The Reading Yogi

Seeking Devotion

Finding Relationship

About Us

We are two dear friends who love yoga and reading. As we have walked our own path of devotion to this sacred, beautiful practice, we've been humbled and inspired in our learning. And we thought, "What better way to learn than to immerse oneself in the power of words?"

Meet Holly 

While navigating cancer, divorce, job loss, and a faith transition; Holly discovered yoga. Yoga was the light in her dark night of the soul. Fueled by her passion and curiosity, she pursued deeper knowledge. She studies Yogic Lineages, Pranayama, Anatomy, Asana, Meditation, & Deep Relaxation. Through these ancient, evidence-informed practices, she helps her clients to discover their own native breath and inner sanctuary. She is an RYT 500, Meditation/Nidra teacher, and yoga therapist in training. She leads practices for recovering addicts at both inpatient and outpatient facilities.  Holly is a blogger, mom of 3 beautiful girls, and lover of the outdoors. Nature is her master teacher.

www.nativebreath.com

Meet Carissa

Carissa is a high school English teacher with a passion for practicing, teaching, and learning. Her journey into yoga began in 2011, and though it wasn't quite love at first pose, she found herself easing into the soft, vibrant offerings of a yoga practice. Having witnessed the impact of yoga in her own life, Carissa completed her first teacher training in 2018 and hasn't stopped learning. She has her RYT 500 hour certification and continues to evolve her personal and teaching practices through continued coursework, trainings, personal study, and growth opportunities. When she’s not grading essays, reading, teaching, or practicing, you can find her outside soaking up the sun, walking her dogs, by the water (preferably an ocean), or planning her next big adventure with her husband and daughter, who share her enthusiasm for exploring this big, beautiful world. 

www.mudfloweryoga.com 

Our Vision  

We believe yoga should be accessible and personal for everyone. Yoga reflects the true nature of our relationship with ourselves and broadens our connection with the world and community beyond us. In this way, yoga is a transformative practice that happens both on and off the mat. 

Our intention is to create an opportunity for seekers who want to deepen their personal devotion to yogic practices through a reading community. We envision this as a way for participants to enrich their relationship with the heart of yoga and feel empowered to live healthy and balanced lives. We fully believe that we are all called to walk on our path of dharma. This reading community is therefore not instructional, but rather supportive. Our heartfelt desire is to support our beautiful community of seekers as they navigate and develop their individual practice. Yogic practices and modalities are integrated into each meeting session.

The "Seeking Devotion" book club is rooted in the diverse and rich yoga practice. Our texts include deep dives into philosophy, ethics, the history of yoga, the practice of Ayurveda, healing modalities and more. While we only commit to four books a year, we will happily provide you with our own recommendations for further reading and self-study. 

The "Seeking Devotion" book club is currently at-home at Leap Yoga in Folsom, CA; however, as we continue to grow this community, we look forward to supporting reading yogis everywhere. 

Have Questions? 

Send us an email and we will be happy to answer them
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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to have the book before the first meeting? 

Absolutely not. It would be helpful for you to have it, just for reference. However, we know that sometimes that delivery runs a little late or you have to actually get to the bookstore and then find your way out... maybe even after you have found various other books! 

How do I know if I am staying on track and pulling out the best information? 

There is so much good news around this. First, Carissa is a high school English teacher, BUT she is not giving homework for this book club! She will, however, provide you with a reading guide and some "food for thought" questions to consider as you read. As to the best information, well... that is a bit personal to you and your own experiences. Whatever you think is helpful, interesting, or inspiring is, actually, the best. 

What should I do in order to be ready for our meetings? 

Check out our reading list page for activities, ideas, discussion questions, and a breakdown of information. If you have further questions that these pages cannot answer, please email us so we can connect with you.