Pacheco - Do your om thing: bending yoga tradition to fit your modern life

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F irst, I bow deeply to the tradition of yoga, ancient and evolving, and to all my teachers, past and present, of yoga (on the mat and off), meditation, and writing; especially those who appear in these pages, including but not limited to (chronologically) Carol Dubin, Valerie Jeremijenko, Dr. Miranda Shaw, Baron Baptiste, Patricia Walden, Deepak Chopra, and Jon Kabat-Zinn. I am indebted to and humbled by my students, readers of omgal.com, members of OG Book Club, and the yoga community around the world and in my home of Boston. You inspire me endlessly. To the institutions that fostered my lifelong love of books and desire to be a writer, of which the Loomis Chaffee School and University of Richmond are chief among them, I treasure your guidance always.

Thank you to my literary agents, Kathryn Beaumont Murphy and Katherine Flynn and the impeccable team at Kneerim, Williams & Bloom. You made this life dream come true and supported me every step of the way. Kathryn, your heart and mind are the mightiest of combinations, and from our first meeting, I was honored to have them in my corner. Katherine, you helped me stay the course when my doubts attempted to get the best of me. I feel so lucky to have landed in your care. To the primary reader and personal champion of this manuscript, Priscilla Warner, I am forever grateful. I, too, am happy neither of us is ageist because you are the most fabulous sixtysomething author friend a thirtysomething gal could have. You sparked a new appreciation for radishes, implored me to trust my voice, and taught me, with great aplomb, to say eff it on occasion. To my editor, Julie Will, you were my guru from start to finish. Thank you for the precision, direction, and confidence you lent me along the way. It was an honor and privilege to work with you. Karen Rinaldi, you are a force. Thank you for making me one of your authors. Sydney Pierce, Liz Esman, Katie OCallaghan, Leah Carlson-Stanisic, Milan Bozic, and everyone else at HarperWave, thank you for supporting me, bringing our vision to life, and making it possible for me to do my om thing. Jonathan Pozniak, my longtime friend and talented photographer, I am so happy our karma continues to intersect. I hope it does for many lifetimes of mischief and making art. Thank you for your beautiful studio in which to shoot in NYC, James Weber. Matt Osbourne (my ambassador of hip), Christine Needham, Daren Bascome, and my friends at Proverb, just being in your company fed my creative fire. Thank you for your design input. To the partnerships that have supported me and helped grow my business, namely Equinox, Inner Strength, lululemon, and Runners World, I am deeply grateful. Finally, thank you to my smart and soulful Om Experts, Derek Beres, Mallika Chopra, and Kim Vandenberg, for your thoughtful contributions to this book. It is better, and the world is a brighter, more informed and inspired place because of you.

To my family. Thank you for your love and support. Mom and Dad, you always encouraged me to leave things better than I found them, so Im giving it a try with my small corner of the universe. I hope this book makes yoga and life a little better or easier for those who read it. Gram, thank you for your unconditional love and passing down a love for the spiritual realm. Reece, you are one of my lifes great giftsa brother I would have chosen but didnt need to.

To my friends. You were with me in spirit on every page. I love you with all my heart. Thank you, in particular, to those who sheltered me (emotionally and literally) while I was working on my manuscript, Abigail Erdmann and Luc Aalmans. Serena Kabat-Zinn and Coeli Marsh, thank you for sharing your feedback, wit, wisdom, and the uplifting company of your beautiful children. You have been bright lights (torches, really) on my yoga journey for a long time. Emma Barton, Chanel Luck, and Larisa Forman, extraordinary yogis, I trust you implicitly and thank you deeply. Cynthia Pham Gordon, you were the first to read page one and cheered this labor of love for years. Vinita Goswami, I will always cherish our board meetings.

To Dan. I started writing this book long before we met, but you are the one who truly taught me to live it. You make my heart feel whole and brave. My next chapter will always start with you. I love you.

R EBECCA PACHECO is an acclaimed yoga teacher, writer, speaker, and creator of the popular yoga blog OmGal.com. She has been practicing yoga for more than half her lifetime and began teaching while studying English literature at the University of Richmond. Previously a master teacher at the Baptiste Power Yoga Institute, Rebecca now blends nearly two decades of yoga experience into her signature Om Athlete and creative Vinyasa classes. A longtime runner and Boston Marathon finisher, she is also the resident yoga expert for Runners World magazines online Yoga Center.

In addition to teaching internationally, Rebecca has had the honor of leading the first-ever yoga class on the field at Fenway Park. She lives in Boston with her fianc, Dan Fitzgerald.

You can connect with Rebecca on social media @omgal.

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