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***Congrats to rawveganincollege! I hope you enjoy the book!***

***This giveaway is now closed. I’ll be contacting a winner soon! Thanks for entering everyone!***

Tara Stiles is a Ford model turned yoga teacher. She is leggy and graceful and gorgeous.

But surprisingly, I don’t hate her.

I actually really like her, because instead of feeling pathetic and full of distain while watching her loveliness, she makes me want to do more sun salutations until I can maybe someday float around like that, too. She somehow instils a sense of hope.

I started checking out Tara’s YouTube channel and did a few of her yoga routines. In one of them, she nonchalantly suggests trying out crow and says if you get one foot of the ground, fine. Another one? Fine.

I scoffed. I can’t do crow. Crow is one of the crazy ones. It’s not for me. But I found that her relaxed suggestion actually allowed me the space to try it. And after a couple days of doing the routine – holy hell, I actually did CROW! It was awesome and a really nice reminder not to limit myself or my practice.

I was recently sent Tara’s new book, Yoga Cures and I am really enjoying it.

It suggests a few postures to try for common ailments, along with photos and detailed explanations. Over the past couple weeks, I’ve tried out the cures for PMS, Tummy Troubles, Chill the *&@# Out and Monkey Mind (Wow. I must be a joy to live with.) After each one I felt simultaneously relaxed and energized.

I love the photo index of postures at the back. It’s perfect for those moments when I can not for the life of me remember if I mean Warrior I or Warrior II.

What is even better than the lovely photos and the helpful cures, is reading Tara’s thoughts on yoga. She is just so…chill. It’s like sitting down with a particularly cool yogi friend. It’s straightforward and not at all fussy.

“I don’t like to think of myself as a yoga teacher because it sets up a student/teacher thing and that makes me feel like I need a ruler and a notebook to strut around the room. I prefer yoga guide. I can help get you plugged in, but you don’t owe me anything…Just do the work. Be heathy and happy…At the end of the day, you are your best teacher. I am just simply here to ride shotgun on your journey back to yourself.”

-Tara Styles

This book is going to be a permanent fixture on my shelf. It’s a reference guide, a refresher and a wonderful motivator. I’ve already covered it in sticky notes.

And yep, you can get a copy, too.

Leave a comment on this post to be entered to win a copy of Yoga Cures. To have an extra chance to win, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, subscribe by email (top left) or re-tweet the giveaway and leave another comment saying that you have done so. (US readers only, please!)

The giveaway will be open through Thursday, at which point I will randomly choose a winner and the publisher will send you a book!

Good luck and happy down-dogging!

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