Baptiste - Perfectly imperfect : the art and soul of yoga practice

Praise for

perfectly imperfect

Baron says exactly what our spirits need to hear. Perfectly Imperfect is the real deal! Its honest, insightful, and inspiring, and it shows us the true meaning and power of yoga. This book will wake up every aspect of your practice and give you the tools you need to show up fully every day, both on and off the mat. This is a seriously empowering read.

Gabrielle Bernstein, New York Times best-selling author of Miracles Now

Free e-Newsletters
from Hay House, the Ultimate
Resource for Inspiration

Be the first to know about Hay Houses dollar deals, free downloads, special offers, affirmation cards, giveaways, contests and more!

	Get exclusive excerpts from our latest releases and videos from Hay House Present Moments.
	Enjoy uplifting personal stories, how-to articles and healing advice along with videos and empowering quotes within Heal Your Life.
	Have an uplifting story to tell and a passion for writing? Sharpen your writing skills with insider tips from Your Writing Life.

Visit www.hayhouse.com to sign-up today

ALSO BY BARON BAPTISTE

Books

BEING OF POWER: The 9 Practices to
Ignite an Empowered Life*

40 DAYS TO PERSONAL REVOLUTION: A Breakthrough
Program to Radically Change Your Body and
Awaken the Sacred Within Your Soul

JOURNEY INTO POWER: How to Sculpt Your Ideal Body,
Free Your True Self, and Transform Your Life with Yoga

MY DADDY IS A PRETZEL: Yoga for Parents and Kids

THE YOGA BOOTCAMP BOX: An Interactive
Program to Revolutionize Your Life with Yoga

CDs and DVDs

BAPTISTE LIVE

ENERGIZE AND ELEVATE with Baron Baptiste

IGNITE & INTEGRATE with Baron Baptiste

JOURNEY INTO POWER: Power Vinyasa Yoga, Level 1

JOURNEY INTO POWER: Power Vinyasa Yoga, Level 2

MEDITATION FOR BEGINNERS

*Available from Hay House
Please visit:

Hay House USA: www.hayhouse.com

Hay House Australia: www.hayhouse.com.au

Hay House UK: www.hayhouse.co.uk

Hay House India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Copyright 2016 by Baron Baptiste

Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au Published and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk Published and distributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd.: info@hayhouse.co.za Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast Books: www.raincoast.com Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Cover design: Erin Anderson Interior design: Pamela Homan

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private useother than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviewswithout prior written permission of the publisher.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Name: Baptiste, Baron, author.

Title: Perfectly imperfect : the art and soul of yoga practice / Baron Baptiste.

Description: 1st edition. | Carlsbad, California : Hay House, Inc., 2016.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015039441 | ISBN 9781401947538 (hardback)

Subjects: LCSH: Hatha yoga--Health aspects. | Mind and body. | Health. | Fitness. | BISAC: HEALTH & FITNESS / Yoga.

Classification: LCC RA781.7 .B3656 2016 | DDC 613.7/046dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015039441

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4019-4753-8

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

1st edition, May 2016

Printed in the United States of America

contents

Ive spent my whole life either surrounded by or practicing yoga. From the time I was a young boy, it was as much a part of my life as school, or baseball, or surfing at the beach with my friends. I grew up in San Francisco, where my parents opened one of the first yoga schools and natural health centers in the United States. If they werent practicing yoga, they were teaching it, or hosting one of the many well-known yoga masters who came over from India to stay as guests in our home.

I had the privilege of studying directly under some of the worlds greatest teachers. In time, I grew into an accomplished yoga practitioner and teacher in my own right, very adept at looking and sounding like a real yogi. I could recite the Yoga Sutras, call out any pose in Sanskrit, balance as still as a statue, and bend my body into the fanciest of poses.

And yet, something was missing. I was strong. I was supple. I looked healthy. I was in great shape. But there was a greater sense of meaning and purpose lacking in what I was doing. Somehow it all felt like I was just going through the motions. Which, it turns out, I was. What was missing in my practice and in my teaching was power. Not power over otherswhich is how we typically define powerbut a power that was generated from within. I woke up and saw that I needed to access a new kind of power to elevate not just my practice on the mat, but my entire life.

After that realization, my whole life opened up. I went through many transformations, breakdowns, and breakthroughs. I discovered my authentic voice and began to teach not through the filter of rote knowledge but from my own authentic process of inquiry and discovery. All of this led to the development of the methodology I teach today.

Ive written five books, taught hundreds of thousands of yoga enthusiasts, and trained thousands of yoga teachers all around the world. Through it all, what matters most to me is that theyand youare awakened to their own sense of power and possibility and their ability to apply it, live it, and be it in all things on the mat and off. So in this book, I offer you a look into my classroom and share the essential lessons and insights I have excavated and cultivated from my teaching and coaching experiences with real people dealing with real life.