This is the story of Taylor Hunt, who struggled with alcoholism and a severe drug addiction for many years during his teens and youth before finally starting a journey of recovery that led him first to sobriety, and then to discover ashtanga yoga, start a devoted practice, and eventually become a yoga teacher helping other people struggling with addiction to find their path to recovery through ashtanga.

The first half of the book deals with his dark years of abuse in a very honest and direct way. The story is pretty depressing and it's hard to imagine how someone can come out of such darkness. There is crude insight into the mind of a person suffering from addiction and very helpful in understanding the downward spiral of hard drugs usage. It is hard to read this part of the book without feeling devastated with the damage that drug abuse can do.

Thankfully, Taylor's story turns when he finally works his way through recovery. Once in sobriety, Taylor discovered ashtanga yoga. Through the practice, he found out that despite being clean, there were still plenty of emotional issues that he had to work through and the daily yoga practice served as a catalyst for this work. Eventually, he went on to become a yoga teacher himself and started sharing his yogic experience with other people.

The story is beautiful and very emotional. There is a strong connection between the daily struggles of life and having a consistent practice of ashtanga yoga. This connection is perhaps better understood by practitioners, but this book is a good account of how ashtanga can work at an emotional level. Taylor having had the courage to share his difficult life story is an important contribution to spreading the word of how yoga can be an emotional healing practice for those under distress and for that alone it deserves recognition.

A portion of the proceeds from sales of this book are donated to the Trini Foundation. Started by Taylor, this Foundation seeks to help people struggling with addiction to find a way out through the practice of yoga. ( )