Breathing Space: Twelve Lessons for the Modern Woman »

"This is the story of a year I spent in New York, studying with Yoga Master Alan Finger."

When Katrina Repka moved to New York, she was eager to shed her past and begin a new life, but she soon discovered that her old problems had followed her to the big city, and that instead of finding herself, she was more lost than ever. It was when she was almost ready to give up on everything that she read a magazine article on Master Yogi Alan Finger and knew that she had to meet him. It was a meeting that would change her life.

Over the next twelve months, with Alan's help, Katrina tackled and overcame many of the obstacles holding her back. Dealing with issues that every woman will relate to—criticism, emptiness, balance, family, and creativity (among others)—the twelve chapters in Breathing Space follow Katrina's ups and downs in New York. At the end of each chapter there is a simple but effective breathing exercise that will help readers eliminate harmful behavior patterns and speed their own process of personal transformation. Breathing Space is an inspiring and instructive book that offers every woman the chance to follow the author's path and become the person she truly wants and deserves to be.

Publishers Weekly

This book by the coauthors of Chakra Yoga follows yoga veteran Repka through an anxious first year in New York, her disappointment with intimidating yoga classes-bastions of chic slimness-and her serendipitous meeting with "Supreme Yogi" Alan Finger. She is inspired by the yogi's tantric knowledge, and Finger recognizes Repka's skill and passion. He makes her his assistant, and the two embark on private sessions in which Finger reveals the advantages of breath work in ameliorating stress, resolving problems and increasing well-being. The breathing exercises at the end of each chapter increase in difficulty, and the authors suggest audio-taping each assignment (rather than trying to follow them in written form) for ease of completion. While Repka's happy ending might feel suspiciously neat, the universality of her need to find focus and balance, as well as the time-honored application of the breathing remedy, make this book an illuminating endeavor. The pairing of day-to-day problems with a distinctive antidote is anything but pedestrian. A quick read, the book conjures a powerful portrait of the mentor-pupil dynamic. (Jan.)

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