Going Om: Real-Life Stories On and Off the Yoga Mat

Unlike books on yoga that provide instruction on technique, Going Om: Real-Life Stories On and Off the Yoga Mat is a unique collection of never-before-seen personal narratives from celebrated authors. This anthology values the quality of writing over the authors’ flexibility. With candid, witty and compelling experiences of yoga from renowned memoirists, including forewordist Cheryl Strayed, author of #1 New York Times bestseller Wild, Going Om shares a range of observations about this popular practice. Notable authors include Claire Dederer, Poser: My Life in 23 Yoga Poses; Dinty W. Moore, The Accidental Buddhist; Neal Pollack, Stretch: The Making of a Yoga Dude and many others.

Ira Sukrungruang shares his heartbreaking struggle as a 375 pound yoga student discovering self-worth on his mat; Gloria Munoz explores the practice of stillness with lyrical elegance in the midst of her busy mind; Neal Pollack’s signature sarcasm leads to surprising turns at yoga class with his dad; Elizabeth Kadetsky uses yogic wisdom while coping with her mother’s devastating Alzheimer’s.

Going Om is not just for the 20 million Americans practicing yoga but rather for anyone seeking a way to get through life challenges more easily and with grace. The editor, Melissa Carroll, is a yoga instructor who teaches more than 200 students every week. As a writer and university creative writing professor with extensive public speaking and print experience, only Carroll could curate these true tales of life from the mat.