Lip Gloss and Literature: meditation

Tales from the Yoga Studio was the first of a new series of books on yoga and friendship in Southern California by Rain Mitchell. Ms. Mitchell has shared a few articles on her writing process and the difficulty with which it was and the strength she gained from it. Fittingly, then, her series tackles the topic of yoga as a meditative practice for letting go and how a group of Southern Californian friends use it to get through some of the toughest times in their lives.

Lee is the go-to guru of all yoga teachers in sunny L.A. and that’s just who friends Graciela, Stephanie, Imani and Katherine go to every week as they head over to Lee’s studio in Silver Lake for a workout that helps them sweat out all their demons. It’s not only the four friends who are aware of Lee’s special talents as a yoga instructor and sure enough, yoga empire, “Yoga Happens” seeks out Lee for one of their new chain studios opening up in LA, making her a bountiful offer, hard for any working mom, to refuse. Along with their lush offer, Yoga Happens has even guaranteed Lee a spot for her husband, Alan at the posh studio, where he can play his music for yoga goers. Like any offer that appears too good to be true, Yoga Happens contract is exclusive and if Lee accepts, she must close down her own quaint studio in Silver Lake.

Lee’s followers and close friends, Katherine, Graciela, Imani and Stephanie also have their fair share of issues going on at the moment. Katherine, newly sober, is having a difficult time allowing herself to trust others, especially one guy in particular. Will she give him and herself a chance at love or will she be too afraid to get close? Stephanie is battling her own demons while trying to keep her writing career alive. Will the script she’s currently working on be accepted or will she burn out before she can finish it? Graciela, a gorgeous hip hop dancer, has the chance of a lifetime to be in a video for Beyonce but will an unfortunate injury hold her back? Finally, Imani wasn’t so sure that yoga was for her, but as she begins checking out local studios with bff and paparazzi magnet, Becky, she starts to realize that it may be just the calm she needs to help her weather her own heartache.

I love yoga but still didn’t know what to expect from a contemporary women’s fiction book on the subject. I thought it started off somewhat slow, but something kept pulling me back into the story. I don’t know if it was the fluidity of the writing that was reminiscent of the peace and relaxation of child’s pose or the characters that highlighted the creativity and togetherness of female friendship; but by the story’s end I was hooked on SoCal’s soothing yoga practice and Rain Mitchell’s writing.

I will definitely be checking out the second book in this series when it comes out.

3 Stars