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Happy Yoga: 7 Reasons Why There's Nothing to Worry About – Revolutionary Vedantic Wisdom for Releasing Anxiety and Cultivating Profound Calm
After studying yoga in India and traveling all over the world with traditional Vedantic masters, Steve Ross returned to his hometown of Los Angeles with a broadened point of view of what yoga could be. He was surprised to find that yoga classes at home were missing the humor, joy, and celebration that fueled his Eastern studies. Instead of expanding and enhancing the joy of being, Western yoga classes focused obsessively on correcting body positions and developing a picture-perfect physique. Determined to keep his yoga practice true to cultivating bliss and inner radiance, Ross started his own yoga studio and has created a yoga movement in Los Angeles that is, to put it simply, revolutionary. Ross lives and teaches according to his belief that the secret to yoga is not obsessing over whether your feet are parallel or whether you can bend as far as the person on your left can, but about transcending the serious and allowing joy into your life, your body, your mind, and hopefully your yoga practice itself. It's about lightening up. In Happy Yoga , Ross reveals that everyone is inherently happy, but that our true self is shadowed and concealed by the layers of worry that, through habit, become our daily thoughts. In each chapter, he examines one of our seven greatest human fears -- depression, ill health, loss of love, career failure, war, death, and emotional stasis -- and uses yoga wisdom to explain how to strip away these worries to reach your core of calm radiant joy. By sharing his system of yoga postures, diet, meditation, music, supplements, and philosophy, Ross has effected profound physical and mental changes in both his life and the lives of his students. Ross's power is that he goes back to the source -- five thousand years of ancient yogic wisdom -- and decodes the abstract Eastern ideas for a Western audience. Happy Yoga is not just a set of movements and facts to consume, it is a way of shifting your awareness to bring the spirit of yoga into each movement, each meal, each relationship, each thought, and each breath. With love and joyful abandon, Ross offers us a new way to practice and live yoga. The result is profound calm, a dramatic release of anxiety and pain, and the realization that there really is nothing to worry about.
270 pages, Paperback
First published October 21, 2003
48 people are currently reading
651 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
December 17, 2007
Really, one of the best books I have ever read. So, you think it's going to be all about yoga...well, it's not! It's about life and our preconceived notions, all of the going, going, going we do in life and what we put into our bodies, and the thoughts that we generate. For anyone that wants to slow down and take a breath, please read.
April 4, 2012
I wish Goodreads had a category for tried-to-read-but-abandoned. I didn't really read this. Just enough to be annoyed by the cloyingly sweet approach. Makes yoga sound like a bad hallmark card. My apologies for giving and/or recommending this book.
August 13, 2016
I liked this book well enough. I think it's a good start for someone looking to learn more about what yoga's about. Not that I'm an enlightened being, or a supreme yogi, but a lot of what I was reading wasn't necessarily new to me (thanks, teacher training and four years of practicing yoga!), but I wasn't always keen on Ross's writing style. I felt at times his tone was flippant (for example, asking something like 'why would you want to go to the mall?' or some such, and answering the question in a way that just rubbed me wrong). Sometimes, I just think it was a simple matter of a dislike of word choice. For example: "Expecting happiness from an identity you’ve purchased is delusional." Labeling a thought "delusional" is something I take issue with, especially when it's coming from a nonjudgmental yogi. I felt a few times as if I was being made fun of for certain behaviors and beliefs, and it just didn't sit right with me.
Criticisms aside, I did come away with some good nuggets. On the whole, though, this is a recommended pass for me.
Criticisms aside, I did come away with some good nuggets. On the whole, though, this is a recommended pass for me.
December 18, 2019
Steve Ross is a blessed and gifted man. My introduction to yoga happened as a result of someone close to me, and her idea that men weren't tough enough for her gym's Body Pump class or yoga. I had already watched all the men at the gym walk out of the class, so tested myself again the yoga next. The Oxygen Channel had a 5am yoga show called Inhale with Steve Ross. I started there, and preceded to do yoga every single day for next ten years. My favorite class still being Inhale. His book more than exceeded my expectations. I've read a lot of self help stuff, never have I come across these inner yoga written exercises. They are total reality changers. I want to hand it out to each participant in my hot yoga class.
June 18, 2015
I love the Steve Ross Inhale yoga classes - but this was difficult to stomach. I didn't come to this book expecting to find a lot of nutrition and lifestyle advice. I was really turned off by his pseudo-sciencey arguments for stress, sleep, sex, veganism, etc. throw in a few stats, make some flip comments, then finish with a glib joke. Not for me. It was hollow and came off as disingenuous and belittling.
June 26, 2015
I loved re-reading this book, as I experience something each time. My favorite quote on this ride: “If you ever watched a flower,…you can see love pouring out of it. It has no demands: it loves existence: It loves the sun, it loves to be nourished, it loves to live, and it loves to die.” As we all search for truth and fulfillment in our own way, so glad I’m on this path. What lies deeper than our thoughts is the journey Steve Ross takes us through in a lighthearted way.
March 15, 2010
Half excellent wisdom about the nature of happiness (and how to be happy), and half really weird and extreme views I don't really agree with. Fulfilled its purpose of helping me be happier, but there was a lot of stuff I chose to disregard/was not comfortable with.
November 19, 2014
In general, I have several books by my side during the week. Mostly these books are irrelevant to each other. For instance last time I had Stephan Hawkings Universe in a Nutshell, Classical Ottoman Poetry, Dostoveski’s Demons, Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Cronicles of a Murder and this final book I have finished: Happy Yoga by Steve Ross.
Happy Yoga
Happy Yoga reasons why there is nothing to worry about in seven parts (Hard to believe!). The book is mainly established around the inner logic of yoga and yogis, going beyond yoga as we know it.
What I like most about this book is mind tickling idioms at the beginning of each part. Also, this book provides a journey in itself for people who are seeking for an inner logic, truth beyond the physical realites of the world.
Although I am pisces and it is not the hardest thing to follow such mindfulness journeys in my imagination, sometimes I find book’s advices a bit unrealistic to apply: Following a vegan diet (milk is only good for caves), and everything will be alright if you let it go totally (Seriously, I am coming from Turkiye and we are not used to let things go that easily).
Even though I found it hard to apply this week I am challenging myself with a vegan diet. It is one of worst things that you can do a carnivore. I thought I would starve to death! It is my fifth day and I still survive believe it not more energic! (Ok I would not say no to a cheese cake beside my coffee, I should admit, but anyway it worths trying)
I want to finish sharing some of these wise advises in the book:
Wherever my travels may lead, paradise is where I am.
Voltaire
Nothing was, nothing will be, and everything has reality and presence.
Herman Hesse, Sidharta
Your true nature is beyond description. It cannot be known with the mind, yet it exists. It is the source of everything.
Nisargadatta Maharaj
Anything more than the truth would be too much.
Robert Frost
You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quite still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.
Franz Kafka
http://betweenthecoffeebeanandtealeaf.wordpress.com/books/
Happy Yoga
Happy Yoga reasons why there is nothing to worry about in seven parts (Hard to believe!). The book is mainly established around the inner logic of yoga and yogis, going beyond yoga as we know it.
What I like most about this book is mind tickling idioms at the beginning of each part. Also, this book provides a journey in itself for people who are seeking for an inner logic, truth beyond the physical realites of the world.
Although I am pisces and it is not the hardest thing to follow such mindfulness journeys in my imagination, sometimes I find book’s advices a bit unrealistic to apply: Following a vegan diet (milk is only good for caves), and everything will be alright if you let it go totally (Seriously, I am coming from Turkiye and we are not used to let things go that easily).
Even though I found it hard to apply this week I am challenging myself with a vegan diet. It is one of worst things that you can do a carnivore. I thought I would starve to death! It is my fifth day and I still survive believe it not more energic! (Ok I would not say no to a cheese cake beside my coffee, I should admit, but anyway it worths trying)
I want to finish sharing some of these wise advises in the book:
Wherever my travels may lead, paradise is where I am.
Voltaire
Nothing was, nothing will be, and everything has reality and presence.
Herman Hesse, Sidharta
Your true nature is beyond description. It cannot be known with the mind, yet it exists. It is the source of everything.
Nisargadatta Maharaj
Anything more than the truth would be too much.
Robert Frost
You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quite still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.
Franz Kafka
http://betweenthecoffeebeanandtealeaf.wordpress.com/books/
November 22, 2018
What did the yogi say to the hot dog vendor? Make me one with everything
This joke had me laughing hard. Steve Ross has a writing style that uses plenty of metaphors to make it easier to follow the contents. He will humor you whenever possible, making reading this book entertaining and enlightening at the same time. The book is divided in seven parts and it basically is bringing the message that life is great as it is although people tend to make things complicated due to the ego’s actions. Specifically we tend to deter our spit progress in seven areas that will be addressed, such as physical appearance, daily routine, death and love.
The one thing I disagreed with was that he seems to suggest that to meditate you should quiet your mind and focus. This would make things confusing to someone new to meditation. In fact, trying to force your mind to stop would only make matters worse. Instead you allow your mind to be, you observe the thoughts that come during meditation and then you let them go. The mind will quiet down on its own when you reach a higher state of consciousness. In short it’s something you can force.
Now, I clearly don’t know as much as he does about spirituality so maybe I misunderstood it or maybe it was just a wording error.
This joke had me laughing hard. Steve Ross has a writing style that uses plenty of metaphors to make it easier to follow the contents. He will humor you whenever possible, making reading this book entertaining and enlightening at the same time. The book is divided in seven parts and it basically is bringing the message that life is great as it is although people tend to make things complicated due to the ego’s actions. Specifically we tend to deter our spit progress in seven areas that will be addressed, such as physical appearance, daily routine, death and love.
The one thing I disagreed with was that he seems to suggest that to meditate you should quiet your mind and focus. This would make things confusing to someone new to meditation. In fact, trying to force your mind to stop would only make matters worse. Instead you allow your mind to be, you observe the thoughts that come during meditation and then you let them go. The mind will quiet down on its own when you reach a higher state of consciousness. In short it’s something you can force.
Now, I clearly don’t know as much as he does about spirituality so maybe I misunderstood it or maybe it was just a wording error.
March 29, 2013
Even if you don't do yoga, read this book! There is so much life philosophy in here that rang my bells. Here are some of my favorite quotes:
"Right underneath your thoughts and negative emotions exists an ocean of love. One has but to quiet the mind to experience it."
"If you really pay attention, your life becomes your guru."
"Love, bliss and peace are your natural condition."
"What might seem like problems may actually be invitations for change."
"You don't need to do anything. Just allow work to be done by the divine, through you."
"Be motivated by your fears and resistances. Look at them like you would a hallucination. What's real?"
"Life on earth in a body is an exceptionally rare opportunity for transformation."
"There's certainty in realizing that you don't know everything."
"You didn't just take form to eat, drink, mate, acquire possessions, get status, and die. You came here to find out who you truly are."
"Fear ... is caused by living in an imaginary future. It needs a future to sustain itself. You have no idea what the future holds--no one does. Therefore the solution is to continually bring your attention back to this moment."
"Right underneath your thoughts and negative emotions exists an ocean of love. One has but to quiet the mind to experience it."
"If you really pay attention, your life becomes your guru."
"Love, bliss and peace are your natural condition."
"What might seem like problems may actually be invitations for change."
"You don't need to do anything. Just allow work to be done by the divine, through you."
"Be motivated by your fears and resistances. Look at them like you would a hallucination. What's real?"
"Life on earth in a body is an exceptionally rare opportunity for transformation."
"There's certainty in realizing that you don't know everything."
"You didn't just take form to eat, drink, mate, acquire possessions, get status, and die. You came here to find out who you truly are."
"Fear ... is caused by living in an imaginary future. It needs a future to sustain itself. You have no idea what the future holds--no one does. Therefore the solution is to continually bring your attention back to this moment."
July 5, 2014
I loved doing yoga with Steve Ross' Inhale. At the end I always felt good both physically and mentally, and ready to take on anything. Also after his meditation at the end I had always stopped sweating (unlike other work outs where that was only the beginning!) and could comfortably take a shower or do something else. I didn't really know his philosophies, but thanks to Carolyn and this book, I have a much better understanding. You can get bogged down in some of the get rid of your ego, know yourself enlightenment, but what I can't argue with is his 12 ways to take care of the body...1. Avoid sugar. 2. Cut out processed foods. 3. Eat as much raw food as possible. 4. Cut out all dairy. 5. Cut back on meat consumption as much as possible. 6. Eat the good fats. 7. Maintain an alkaline body. 8. Drink water. 9. Restrict your calorie intake. 10. Fast. 11. Love your food, appreciate your food-it's about to become you. 12. Practice yoga. This book is worth reading if for no other reason than to get you thinking about things. Ok, back to letting go, working on making my mind my servant and being happy all the time. :)
December 15, 2015
Years ago I used to wake up early each morning to join in on Inhale with Steve Ross. I was never great at yoga, but I tried really hard and loved it! I wish his show still aired! I am so glad that I found this book. It will have to be my next best thing.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! No, no... that doesn't quite express it. This book is a must read! If you have stress in your life (and who doesn't), if you have forgotten about happiness being an essential part of your daily life, if you have given up on eating for health and eat for convenience... this is a book for you. All wrapped up with that "Steve Ross" humor in insight.
I actually just went online and purchased a copy for my daughter to put in her stocking. This book is about life and happiness just as much (or more so) as it is about yoga. I think it will be a great book for my college student to read as she sets out on her great adventure... and to have on hand when she needs a reminder of the 7 reasons that there is nothing to worry about.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! No, no... that doesn't quite express it. This book is a must read! If you have stress in your life (and who doesn't), if you have forgotten about happiness being an essential part of your daily life, if you have given up on eating for health and eat for convenience... this is a book for you. All wrapped up with that "Steve Ross" humor in insight.
I actually just went online and purchased a copy for my daughter to put in her stocking. This book is about life and happiness just as much (or more so) as it is about yoga. I think it will be a great book for my college student to read as she sets out on her great adventure... and to have on hand when she needs a reminder of the 7 reasons that there is nothing to worry about.
December 26, 2013
I first read this book in 2006 and I only gave it four stars, but I knew it was a mistake. Upon the rereading I have decided to bump it up! Even if you don't do yoga- this book will make you happy. It's not just the title. It's taken me 7 years to do a reread and the actual review. I almost forgot how awesome this book is..........if only for the playlists featured on the end of the chapters! haha I remember sweating to those very songs while doing yoga w/ Steve and company on "Inhale". I really wish he had another show, as my body is in anarchy. ;) This book is an infinite supply of knowledge. The stories are interesting, as well as immensely helpful to life. I did manage to do a couple of the yoga poses while reading the book and felt so accomplished when I did. The book is written w/ humor and deep thoughts- just about the only things that I like to think about. Great stuff!!
September 18, 2009
wonderful!
natalie's review prompted me to track this book down. i was thrilled to find it used at powell's, and while it took me a while to finish it, it was very much worth it. i'll admit that a great deal of steve ross' discussion on LA lifestyle and culture didn't do much for me, there were so many gems hidden in this book that i will certainly recommend it to many. (as a matter of fact, my friend liz has borrowed my copy to read while she crafts her journal component of her yoga teacher training application...) in particular, ross' exploration of death and the divine felt very pertinent and needed in this chapter of my life...i found peace in his words...and also a great deal of laughter as i re-visited some of my unchecked beliefs and assumptions...
natalie's review prompted me to track this book down. i was thrilled to find it used at powell's, and while it took me a while to finish it, it was very much worth it. i'll admit that a great deal of steve ross' discussion on LA lifestyle and culture didn't do much for me, there were so many gems hidden in this book that i will certainly recommend it to many. (as a matter of fact, my friend liz has borrowed my copy to read while she crafts her journal component of her yoga teacher training application...) in particular, ross' exploration of death and the divine felt very pertinent and needed in this chapter of my life...i found peace in his words...and also a great deal of laughter as i re-visited some of my unchecked beliefs and assumptions...
January 11, 2013
OK, I was a little pertubed by some of the pseudo scientific claims in the 'You're Not Fat (and neither am I) chapter, but being the sister of a mollecular bioligist and the daughter of 2 science teachers I'm apt to be sceptical without independent peer reviewed journals. I also thouroughly disagree with Steve Ross' take on therapy and medication. But as Steve Ross states it's good to question those trying to give you information.
So, why 5 stars.....this book was a life changing read. I read it in 2 days but I'll come back to it again and again. His meditation and contemplation techniques in addition to how simply he explains massive concepts is amazing. This is one of my favourite books - if you have an interest in yoga and meditation or, indeed as growing as a person - read it!
So, why 5 stars.....this book was a life changing read. I read it in 2 days but I'll come back to it again and again. His meditation and contemplation techniques in addition to how simply he explains massive concepts is amazing. This is one of my favourite books - if you have an interest in yoga and meditation or, indeed as growing as a person - read it!
August 6, 2008
At the present moment, this is my most favorite most meaningful most grounding read of them all. Steve Ross can be a bit silly at times, but get the guy expounding on identification with roles, seeking love within oneself, changing one's world from the inside outward (just to name a few themes from the text)... it is an eloquent read, indeed. I have already gone through it twice (almost) and will begin my third journey as soon as the final page turns. Even if you don't practice yoga this book is a must read...
