The Yoga Teacher

by Alexandra Gray

Book Overview

Dissatisfied with her job as a pharmaceutical rep and struggling with the decline of her long-term relationship, Grace, a well-heeled Londoner, uses yoga class to unwind, reflect, and momentarily transcend her earthly dilemmas. While pitching her company's latest antidepressant to the disarming Dr. James, she is inspired by his plan to study Eastern medicine in Vietnam and decides to quit her job to become a yoga teacher. After studying at the eccentric...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802170552
• ISBN13: 9780802170552
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Grove Press, Black Cat
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Yoga as a novel - I liked it!

This was an interesting idea to have a novel that revolves around yoga. I'm a yoga instructor myself -- and a very picky reader -- but I ended up really enjoying this book. The plot itself wasn't very original; a woman who is not satisfied with her life, ends up changing everything, and ends up happy in the end. We have seen that plot many times, but what was great about this book was all the yoga weaved into it, and how Grace really uses yoga to change her life. If you are familiar with yoga, you know that can actually happen. If you are not familiar with yoga, I'm not sure how much you would care about this book, because you may not be sure what the author is talking about half the time. The first 50 pages, or so, kind of dragged on, and I almost stopped reading the book, but I am glad I kept reading because it picked up very well after that. Grace goes on to do her yoga training and then we hear about all of the students she encounters after that. So, the book was actually very good and I enjoyed it very much once I got into it. Read the book, you'll like it, and if you have ever wanted to try yoga, maybe this book will help inspire you!

yoga chick lit

When I first heard about Alexandra Gray's "The Yoga Teacher", I was excited. As a yoga enthusiast, I thought it would be fun to read about the main character Grace and her personal journey from a 40 year old woman dissatisfied with her job and personal life embarking on a new life as a yoga teacher. The book explores a common theme in today's western yoga community, tales of business professionals leaving everything behind for a more spiritual life roam everywhere. For the most part, I enjoyed the book, even though I was never quite convinced with the intentions of the main character...for someone wanting to be a yoga teacher, she seemed to be a bit petty and shallow. But then, maybe that was the point. Alexandra Gray is a good writer and the book is definitley a page turner. If you're looking for a above average bit of chick lit with a holistic twist, this will do nicely.

From S. Krishna's Books

Grace is tired of her life. Her boyfriend, Harry, hasn't had a job in years, and she's sick of supporting him when he refuses to help himself. Her job as a pharmaceutical sales rep is unrewarding and does not provide her any inspiration. The only thing in her life she enjoys is yoga: Swami D's yoga center provides Grace the chance to unwind and reflect on her miserable life. One night, a doctor Grace is marketing to confesses his dissatisfaction with his own life. He tells her he is considering going to Vietnam for a few months and training in Eastern medicine. Grace's shock at this announcement, combined with her realization that she is not the only one feeling this sense of disappointment in life, leads her to a drastic decision: she signs up for a retreat at a yoga center in California, determined to pursue the only thing that makes her happy. She is going to become a yoga teacher. Alexandra Gray's The Yoga Teacher is about leaving your comfort zone - leaving everything comfortable and warm and forging forward into the unknown. Grace finds many rewards but also many hardships along the way. In the end, it is about pursuing those things in life that keep you fulfilled and ending those that disappoint you. Gray has a real talent for writing characters. From Grace to her yoga students, each person in the book is crafted with loving care. Though the reader only gets glimpses into the lives of some of the characters, they nonetheless are full-blooded, three-dimensional characters that the reader is simply dropping in on for a visit. I could completely see them living their separate lives as Grace goes on with hers. The one thing about The Yoga Teacher that may give readers some pause is its pace. Though the book is short, the first quarter of the book moves very slowly. It makes sense because it parallels the movement in Grace's life: at the beginning, Grace's life is slow and boring - there is nothing in it to excite her. Then, as she begins to make decisions to change her life, the pace of the narrative picks up, as does her story. Though it is an effective method (the reader really feels the despondency in Grace's life), it may turn some readers off. The novel also provides some interesting information about yoga, which readers unfamiliar with the practice may find valuable. It will undoubtedly inspire some to think about joining local yoga classes. While The Yoga Teacher could be read as a mid-life crisis type book due to Grace's age (she is 40), it is more broadly book about an unhappy woman who decides that, against all odds, she will somehow find a way to be happy. It is thoroughly enjoyable, with a quirky cast of characters that any reader will love. I recommend it to any women who find the premise interesting, as well as anyone who wants to learn more about yoga.