Tantra Yoga: Journey to Unbreakable Wholeness, A Memoir

A very fast read, it will pull you in.. For long time yoga teachers, it could rekindle your respect of yourself engaging an incredibly immense field of human (perhaps jungian) psychology, movement, breathing, and complete self-awareness or working the balance of our very own aspects. - I'm very happy that I did read it.

When I got this book, I thought, wow, that’s one thick memoir! Norian’s genre-defying work with its playful, flowing style immediately engages the reader to come along with him on his life’s ride—on a spiritual journey available to us all.But what makes this book really stand out from other yoga memoirs is the way Norian interweaves his lived experience with key Sanskrit yoga concepts. Perhaps you, like me, have sometimes felt a disconnect between a yoga teacher’s discussion of concepts, and the yoga class itself. Norian makes these key yogic terms alive and available, weaving them into his memoir with both humor and reverence:“… not to be confused with small savory Spanish appetizers, tapas is a Sanskrit word that means heat, austerity or fiery discipline.… In the Tantric view, tapas is a longing for freedom with a longing for God — any longing for something greater than oneself.”Now I get it.Exercises at the end of several chapters invite the reader to knit their own story to yogic concepts. I tend to skip exercises at the end of a self-help book chapter —often they follow content in a predicictable way. Not so here. I’ve done Norian’s exercises right after I’ve read the chapter, and savored them before picking up the text again. ¬I came to Kripalu yoga a few years after guru Amrit Desai had been asked to leave—just about when Kripalu had reinvented itself. I have heard many stories of the early Kripalu, and Desai’s departure, but Norian’s memoir with its candid and compassionate presentation of ashram life helped me to understand better my own relationship to this tradition.

This book made me smile! It's a beautiful, heart-felt story of one man's life journey, and how it was always intertwined with yoga (even before he knew what yoga was)! Todd Norian is an internationally acclaimed yoga teacher and the founder of Ashaya Yoga, and in this book he shares stories about how he survived the common traumas of childhood, the heartbreak of relationships, and the mysteries of living in an ashram. It's a "coming of age" story in which he learns how to say No to some things in order to serve the bigger, life-affirming Yes. Throughout, he expertly weaves concepts of yoga philosophy with amusing and poignant anecdotes from his life, showing how the sacred and the profane are really woven together- which is the point of Tantra- seeing the spiritual in the everyday. Thank you, Todd, for writing this book!

Just wanted to let you know how moved I was by Todd's memoir. His early childhood reminded me very much of mine.His openess and honesty throughout the book was such a great life lesson. I savored each chapter awaiting what would come next. The last chapter brought me to tears having “courted” Tess with Todd throughout the book.Todd, Thank you so much for sharing.

Todd's book is a fascinating read. You will laugh, cry and be inspired. This is a such a beautifully crafted book explaining Tantra Yoga in practical and useful ways that can help one truly step into the transformative path of yoga. I am so glad to have this book as a resource for my teaching and an inspiration for my personal practice.

Todd Norian has a vivid emotional memory of his entire life, and he is completely transparent about sharing it. That's what makes the story so interesting. Many spiritual teachers try to look enlightened. Todd shares his gifts like his heart and his weaknesses like his attraction to donuts....But on top of that he weaves in teachings about Tantra. Not only a superb teacher, he remains a student of yoga and of life in general. He doesn't want the reader to look up to him, but rather to look into himself or herself.A true inspiration to discover the deepest love within your own heart!

I read Todd Norian’s memoir straight through, hardly coming up to breathe, wanting to get the entire arc of his story. Now I’m rereading it slowly, savouring each chapter and doing the exercies that encourage his readers to look deeper into their own lives. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys memoir, or who practices yoga, or who is curious about Tantra, or who wants to see a light shining the way to full life.