What do you think?
Rate this book
Yoga Bind: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 9 Jun 26Janelle Logan has a wonderful life in her adopted New York City with a fantastic job, great friends, and treasured spiritual practices of yoga, mindfulness, and meditation.
But her life is upended when her beloved guru is accused of sexual assault. Janelle struggles with what that means for herself and her community of spiritually seeking girlfriends. When her cousin comes to visit for the summer, she’s also pressed to reassess her Jewish heritage.
Rather than run from her spirituality, Janelle doubles down, adding energy work, Jewish meditation, and even examining the nature of forgiveness itself. Will all this be enough to bring her the clarity and community she desperately desires?
This stand-alone yoga/mindfulness novel features the same characters as the author's prior two novels, Lorna and Janelle! Read more about their yoga journeys in Downward Dog, Upward Fog and Warrior Won.
But her life is upended when her beloved guru is accused of sexual assault. Janelle struggles with what that means for herself and her community of spiritually seeking girlfriends. When her cousin comes to visit for the summer, she’s also pressed to reassess her Jewish heritage.
Rather than run from her spirituality, Janelle doubles down, adding energy work, Jewish meditation, and even examining the nature of forgiveness itself. Will all this be enough to bring her the clarity and community she desperately desires?
This stand-alone yoga/mindfulness novel features the same characters as the author's prior two novels, Lorna and Janelle! Read more about their yoga journeys in Downward Dog, Upward Fog and Warrior Won.
278 pages, Paperback
Expected publication June 9, 2026
About the author
Meryl Davids Landau
4 books120 followersAward-winning writer Meryl Davids Landau is the author of three mindfulness/yoga women's novels, including the latest, Yoga Bind.
Booklife/Publishers Weekly says of Yoga Bind that "Landau makes this study on wading through emotions instead of bypassing them for convenience a breezy enjoyment."
Meryl's prior novel, Warrior Won, was a bronze medal winner in the prestigious Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Awards, and a gold medalist in the Living Now Book Awards. And Downward Dog, Upward Fog was named a fiction-book-of-the-year finalist by Foreword Reviews.
All of these mindfulness/yoga fiction beach reads can be read on their own.
Meryl is also an award-winning health and science journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Prevention, National Geographic, Yoga Journal, Self, and many other publications.
Booklife/Publishers Weekly says of Yoga Bind that "Landau makes this study on wading through emotions instead of bypassing them for convenience a breezy enjoyment."
Meryl's prior novel, Warrior Won, was a bronze medal winner in the prestigious Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Awards, and a gold medalist in the Living Now Book Awards. And Downward Dog, Upward Fog was named a fiction-book-of-the-year finalist by Foreword Reviews.
All of these mindfulness/yoga fiction beach reads can be read on their own.
Meryl is also an award-winning health and science journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Prevention, National Geographic, Yoga Journal, Self, and many other publications.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
If you read a novel about a chef, you'll probably see them cook a lot of recipes . . . but it probably won’t walk you through the whole process of creating a souffle. “Yoga Bind” isn’t quite a recipe book or instruction manual, but readers should be ready for a story that’s heavily focused on yoga’s role in the lives of the characters.
Most people probably think of yoga as an exercise for stretching and relaxation. But to more dedicated followers, it’s a lifelong spiritual journey. Author Meryl David Landau, a certified yoga teacher, is definitely in the dedicated category.
For the main character, Janelle, yoga and meditation are central to her life – so much so that she and her best friend answer the phone “Yoga Mission Field” when they take each other’s calls. So, Janelle is devastated when the guru she’s been following for several years is accused of sexually assaulting another good friend and fellow yoga student.
For most of the book, that friend is out of commission, not responding to any of her concerned friends’ calls or texts. While they wait for the facts, many of Janelle’s friends still attend the guru’s group meditations, preferring to wait for more information before making a decision. Janelle can’t bring herself to do that. She wonders if she’ll have to discard all the guru’s teachings if the rumor is confirmed.
To cope with her conflicted feelings — and other professional and personal conflicts in the book – Janelle does a lot of yoga exercises and meditations, alone and with friends. Just about every chapter includes some sort of practice: guided visualizations, breathing patterns or “inner-outer pauses” (it’s explained in the book). There’s a lot of discussion about the ethical dilemma of dealing with the guru’s possible crime, and several scenes where characters accuse each other of “bypassing” difficult emotions instead of dealing with them honestly. If the unexamined life isn’t worth living … well, these characters might just live forever.
For a while, I found all this contemplation a little exhausting. But as the book went on, its likeable characters and positive intentions began to win me over, and I enjoyed the way the various plot lines resolved. Not everyone wants a novel that doubles as a philosophical instruction manual, but I think that’s exactly what the author set out to provide. And if you’re a devotee of yoga or meditation, or intensely curious about those practices, this might very well be the book for you.
NOTE: Thanks to Alignment Publishing Co. for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Most people probably think of yoga as an exercise for stretching and relaxation. But to more dedicated followers, it’s a lifelong spiritual journey. Author Meryl David Landau, a certified yoga teacher, is definitely in the dedicated category.
For the main character, Janelle, yoga and meditation are central to her life – so much so that she and her best friend answer the phone “Yoga Mission Field” when they take each other’s calls. So, Janelle is devastated when the guru she’s been following for several years is accused of sexually assaulting another good friend and fellow yoga student.
For most of the book, that friend is out of commission, not responding to any of her concerned friends’ calls or texts. While they wait for the facts, many of Janelle’s friends still attend the guru’s group meditations, preferring to wait for more information before making a decision. Janelle can’t bring herself to do that. She wonders if she’ll have to discard all the guru’s teachings if the rumor is confirmed.
To cope with her conflicted feelings — and other professional and personal conflicts in the book – Janelle does a lot of yoga exercises and meditations, alone and with friends. Just about every chapter includes some sort of practice: guided visualizations, breathing patterns or “inner-outer pauses” (it’s explained in the book). There’s a lot of discussion about the ethical dilemma of dealing with the guru’s possible crime, and several scenes where characters accuse each other of “bypassing” difficult emotions instead of dealing with them honestly. If the unexamined life isn’t worth living … well, these characters might just live forever.
For a while, I found all this contemplation a little exhausting. But as the book went on, its likeable characters and positive intentions began to win me over, and I enjoyed the way the various plot lines resolved. Not everyone wants a novel that doubles as a philosophical instruction manual, but I think that’s exactly what the author set out to provide. And if you’re a devotee of yoga or meditation, or intensely curious about those practices, this might very well be the book for you.
NOTE: Thanks to Alignment Publishing Co. for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Author
*Full review to follow*
Another thought-provoking addition to this series of standalone yoga novels. Yoga Bind explores themes of friendship, forgiveness and family. I always enjoy meeting Meryl Davids Landau's new characters, and greeting those from her past books like old pals. Full review to follow!
Another thought-provoking addition to this series of standalone yoga novels. Yoga Bind explores themes of friendship, forgiveness and family. I always enjoy meeting Meryl Davids Landau's new characters, and greeting those from her past books like old pals. Full review to follow!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews