It is all in the title, Yoga: For the Joy of It! More than a tale about mind meeting body, this recently released hardback is the first ever college text all about yoga. Together, the synergetic duo of Minda Goodman Kraines and Barbara Rose Sherman have combined forces to write a book containing everything from the history of yoga practice to personal yoga study questions.
While Sherman was at school threading garlands for gurus and achieving her certification in Therapeutic Yoga, Kraines was in pursuit of her MA in dance (and working towards becoming “the next Barbara Streisand”). Now, after more than 30 years of dedication to health and wellness in an impressive variety of forms, the pair have collaborated to create an interactive text that instructs future yogis and inspires people to achieve their deepest personal goals. Kraines, who’s already authored two college textbooks, first approached Sherman about the project. “[We] must write a yoga book,” she recalled saying. “There is no other yoga instructional book for college level education out there.”
Packed with easy-to-follow descriptions, alignment cues, benefits, and hand-selected photos, the text features a section known as the “Yoga Moment” wherein readers are instructed to actively participate in the material by holding a pose or doing a sequence of movements, thus awaking their inner presence. “Meditating is an organic 409; you start wiping away at your mind and eventually the lens gets clearer and clearer,” Sherman explained.
And whether you’re seeking inner peace or simply in it for the college credits, Yoga: For the Joy of It! will no doubt awaken the joys of yoga for anyone. As an active instructor working throughout Santa Barbara, Sherman reminds us, “I am a student myself. My goal is to be of service and help transform the world, one heart at a time.” A book-signing will be held this Saturday, May 2, at 12:30 p.m. at the Santa Barbara Yoga Center (32 E. Micheltorena St.). For more information, visit jbpub.com or Sherman’s Web site, barbararosesherman.com.