Yoga Life: Habits, Poses, and Breathwork to Channel Joy Amidst the Chaos

by Brett Larkin

Overwhelmed? Overscheduled? Want to access the benefits of yoga, but can’t seem to make it to the mat? Beat stress with a yoga ritual that works for you in 20-minutes or less. Featuring adaptations for anxiety, weight loss, injury, and prenatal yoga, this "playful and real" (Elena Brower) guide is a must-read for beginners and seasoned yoga teachers alike.

We all know that yoga can calm your mind and heal your body, but let’s be real: It can be hard to cram one more thing into your messy, stressful, time-crunched life.
Good news! If you're not making it to the mat, the problem isn’t you—it’s the yoga you’re practicing.

Award-winning instructor and Uplifted Yoga founder Brett Larkin is here to help you design an adaptable, personalized practice, and cut to the chase with quick yoga habits that soothe your soul. With the support of quizzes and thirty book-exclusive companion videos you’ll learn:
A five-step method to design a personal practice that works for your schedule.
How to adapt your practice to meet your physical, mental, and emotional needs.
More than a dozen yoga habits that will help you calm your mind and body, even if you never manage to make it to the mat.

Grounded in the wisdom of yoga’s original texts, Brett reminds us that yoga was always meant to fit easily into our everyday lives. Whether you’re a beginner or a life-long practitioner, Yoga Life is your new go-to for a personal, transformative, joyful at-home practice to strengthen your mind, body, and spirit.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Health, Reference, Philosophy

304 pages, Paperback

First published December 19, 2023

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing for the digital review copy.

Yoga Life takes you through the different elements of a yoga practice with the goal of helping you craft a personalized, daily routine that you can easily fit into your life. Larkin offers different practices for each section of the practice, guiding you through a worksheet until you've created your own daily yoga ritual. Along the way she offers tips, modifications, and some personal anecdotes about how yoga has helped her in her life.

What I Liked

I appreciated Larkin's approach to building a daily yoga practice that works for you. She highlights that yoga doesn't have to be a lengthy athletic pursuit in order to have benefits, and does a decent job of nodding to yoga's origins along the way.

For the most part, the overall tone was encouraging and realistic. Larkin feels like your personal cheerleader who wants you to get the benefits of yoga and cheers you on, but also isn't here to say you've failed if the only yoga you do in a day is a few deep breaths.

In addition to describing the various poses and practices she suggests, the author includes QR codes for videos that help guide her reader through what she's describing. Yoga can be challenging to figure out from description alone, especially if you're newer to the practice, so I thought this worked well as a supplement to the text.

The personal anecdotes were a nice touch as well, helping us see how Larkin arrived at her approach to daily yoga. I couldn't always relate to them, but it was still nice to get to know the yogi behind the book.

What I Didn't Like

Much of the book relies on the idea of the doshas to help you build your personal practice. There's a quiz in the book to help identify your dominant element, and much of the guidance that comes after refers back to this idea. However, in my opinion the quiz wasn't long enough to actually help you determine your dominant element. There were only five questions, which makes it very easy to wind up with a tie between two elements and one in a very close third.

I wish the quiz had been a few questions longer or that Larkin had offered information on where to go to take a longer quiz if the five questions didn't get you a clear result. I read most of the book not being sure which of my elements was dominant based on this framework, so a lot of the advice that followed didn't feel super relevant.

That was going to honestly be my primary complaint about the book until I got to the adaptations list at the end. Quick content warning for disordered eating behavior here before I continue.

Larkin offers sections on how to adapt your yoga practice if you're aging, pregnant, etc. One of those modification suggestions is what to do if you're trying to lose weight. While she includes a note to say that no one needs to lose weight, every body is a yoga body, etc, she then proceeds with some advice that I found deeply troubling. She suggests to readers that they should get on the mat and practice yoga asana if they're feeling hungry outside of meal times, instead of eating something. This strikes me as super problematic advice, suggesting that readers ignore their body's natural hunger cues and engage in behavior that could lead to some seriously unhealthy attitudes toward food.

If you're skipping the content I warned about above, you can resume reading here.

Final Thoughts

Overall I found this book to be an interesting look at how yoga asana and some other elements of yoga philosophy can fit into a modern, Western life. I enjoyed most of the book and will be taking some of these ideas into my daily practice.

That said, I can only recommend it with a huge caveat that you should not read the section on weight loss in the adaptations section if you've ever had any issues around food. If you skip that and find a more in-depth dosha quiz online, this book could be a great way to introduce a daily yoga practice into your life.

[Jazmin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this cover to cover and wish I had stopped at the last Meditation section.

My overall feeling is: Meh.

This book is aimed at beginners or those thinking about starting yoga, but I found it more of a self-help book with a yoga twist. The last sections finally went into the practice itself.

Let’s just say she couldn’t be my yoga instructor. The author’s personality comes through strongly, but I couldn’t connect with her at all. The constant ‘if I can do it, you can too!’ mantra wore thin quickly. Of course, she does give advice for when you can’t do it, just don't do it.. so it’s all over the place.

While there are some decent tips and advice, getting through it was a struggle, and overall, it just left me feeling unimpressed.

[Rachelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounding up :)

[Nap Trap Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stopped reading when she said that the yoga we practice was created by the ancient yogis for those living in solitude. The yoga we practice was developed in the 1900s and 2000s. Bikram was created in LA.

The thing is, idk why I thought a thin white wpman could teach me more about yoga lol

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one... I may be a little biased, though, as I do love yoga, as well.

The first part of the book is where author/yogi Brett Larkin introduces the reader to three basic skills: Nourish Self-Awareness, Choose Transformation, and Relinquish Control. She gives you some (thought) exercises on these, and also compares them to the principles mentioned in the Christian Serenity Prayer.

Next, she introduces you to the different styles of yoga, but also brings up that which style interests you the most might not be the one you NEED the most. This connects to the ayervedic idea of doshas, which she explains in detail (and gives you some more questions to ponder about).

Once you understand these concepts, the rest of the chapters are about creating your own yoga sequence that will bring balance to your life/dosha/energy level on any given day. And the key is that, as your energy level changes from day to day, you can also modify your ritual accordingly. Your sequence is broken down into five parts - Sit (breathe), Warm Up, Move, Stretch, and Meditate. She walks you through various practices or poses that might fit into each section, and guides you on which ones would be better for balancing different doshas.

There are modifications and prop recommendations throughout this entire process, but she offers alternatives for more specific considerations at the end (example: if you're pregnant).

I thought this was a very down-to-earth approach to bring yoga to anyone who may want to practice at home. Even though she uses some ayurvedic principles and a few Sanskrit words, her step by step method of picking which pose comes next in your sequence serves to "demystify" yoga.

[Kim S · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Yoga Life” by Brett Larkin is the ultimate guide to creating a personal yoga practice that is specific to you. I found Brett on YouTube in 2016 after I had a back injury and my muscles had all tightened up. I have always been drawn to Brett’s classes and overall philosophy for yoga which is listen to your body and ask what it needs before diving into a practice. Yoga is healing and transformative. It is non-judgmental.

“Yoga Life” is not just a step-by-step guide, but a true learning experience. First and foremost is to learn about yourself. “If you aren’t aware of how you feel or what you need, you’ll never be happy” “Hold an awareness of your ingrained patterns, figure out how to nourish yourself, and take transformative action to evolve.” Brett goes on to say that there is no one specific way to practice yoga, and that it is all personal to you … to your mindset at the moment, your emotions, your physical body and its abilities and limitations, where do you want to be?

This approach is very different from the competitive mindset of some yoga classes. It allows you to adapt and chose your moves according to what you need. Do you need energy, or to calm your anxiety. Sometimes it’s a gentle flow, other times it’s a challenging crow pose. There are days where you are sluggish and can use a good active series of movements. On a different day, you may just need to stretch and meditate. Always be kind to yourself.

There is also a chapter about how to adapt your practice for common injuries or ailments such as wrist issues, bad knees or a spinal injury.

I think this book is the missing piece to many people’s yoga practice.

[T · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up. Mostly aimed at beginners/those interested in adding yoga to their lives. However, I caution if you’re in one of those audiences. Please seek out a qualified, certified yoga instructor until you understand the basics of the poses. A yoga instructor is invaluable and can teach you modifications and help correct, in real time, any dangerous movements you may inadvertently be doing with your body while in poses. At the very least, try out some classes on YouTube.

Those who are more advanced in their practices might find some little nuggets of info, but nothing earth shattering and it’s pretty much a given that you’ve hear all Brett has to say in some form or another previously.