August 12, 2020
The book overall has a lot of useful information. I will be referencing back a lot as I journal in preparation for YTT. The second half of the book was my favorite. Love the contemplation and meditation section towards the end. However there were sections that I found were a tad judgemental it irked me every time he mentioned materialistic happiness... yes, we know that type of happiness is only temporary but we shouldn’t be made to feel as it makes us less spiritual. We all enjoy treating ourselves occasionally but I don’t know... I don’t know everything :-)
February 20, 2012
I love Steve Ross. I used to do his yoga class on tv every morning when it was on Oxygen. I was devastated when it went they took it off the air. He is such a positive dude and helped this "not-a-morning person" turn into a tolerable morning person. I was happy when I found this book and it was everything I had hoped for. While not a substitution for the yoga class, it is a great read for anyone who needs to remember what life is really about. Stop stressing so dang much!
November 14, 2010
I'm moving this off of my currently reading list to read, even though I haven't finished it. This book is a work in progress and I don't know that I will ever be completely finished with it. I love it!! There are a lot of questions and answers I want to go through and fill out in the book. It will stay on my nightstand for an indefinite period of time. :)
January 30, 2019
Amazing -- he regurgitates ancient wisdom with a giggle and Tupac quotes. I couldn't read it fast enough. Everything he says makes so much sense and he sense it in a way that makes you want to stuff your face with lettuce and happy yoga. Go get it.
June 11, 2018
This is my favorite yoga book ever. It changed my life. (That's not an exaggeration) And every time I go back to this book I get new things out of it.
July 15, 2018
I enjoyed the basic concepts.
November 16, 2019
Truly a tour de force- an insightful roadmap for finding the true nature of who you are.
April 11, 2020
Great book. A lot of different ways to view yourself, the world & your purpose. I love that there’s supplement suggestions & yoga poses too.
June 27, 2020
Great read for finding happiness and making sense in this crazy world!
March 3, 2022
”And as the yogis say, ’What you fear will appear’ and ’What you resist will persist’.”
”If you can, imagine that your body is a pet. It’s your responsibility to look after this pet, so you feed it, exercise it, and lovingly care for it.”
“The hungry ghost realm. This is a term used by both yogis and Buddhists to describe a place - or a state of mind - where beings wander and dart, never seeing one another, never taking anything in, never enjoying the moment, always mulling over the future or the past, and always feeling very alone, despite being surrounded by other hungry ghosts exactly like themselves. Hungry ghosts are possessed by desire. If they see something they think they can’t have, they immediately become consumed by their lust for it. It is not a realm of having. As soon as something is acquired. It’s immediately ignored and wasted. A hungry ghost wouldn’t even be aware of having, because once a thing is had, a new want arises and consumes every nook and cranny of the now even hungrier ghost’s being. There’s no room for having when you’re full of wants. Hungry ghosts are constantly wondering, ‘What’s next?’ A hungry ghost’s mind and identity has become consumed by a long list of desires.”
”If you can, imagine that your body is a pet. It’s your responsibility to look after this pet, so you feed it, exercise it, and lovingly care for it.”
“The hungry ghost realm. This is a term used by both yogis and Buddhists to describe a place - or a state of mind - where beings wander and dart, never seeing one another, never taking anything in, never enjoying the moment, always mulling over the future or the past, and always feeling very alone, despite being surrounded by other hungry ghosts exactly like themselves. Hungry ghosts are possessed by desire. If they see something they think they can’t have, they immediately become consumed by their lust for it. It is not a realm of having. As soon as something is acquired. It’s immediately ignored and wasted. A hungry ghost wouldn’t even be aware of having, because once a thing is had, a new want arises and consumes every nook and cranny of the now even hungrier ghost’s being. There’s no room for having when you’re full of wants. Hungry ghosts are constantly wondering, ‘What’s next?’ A hungry ghost’s mind and identity has become consumed by a long list of desires.”
December 23, 2019
This was a nice, reflective read. While I got this book thinking it would be more about yoga poses, I was pleased to find that it is actually more about the spiritual, introspective elements of yoga- of finding your center, instilling peace and being present in your life. I quite enjoyed reading this each evening as a relaxing and centering end of day activity. Quite nice.
February 1, 2021
I really liked this. It's written in an approachable manner, and offers a completely different way to think about... well, life. Some of the extrapolations and conclusions are... tenuous, at best (there's a comparison of feeding cats raw food to telling humans to consume more raw food, forgetting that we are not cats) but overall, it's really excellent. I'd recommend it.
February 22, 2018
I especially enjoyed the section on nutrition and hydration, so informative and interesting!
January 18, 2022
This is the book I recommend to anyone who needs a different perspective.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews