Nadine Feldman, Author

celebrating strong female characters and whatever else strikes my fancy

books

Book Discovery Tuesday: Fierce Medicine by Ana Forrest

by

With her new book, Fierce Medicine: Breakthrough Practices to Heal the Body and Ignite the Spirit, world-renowned yoga teacher Ana shares her story of healing from a childhood filled with abuse and neglect. Through yoga, horses, and time spent with healers, she found power and strength, and she travels the world sharing her methods with others. Each chapter includes part of her story, then ends with suggested exercises to free the body of physical, emotional, and psychic pain.

I first saw her in the dining hall of the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. In the midst of a meal, I suddenly felt compelled to turn around. I saw a lean, fine-boned woman with black hair pulled into a simple braid that went down her back. Her body looked young, but her face showed her age, and I guessed, correctly, that she is a few years older than I. I couldn’t seem to stop staring at her–she had that “something” that made me curious, a sort of in-your-face strength. I thought, I want me some of that.

When I went home, I bought her DVDs. The practices in both were challenging but safe, and I immediately adopted her approach to neck position, which reduces strain in the neck during practice. Then I bought her five-CD set, each with a two-hour practice. These routines are far more difficult than the DVDs and are not for beginning students.

Eventually Ana came to Houston, as many local yoga teachers here have studied under her and adopted her style. I attended one of her weekend workshops, and yikes! After several 2.5 hour classes, I felt like I had hit and crossed my limits. Still, in person, though she is powerful, she also carries a softness about her. She is funnier and more compassionate than she seemed at that moment at Kripalu. I could see why so many have adopted her style.

Still, I had questions. Forrest is well known for jaw-dropping demonstrations, and I wondered if I was viewing a true yoga master or someone with a huge ego who needed to show off. I also wondered why she never mentioned her teachers. And why all the emphasis on the physical aspect of yoga, which is but one small piece of a practice?

I found many answers to these questions in Fierce Medicine. With characteristic in-your-face directness and humor, Forrest describes how she learned more from unknown teachers than the so-called celebrity teachers. She also describes her approach to yoga in great detail and in a way that made sense to me. Finally, I understood that the demonstrations are to help people break through their notions of what is possible. As I mentioned, she’s older than I am (I’m 52), and I like having people in my life who expand my vision.

Most important to me as I read the book, was that Ana’s vulnerability and humanity shone through. She is honest and forthright, and I trusted her more as a teacher as I learned more about the person. Her journey from abuse, alcoholism, and drug abuse to healer is an extraordinary and well-written one.

Some of the practices in this book are challenging (handstands are an example), and I would advise those who are interested to try beginner-level classes with a Forrest Yoga teacher. Forrest Yoga is challenging but safe in a classroom environment. If you are not working with a teacher and/or have health conditions that limit movement, you’ll need to be more careful. Still, even if you don’t practice yoga, Fierce Medicine is an inspiring story of a courageous woman.

 

Book Discovery Tuesday: The Best of Everything After 50: The Experts’ Guide to Style, Sex, Health, Money, and More

by

In an enthusiastic, likeable tone, author Barbara Hannah Grufferman guides us cheerfully through the maze of what we need to know after age 50. She has researched her work, getting advice from doctors, dermatologists, and other professionals so that we can look and feel our best. Reading The Best of Everything is a bit like chatting with your best gal pal, but with solid medical and financial information. After 50, we can still look and feel fabulous!

Grufferman is committed to her own health and fitness and runs in marathons. In The Best of Everything, she describes her running regimen, designed to keep those older joints safe.  She helps us avoid the middle-aged spread that isn’t, as it turns out, as inevitable as we might think. She keeps us on track for scheduling the appropriate medical tests at the right time, and even provides tips on caring for skin, from moisturizers to plastic surgery.

More than anything, Grufferman distills a lot of wisdom into simple terms. Some sections may not interest you. For example, I skipped over the plastic surgery stuff. I happen to like my wrinkles and scars, and I think my face is far more interesting with some lines on it. However, I do believe in a woman’s right to choose, whether it has to do with her womb or her face, and let’s face it—we can’t ignore our aging. Better to discuss our options and make informed choices.

The Best of Everything After 50 is, overall, a comprehensive guide. As with any complex subject, though, it has its limits. You will not get tips on empty nesting, dealing with sandwich generation issues, or how to cope with a difficult menopause from an emotional perspective. I don’t see this as a criticism, though. She has kept a clear focus to her work, and no one book could cover everything without getting clunky.

For women just starting to face the topic, The Best of Everything After 50 provides a great beginning and information that every woman needs to know, and Grufferman’s gift for distillation makes this book a must-read for initiates to this profound, exciting, and sometimes frustrating time of life.