Finally, as I, myself, am a certified yoga instructor (going on 9 years now), and my main emphasis is Yoga Nidra, I’m surprised Brett did not include this as another option alongside meditation. Given that Brett even mentioned laying down in savasana during meditation and Yoga Nidra is a sleep based guided meditation.

[Sydney Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of good information on how to get yoga to serve you instead of you serving it. Larkin teaches you how to build your own personal yoga practice. The reason I took 2 stars off is because the book overall felt like one giant long ad to her company Uplifted Yoga. It would have been appropriate to make mention of it in the authors page or on the cover but she mentions it consistently in the book and has so many QR codes linking to her website scattered all throughout. Just felt gimmicky and desperate. If people read your book and like you they will figure out who you are and come to know of what you do, no need to do all of that. Also I really think the book would function better if it was assembled like a workbook. There are a lot of quizzes and thinking exercises but instead it’s assembled like a regular informative nonfiction book. 3 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book but I just didn’t get anything from it, other than slow down and back off on the intense stretching into poses. This could have been a podcast or video with an accompanying pdf that names all the yoga poses. No way I remember all/any of the yoga terms. I first tried reading this book, couldn’t get past chapter 2. Then tried the Audible. I only half-assed listened to the whole book. I didn’t retain anything.

[AMAO · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yoga Life: Habits, Poses, and Breathwork to Channel Joy Amidst the Chaos
by Brett Larkin #YogaLife #NetGalley
Pub Date 19 Dec 2023


I love reading about all things YOGA but this was the best combo of humor. science, poses and breathwork and meditation compilation. My favorite topic was the description of the SKY Breath Meditation practice which I been practicing for almost a year. The sound effects. benefits and the vocabulary to describe the sounds of each stage/position is better than any YouTube video I watched on the practice. Her idea of not needing a mat to bring us to any YOGA practice was quite validating. The holistic approach of practicing YOGA in all its forms (Mat Work, Meditation, Breathwork & Mindfulness) has provided me one resource with all of my #RageTaming #SanityMaintenanceTools in one book. My practice group is going to be in awe when I tell them how great that section is. I highly recommend this read for newbies and veteran practitioners. So well done. #YogaLife #NetGalley


We all know that yoga can calm your mind and heal your body, but let’s be real: It can be hard to cram one more thing into your messy, stressful, time-crunched life.
Good news! If you're not making it to the mat, the problem isn’t you—it’s the yoga you’re practicing.

Award-winning instructor and Uplifted Yoga founder Brett Larkin is here to help you design an adaptable, personalized practice, and cut to the chase with quick yoga habits that soothe your soul. With the support of quizzes and thirty book-exclusive companion videos you’ll learn:
A five-step method to design a personal practice that works for your schedule.
How to adapt your practice to meet your physical, mental, and emotional needs.
More than a dozen yoga habits that will help you calm your mind and body, even if you never manage to make it to the mat.

Grounded in the wisdom of yoga’s original texts, Brett reminds us that yoga was always meant to fit easily into our everyday lives. Whether you’re a beginner or a life-long practitioner, Yoga Life is your new go-to for a personal, transformative, joyful at-home practice to strengthen your mind, body, and spirit.

