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The S@#t I've Heard at Yoga: What I Learned in Downward Dog
Not yet published
Expected 6 Jan 26S@#t I’ve Heard at Yoga is a collection of humorous, unexpected, and insightful essays that reveals how yoga helped a Type A cynic transform to a Type Y(oga) optimist.
Calm is the new superpower. This collection of eclectic anecdotes charts my reluctant evolution from cynic to optimist. Inspired by bits of random dialogue with fellow yogis, confessional phone calls from friends, loud-talkers in coffee shops, a stare down with a winter-skinny deer and salient nuggets from yoga instructors in various locales—including the Hamptons, Palm Springs, Upstate New York, Los Angeles, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard—the sharp-edged wisdom found in these pages is the ultimate DIY therapy. Rather than explore the spiritual core or physical practice of yoga, these stories capture how yoga can lighten the rest of your day by quieting the crazy squirrels that live in your head.
In the context of our social, political and cultural oddities, these essays surf the edge between outrage and “OM.” As a wisewoman said, “Yoga really begins when class ends.” Michael’s if everyone was required to practice yoga we’d have a lot less s@#t to deal with in the world. Whether you’re twenty, thirty, or sixty, if you’re stuck—if you’re trying to navigate a shift in your personal, professional, or romantic identity—S@#t I’ve Heard at Yoga may help you go from “Now what?” to “What’s next!”
Calm is the new superpower. This collection of eclectic anecdotes charts my reluctant evolution from cynic to optimist. Inspired by bits of random dialogue with fellow yogis, confessional phone calls from friends, loud-talkers in coffee shops, a stare down with a winter-skinny deer and salient nuggets from yoga instructors in various locales—including the Hamptons, Palm Springs, Upstate New York, Los Angeles, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard—the sharp-edged wisdom found in these pages is the ultimate DIY therapy. Rather than explore the spiritual core or physical practice of yoga, these stories capture how yoga can lighten the rest of your day by quieting the crazy squirrels that live in your head.
In the context of our social, political and cultural oddities, these essays surf the edge between outrage and “OM.” As a wisewoman said, “Yoga really begins when class ends.” Michael’s if everyone was required to practice yoga we’d have a lot less s@#t to deal with in the world. Whether you’re twenty, thirty, or sixty, if you’re stuck—if you’re trying to navigate a shift in your personal, professional, or romantic identity—S@#t I’ve Heard at Yoga may help you go from “Now what?” to “What’s next!”
291 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication January 6, 2026
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4 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my free digital copy in exchange for an honest review. I read this one because of the name and the cute dog on the cover...but it didn't exactly turn out to be what I thought it was going to be. I really wanted to love this book and the parts I could hang with WERE good. But since I am not a squirrel on cocaine, it lost me over and over again. It just jumped around so much and I feel like a very large part of it was not actually things that were heard in a yoga class.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Abandoned at 22%.
RTC.
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Note: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
RTC.
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Note: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 30, 2025
The first half of the book had me. I’m not a self help book person so hearing the yogi wisdom through this guy who was also rolling his eyes and doing his best not to hear it made it all go down easily. Some good life tips, plus lots of funny anecdotes that anyone who’s done yoga can appreciate.
But then he abandoned the yogi wisdom and went off on tangents on gaining weight with age, giving a homeless woman his favorite sweater, the price of peaches in the Hamptons, Covid, and way too much marketing/branding talk. I think he thought he was explaining how he made use of this newfound wisdom and peace to live a better life, but it felt pretty disjointed, like the pages of a different manuscript had gotten mixed up with this one.
Overall, I would give it 3.5 stars, rounded down to 3, because he’s a very funny and engaging writer. I just wish this book was a bit tighter in focus
Thanks to Permuted Press, via NetGalley for this ARC!
But then he abandoned the yogi wisdom and went off on tangents on gaining weight with age, giving a homeless woman his favorite sweater, the price of peaches in the Hamptons, Covid, and way too much marketing/branding talk. I think he thought he was explaining how he made use of this newfound wisdom and peace to live a better life, but it felt pretty disjointed, like the pages of a different manuscript had gotten mixed up with this one.
Overall, I would give it 3.5 stars, rounded down to 3, because he’s a very funny and engaging writer. I just wish this book was a bit tighter in focus
Thanks to Permuted Press, via NetGalley for this ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you Post Hill Press and NetGalley for this ARC, out January 6th.
I was genuinely interested in this collection, as the premise—essays inspired by observations and lessons from yoga spaces—promised reflection, humor, and insight. Unfortunately, this book wasn’t the right fit for me.
I found it difficult to connect with the author’s voice, which often felt quite inward-focused. Some of the commentary came across as more judgmental than reflective, and the humor didn’t land for me personally. A large portion of the book also focused on weight and body-related topics, and one anecdote in particular felt uncomfortable rather than insightful, at least from my perspective.
That said, I can see this resonating with readers who enjoy very personal, candid essay collections and a direct, unfiltered narrative style.
⭐️⭐️ 2 stars — while I appreciated the concept, the execution didn’t work for me, though I did read the book in full.
I was genuinely interested in this collection, as the premise—essays inspired by observations and lessons from yoga spaces—promised reflection, humor, and insight. Unfortunately, this book wasn’t the right fit for me.
I found it difficult to connect with the author’s voice, which often felt quite inward-focused. Some of the commentary came across as more judgmental than reflective, and the humor didn’t land for me personally. A large portion of the book also focused on weight and body-related topics, and one anecdote in particular felt uncomfortable rather than insightful, at least from my perspective.
That said, I can see this resonating with readers who enjoy very personal, candid essay collections and a direct, unfiltered narrative style.
⭐️⭐️ 2 stars — while I appreciated the concept, the execution didn’t work for me, though I did read the book in full.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews