting tidbits of data that included scientific research proving the efficacy of traditional yoga methods. Limited by space, I narrowed the cited research to relevant and currently used protocols by medical professionals. 

Coupling the development of yoga with research solved one major problem for me. It illustrated the value of Indian symbolism. For example, I compared ancient nadis to our current understanding of alternate nostril breathing and the central nervous system. My aim was to show how yoga theory remained hidden within Indian symbolism throughout the ages. Eventually, exposing the theory behind yoga's power to heal and promote personal growth and wellness came through modern technology. I believe Indian symbolism continues to be overlooked even though it remains a critical factor to the success of yoga's longevity. More may be learned from the esoteric knowledge hidden deep within the symbolism of the Vedas.

Moving beyond modern "retail style" yoga, I thought it appropriate to discuss yoga theory relative to modern society's struggle with reality and personal responsibility (or lack thereof). By introducing consciousness theories and ethics, we create a link between the "present or now" and our experiences or desires. This coalescence of past, present and future is the current state of development in yoga theory for the modern man who chooses awareness. Because morality and personal integrity continue to be underdeveloped and even belittled in our culture of narcissism and social media; yoga continues to evolve to serve the advancement of the human race. 

While my resolve to understand "what yoga was all about" and share what I discovered has led me here, I feel as though I fulfilled my goal to become aware, simplify, clarify and open the obstructed mind to something greater than ourselves. Check out who benefits from this book and journal.

The most significant segment of the series is the guided journal; not because it reveals the secret to life but because it reveals your secrets about your life. The journal is the method I used to open my mind to the wonders of seeing life as it is without the influences of a painful past, day-to-day activities, and unknown future. If you want more, READ the book, WRITE in the journal and DISCOVER your-Self. 

I hope you do; please don't be shy--connect with me. I would love to hear your story.

Sandra Zuidema is a published author of Yoga Affect: A Primer for a Beautiful Life and Yoga Affect: A Guided Journal, both available on Amazon. You may contact her at SandZuid.com via her social media links or email on the website. 

The book and journal are now for sale on Amazon. And true to my word there is no B.S., fluff, or cryptic descriptions of yoga, its history, or its purpose.