[Meg Napier · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a long-time dabbler in yoga, I have read or leafed-through countless books over the years. YOGA LIFE is one of the good ones. I was truly impressed by the author's determination to share ways to incorporate yogic practices in even the simplest ways--for those who lack either the time or the commitment. She focuses on breathing, physical exercises, and meditation, explaining at length how all three are beneficial to improving health and mental well-being, but she counsels taking a deep, slow breath if life allows for nothing else. And guess what? Doing so always helps. Much of the material covered in the book can be found elsewhere, but its organization here into a concise, thoroughly explained primer makes it stand out, and I even learned something I'd never heard of before (underarm breathing, or "padadhirasana"--who knew?)! I am grateful to NetGalley for providing an early audio version of this book. I found the author's voice (she narrates the audio book) a bit too perky at times, but I was astounded by how well the written word worked in audio for a book like this since her explanations were always thorough and comprehensible. I appreciated the audio book so much that I immediately purchased a print copy to add to my collection as I'm more likely to return to a printed book than an audio version.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This is definitely the most practical and empowering yoga book I've read. It makes me feel that, even though I am older and less flexible, there's so much I can do to benefit from yoga. The premise is to personalize yoga and to help you realize that you can fit yoga into all the "in-between" spaces of your life - and still get the benefits. I Really love all the adaptations for people of every size, body shape, experience level. It feels empowering and loving and forgiving the way Brett approaches yoga teaching. Brett's inspired me to believe that even a newbie like me can access the "yoga magic", as she calls it. My sister and I both are totally time-strapped and stressed out, with lots of family responsibilities on top of our careers. So the emphasis on cutting to the chase, and finding your essential poses and your personal"soul mate" poses really resonated with us both. And I loved the emphasis on breathwork - already has calmed me down iin several anxious moments. What's so great is her approach to yoga shows how you can do this practically *anywhere* in less than 15 min... if need be... and still reap the immense mental and physical benefits of yoga. Check it out!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! The explanation of the fundamental principles of yoga at the beginning was extremely helpful. At first, I was worried this book would feel rushed. However, I quickly realized how relevant the content was to our busy lives in today’s world. This book makes yoga content very accessible with a lot of in depth explanations, examples, and even video tutorials. By following the prompts in this book, I created a customized yoga flow with poses that I really enjoy. This book also gave me the tools to incorporate healing yoga practices even in small breaks throughout my day. I’m really excited to continue to bring what I learned through this book to my mat and life.

I’ve practiced yoga with Brett Larkin’s videos for years and I’ve had an amazing experience. I could see she brought her passion and dedication into the book. I was excited to read this book when I found out about it and it didn’t disappoint!

The only recommendation I would give is to provide more guidance around how long one might do each yoga pose for in a flow and/or how many repetitions.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book but not what I expected. It is very much a self help book, just using yoga principles. It’s a very good one and there’s a lot of stuff I had never thought of, like doing the opposite of what you’re used to doing (like if you’re a competitive person who’s always on the go then do calming, grounding practices and I need to do ones that give me energy and heat). It doesn’t have the poses though. I suppose it’s for people already familiar with them. It’s very in depth in improving all aspects of your life, just not at all what I was looking for. Additional material if also available by scanning the QR codes in various sections, like guided meditations.

I read a digital version of this book for review.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just as I was finishing my Yoga Teacher training this summer, I happened to look on Netgalley to see if there were any forthcoming yoga titles. This is one of them. It's a quasi memoir/how-to of yoga. She emphasized that you should never feel pushed into doing something you don't feel comfortable doing in a yoga practice but I have to say that over the past few years, I've attended classes where almost every instructor has offered modifications of variations of poses. Brett Larkin has not been attending outside yoga classes because she has built a successful business with her online yoga classes and her own YTT. Definitely worth a read if you want another opinion about adapting yoga for the 21st century.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not familiar with Uplifted Yoga or its founder, Brett Larkin, before picking up this book. Ms. Larkin spends quite a bit of the front matter explaining her business, and it feels quite sales-y. Still, after that, the book shines as Larkin explains how modern yoga distorts the original intent. We don’t need fancy practices in special places — yoga is meant to be adaptable to whatever circumstances we find ourselves in. The book includes tips on designing a personalized practice and using “yogic tools” like breathwork and meditation and illustrations demonstrating some movement patterns.

This is a solid resource for demystifying yoga, making it accessible to a home audience.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

[Stephanie Affinito · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you only read one book focused on personal development this year, read this one: Yoga Life by Brett Larkin. As someone always learning, always seeking, always doing, this book was like a breath of fresh air, a reset for my nervous system, a balm for my soul. Truly. Just as I breathe in reading and writing, Brett breathes yoga into every aspect of her life. Not the traditional, 60-minute contortion sessions in a studio, but the short, daily practices that fit into our busy lives and give it meaning.
Brett uses yogic wisdom to show us how to show up for ourselves inside of the lives we are actually living. From finding your dosha to creating your perfect morning routine, she invites readers into a lifelong, nourishing practice that they are in the driver’s seat of. Read this book.

[Taylor Lorenz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brett has such a talent for making yoga and its ancient knowledge accessible to people in modern times, and this book does just that. Different from any other yoga book I've ever read, Yoga Life breaks down how to create a yoga routine & habit that supports you through all phases of life. Plus other amazingly useful tidbits of information to use yoga throughout your day, all emotions, thoughts, and more. As a yoga teacher, I will be recommending this to all of my students to help them better understand how to not only make their practice on the mat more impactful, but their lives off of the mat as well.

