I just started reading Simple Abundance by Sarah Bun Breathnach. I think we got the book at a yard sale sometime last year, and it has just been sitting around unread until I discovered it last night. Isn’t it amazing how just the right books find you when you most need them?

The writing is inspiring and creative, and kind of reminds me of Julia Cameron’s books (The Artist’s Way). A quick warning, though. If you’re in a bit of a cynical mood this book might irritate more than inspire, so save it for the right time. The Amazon review calls Breathnach’s style “Martha Stewart on Prozac,” which made me laugh out loud…

The full title of the book is Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy, and the book is structured as a calendar with one entry for every day of the year. Each entry starts with a quote, and I love the one from January 19:

“I cannot believe that the inscrutable universe turns on an axis of suffering; surely the strange beauty of the world must somewhere rest on pure joy.” – Louise Bogan

Isn’t this exactly what our yoga practice seeks to uncover? To remove the layers of daily struggles, churning thoughts, stress and physical discomforts, and to open up the heart to the quiet joy and peace within. The next time you practice yoga, read this quote before practice and see what comes up!