Yoga instructor Tara Stiles first gained popularity when she appeared in a series of YouTube videos about yoga produced by her modeling agency. While many may have tuned in to see the leggy Ford model get twisty, her enthusiastic, down-to-earth style was undeniable. She has since parlayed her popularity into a successful career as an internet yoga guru (her YouTube videos are now viewed by millions), Women’s Health columnist, owner of New York City yoga studio Strala, Nissan spokesmodel, personal yoga instructor to Deepak Chopra, and FitStar Yoga presenter.
Stiles’ first book Slim Calm Sexy Yoga was published in 2010. It follows a rather traditional format, leading with an encyclopedia of poses and then illustrating various ways that these poses can be combined to create yoga workouts you can do at home. I have always maintained that this type of book is great to have around for reference should you need to look up a pose or find inspiration for your home practice, but in order to fully enjoy the benefits of yoga, it is important to attend good classes with qualified teachers as frequently as possible, especially for yoga beginners. The problem with this book is that it wants to be more than it is. Let’s first take a look what Slim Calm Sexy Yoga does offer you.
The first section of the book, Essential Yoga Poses, provides a good visual reference for basic poses. The large, clean photographs distinguish this book from the many on the market and showcase Stiles’ flexibility and grace.
The second section of the book features short sequences of poses that are intended to encourage daily practice. The sequences offer up a nice variety of poses, though those hoping to see fast results by doing the poses prescribed for fat burning, smooth skin, and better orgasms are likely to be disappointed.