I received an advanced copy of this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Read Walk Repeat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely intro into the yoga teachings and thoughts from this author, including the personal side of why yoga has become such an important part of her life.

I listened to this one on audio and enjoyed the high energy and author’s passion for this topic. There were sections where I really wished I had the physical book to fully understand / experience the content, and I think having both audio and the physical book would be perfect.

A great book for those new to yoga practice, but also includes lots to learn and think about for those who have been practicing yoga for a while.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review.

[Lisa Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The thing that makes this yoga book so unique is its accessibility. No judgement, no rules, just advice on how to practice yoga and fit it into your regular life.
The author explains how yoga has helped her and talks about some times she's not proud of, to let us know that nobody is perfect and what we need to do is learn to live well in the world. Her advice applies to yoga itself and to living.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a great job going through the material without being overdramatic. It's an enjoyable read.

[Michelle Cornish · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Yoga Life, Brett Larkin achieves a remarkable feat - translating the ancient, often elusive wisdom of yoga into practical, everyday practices for the modern individual. By the end of this book, you will have a unique and easy to follow yoga program designed for you by you!! Yoga Life stands out as a must-read, not just for beginners or seasoned yoga teachers, but for anyone seeking a transformative, joyous approach to wellness. It's a celebration of yoga's adaptability and its potent ability to heal and strengthen mind, body, and spirit in the modern world.

[Stephanie T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brett has been an inspiration in my journey as a yoga teacher. Her approach transcends traditional teaching methods, providing a fresh and enriching perspective. I was so excited when I saw she wrote this book. Yoga Life has not only refined my personal practice but has also added a new sense of depth and meaning to my classes. For yoga teachers seeking continuous growth, I can’t recommend this enough!!

[Judy Testani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t often read ARC of yoga type books. Something drew me into the cover. And I was Intrigued! Well I made it only 2 chapters in and knew I needed this book in my hand and on my book shelve for life. I immediately preordered a copy! Do yourself a favor and preorder now! No matter if you do any yoga or not, this book is for you! It will change your life and the way you look at everyday life.

Thanks Netgalley & Grand Central Publishing for this ARC for my honest review.

[Irina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Hachette Audio and net galley for ALC of the book.

As a newbie in yoga this book was perfect for me. I really appreciated all the explanations, details and history excerpts that Brett provided. I think Brett narrating her own book gave a better understanding of her and what she wants to share with people.

[Irina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Grand Central Publishing and net galley for the e-ARC of the book.

This book gave me motivation to give another chance to yoga. I liked that Brett emphasized that yoga is for everyone and gives practical advice on how to adjust it to each individual. I loved the quizzes that were quick but the results made me reconsider how I was looking at things.

[Sara G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yoga for anyone :)
I’ve been wanting to get into yoga for a while but can’t bring myself to actually go into a studio. Luckily, Brett brought the studio to me with this amazing book. I love her writing style and the way she made yoga way less intimidating. The step-by-step tutorials helped so much and I loved understanding the science and reason behind the poses. Highly recommend!!

[Sarah Ezrin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great guide for people of all yoga abilities. Brett uses personal story and her years of practice and extensive trainings, to weave together a very applicable and user-friendly approach to applying yoga to our daily lives. She's funny, fun, and raw. It's the perfect blend of advice, personal story, and activities. Great book.

[Lauren White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. I've known of Brett but hadn't really used her resources before. As a person who has gone through yoga teacher training and still gearing up to teach I enjoyed her short history lesson, various perspectives on aspects of yoga, and use of ayurvedic doshas. This book has helped me with my own practice and is a great resource for me in sharing yoga with others.

[Kelsey Sorenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book and her process for creating a routine! Brett is a gem and I had to get her book once she came on my podcast and she’s speaking at our Educate & Rejuvenate conference. She inspired me to start adding yoga into my meditation and wellness practice. I’m following her tips and also joined a beginner-friendly yoga studio as well- while listening to my body.

[Vicki]

I listened to this as an audiobook. I feel like I do not have enough knowledge of this topic to even rate this book. I am not a Yoga practicioner. This did not entice me to try it. There is a lot of terminology that I found overwhelming.

If you have tried yoga, been to some Yoga classes, and are looking for a way to incorporate yoga into your daily practices this may be the book for you.