"Perhaps that's the reason I admire the essays in this collection so deeply. Like shavasana, they seem to be one thing--writers on the subject of yoga--but really they're another: profound examinations of what it means to be human. In these essays there are funny stories, sad stories, moving stories, and real stories. In sharing their experiences with us, each of these writers have tapped into the universal questions that we're confronted with when we get ourselves down on the mat. Questions about humility and determination. Simplicity and acceptance. About moving forward, doing the work, and most of all, receiving with equanimity what comes next on breath at a time." --Cheryl Strayed, author of #1 New York Times Bestseller Wild "Carroll, a Florida-based yoga teacher and creative writing professor, compiles essays from noted writers including Neal Pollack, Dinty W. Moore, and Claire Dederer, asking each to reflect on what millions of Americans--themselves included--are searching for in yoga practice, and what they are finding. Yoga helped one writer cope with her mother's Alzheimer's disease; another found self-worth through the challenges of being a 375-pound yoga student; yet another gained new perspective on the notion of "stillness" in a busy world." --Publishers Weekly "A beautiful, hilarious, touching account of why we love yoga." --Brian Leaf, author of Misadventures of a Parenting Yogi "Going Om is the literary equivalent of dropping in on class to find all your favorite yoga writers packed in there on their mats. Just like our bodies, every essay here is wildly unique--some are graceful, some are sexy, a few might make you cry--the only constant being the diverse ways these writer's lives interact with their practice." --Benjamin Lorr, author of Hell-Bent: Obsession, Pain, and the Search for Something Like Transcendence in Competitive Yoga "A wonderful collection of essays that illustrate the power and promise of yoga on and off the mat." --Gary Halperin, author of Feel Better Now Meditation and Feel Better Now: Essays on Yoga, Meditation, Mindfulness, and Love "One of our favorite guests, offering much food for thought on the path to inner wisdom." --Sedona Talk Radio

Melissa Carroll was on a search for happiness; the problem was she was looking for it in external things and in other people. She finally found pure joy by going within, on her yoga mat. A certified Reiki III practitioner and yoga teacher who travels internationally to yoga retreats and conferences, she lives in Tampa Bay, FL.