Sara Avant Stover - The Way of the Happy Woman

The Way of the Happy Woman knocked my socks off! As a woman who already considers herself pretty healthy and connected, I was blown wide open with how vast and fruitful the possibilities for living a full and feminine life really are. Sara Avant Stovers intimate writing style, tremendous wit and compassion, and in-depth knowledge of womens bodies and emotional health have yielded a phenomenally life-altering piece of work. I will buy this book for my mother, my sister, my daughter, and all my girlfriends this year!

From the first page of The Way of the Happy Woman, I breathed a great sigh of relief. As women we are told to be warriors, smart, sexy, successful. We can have it all, but at what price? It seems all we really want is to be happy. Thank you, Sara, for helping us remember our true divine nature and making it so accessible.

In a time when women are running themselves ragged juggling their career, family, and more, Saras soothing words of wisdom remind us to slow down and pay attention to what really matters health and happiness. The Way of the Happy Womans simple and practical suggestions will help you nourish your mind, body, and soul with mindfulness and compassion every day of the year.

In poetic prose with the tender touch of a wise older sister, Sara Avant Stover offers up tips and tricks for simple, beauty-filled, mindful living. This book will cause you to rest, reflect, and rejoice all at once!

Sara Avant Stover walks her talk. She knows suffering and has found a down-to-earth, practical, and uplifting way through it, which she offers here. This wonderful book is a must-read for every woman in search of greater happiness. Sara shows us that happiness is absolutely possible!

It is pure pleasure to dive into this well-written and inspiring book full of tips, recipes, and practices for radiant and happy living. It feels like I have in my hands a box of chocolate for the soul.

With inspiring vision, Sara Avant Stover offers supportive, practical, and fun body-mind solutions to help women stay healthy throughout the year.

Copyright 2011 by Sara Avant Stover

All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, or other without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

The Way of the Happy Woman is a registered trademark of Sara Avant Stover.

Page vii: Grateful acknowledgment is made for the use of When I Am Among the Trees from Thirst by Mary Oliver, copyright 2006 by Mary Oliver. Reprinted with permission of Beacon Press, Boston.

This book is intended as a reference only, not as a medical manual. The information is not intended as a substitute for any treatment that may have been prescribed by your doctor. Please seek advice from a medical adviser before undertaking any changes in exercises or diet or if you suspect that you have a medical problem. Mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities in this book does not imply endorsement by the author or publisher, nor does mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities imply that they endorse this book, its author, or the publisher.

Internet addresses given were accurate at the time the book went to press. The names and identities of the women featured in the case studies have been changed to protect their privacy and are, in most cases, composites.

Illustrations by Molly OBrien
Text design by Tona Pearce Myers
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

First printing, May 2011
ISBN 978-1-57731-982-5
Printed in Canada on 100% postconsumer-waste recycled paper

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.

I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.

Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, Stay awhile.
The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, Its simple, they say,
and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.

MARY OLIVER

A s I read the first few pages of this book, I sighed with relief. Thank goodness it isnt about taking on some big ding-dang-do self-improvement plan or eating only raw food while standing on my head or otherwise improving myself. I learned a long time ago that the only problem with self-improvement is it doesnt work.

What does work is honoring ourselves, trusting ourselves, celebrating ourselves, meeting ourselves where we are, how we are. I did it this morning: I was angry at myself for eating sugar for days (I typically get depressed if I even look at sugar) because I was sad about my daughters leaving for college (in a year and a half, but yeah, she s my only), so I started to make elaborate plans to never eat sugar again and get up at 5 A.M. and chant the Gayatri Mantra 108 times and and then I wrapped my arms around myself, gave myself a big hug, and loved myself as my itchy, depressed, gassy, neurotic self. In that simple gesture, my sanity and freedom were restored, and I could choose my actions from there.