Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga

This book Meditations From The Mat by Rolf Gates is a real treasure! The book is broken up into chapters according to the 8 limbs of Yoga (Yama's, Niyama's, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi) and is sub-divided so that you can read a new essay each day of the year. Each essay is preceded by a quote by an eclectic array of folks, from spiritual teachers/sages, songwriters, yoga students and others. Rolf really puts these age old yogic limbs into a language that really speaks to contemporary seekers and truly bares his soul (as they say "Warts and all") in sharing his deeply felt perspective on these different limbs. This book is a true gift to those who would love a very down to earth perspective on these timeless truths of yoga. Highly recommended! Namaste

As one who has never attended a Yoga class, I am fascinated by this book because I feel as though I am doing Yoga as I sit and read and think, read and think. Yoga is so much more than being on a mat, although that experience is certainly most central to the discipline. What I am discovering is the meaning of the discipline. I am able to envision the physical movements as I sort out, mentally, the meaning of my imagined activity. Because Gates puts his readers through stages of using their minds, he also expects those readers to repeat those stages over and over. In repeating the exercises, readers bring new thoughts and experiences to the reading activity and each exposure is different from the last one. As such, the book is always new, exciting, provocative, mysterious, riveting.

This book is a gift I gave to myself. After reading Part One, I bought several more copies for my friends and family. The book is not just for yogis. It is for anyone on the path to wellness and spiritual discovery. I have learned so much about myself from reading the daily essays and applying them to my own life. As Gates says so eloquently, "the obstacles on the path ARE the path." Think about that for a moment and quite possibly you will begin to see that what happens in life happens for a reason and the first thing you have to do is simply "Show Up."

Mediations from the Mat is a one-a-day vitamin for the yogic soul. There are 365 essays here designed to nourish you on your journey off and on the mat. If you practice yoga, you will appreciate this book. If you like thought-provoking quotes, you'll find them here. If you're on a path toward spiritual and emotional well being, this book is for you.Grasping Patanjali's 8-limb path is a daunting task. Gates, along with gifted writer/editor Katrina Kenison, simplifies these lessons by presenting them through examples of his own life experiences and discoveries.What I like best about this book is that it's simple and it's Real. Anybody can relate to these stories of suffering, joy, tragedy, and love, regardless of whether they practice yoga. So with each daily reading, we begin to realize that yoga is not some esoteric, mountain-top guru thing, but a means of meeting ourselves and learning our truth -- simply by showing up on our mats and in our lives. Gates doesn't claim to have answers. He gives us what he has to give: the lessons he has learned through the erratic, grace-filled ride he's had so far. As the essays gradually build on one another, we begin to understand that amid our suffering, fear, and doubt, we can "experience a visceral sense of belonging in a universe held together by love."If you take in one of these essays each day, you will nourish your soul. No doubt about it. I'm only on Day 31 and I feel the difference already!