Take Up Your Mat and Walk

by Patrice Simon

Why are you here?

Bikram yoga instructor Patrice Simon asks her students this question at the beginning of each yoga class to turn their focus on the work ahead. The answers vary: Some students say they came to get fit, others because they don't feel well, but a majority of people just aren't sure why they are here.

Before finding yoga, Simon herself had lost her way — and had lost touch with herself. In "Take Up Your Mat and Walk," she chronicles her spiritual journey to reconnect with her Source (in her case, God), and explains how others of all denominations can do the same. From her childhood growing up on the grounds of a rural Maryland mental institution, where her father was a physician and her mother a vocational trainer, through her years as a pre-teen Star Trek fan, Catholic schoolgirl, and dental hygienist, Simon shares how she wandered aimlessly in her life until her Source brought her to yoga, which ultimately saved her.

Both informative and poignant, Take Up Your Mat and Walk was written for those looking for answers and a higher calling in their limited time on this planet. Through the concepts of yoga, and specifically those of the Bikram system, Simon explains how to listen to your Source, get control of your ego, and live authentically.

136 pages, Paperback

First published November 11, 2014

About the author

As both a businesswoman and a healthcare professional, Patrice Simon feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to make a career out of helping others improve their well-being through preventative practices, first as a dental hygienist and, since 1991, as a yoga instructor. During the eleven years she ran and owned a highly successful yoga studio in Costa Mesa, Calif., Patrice trained others to teach the Bikram technique and taught thousands of students, many of who became longstanding members of her close-knit community. As the founder of Smiling Monkey Yoga, Patrice pioneered children’s yoga classes in Orange County, Calif. Her first book, Take Up Your Mat and Walk , details how to find your purpose and lead a meaningful, happy life through the practices of yoga.

Reviews

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: Patrice is one of my clients, and now also a friend. But that didn't stop me from enjoying her book and learning several life lessons along the way. Reading "Take Up Your Mat and Walk" made me re-examine my own current path and really analyze where it is I want to be headed. Although she writes from her own theological and spiritual perspective, Patrice has made the material accessible to readers of all faiths. If you need a kick in the butt or even if you're just considering taking up yoga, this book will help you understand that, when done properly, the practice yields benefits that go far beyond the physical.