Books

 Cyndi Lee is the author and artist of:

Yoga Body, Buddha Mind

May I Be Happy: A Memoir of Love, Yoga, and Changing My Mind

OM yoga: A Guide to Daily Practice

OM yoga Today

OM at Home: A Yoga Journal

the OM yoga in a Box series

Cyndi is also a contributing author to:

Yoga Rising: 30 Empowering Stories from Yoga Renegades
for Every Body

Will Meditation and Yoga Change My Life?

Joyful Mind; Joyful Wedding

The Idiot’s Guide to Fitness

The Best Buddhist Writings of 2009

Cyndi has written the forewords for:

Fearless After Fifty: How to Thrive with Grace, Grit and Yoga
by Michelle Marchildon and Desiree Rumbaugh

Teaching Beyond the Poses: A Practical Workbook for Integrating Themes, Ideas, and Inspiration into Your Class
by Sage Roundtree and Alexandra DeSiato

Stack Your Bones: 100 Simple Lessons for Realigning Your Body and Moving with Ease
by Ruthie Fraser

Yoga for Cancer: A Guide to Managing Side Effects, Boosting Immunity, and Improving Recovery for Cancer Survivors
by Tari Prinster

Books by Cyndi

 

May I Be Happy

A Memoir of Love, Yoga, and Changing My Mind

In the candid, contemplative memoir May I Be Happy, revered yoga teacher Cyndi Lee gives readers an unforgettable gift: the ability to focus on our experiences as we have them, on the way to a lighter life.

For all her wisdom as a teacher, Cyndi Lee—founder of New York’s world renowned OM yoga Center—understood intuitively that she still had a lot to learn. In spite of her success in physically demanding professions—dancer, choreographer, and yoga teacher—Lee was caught in a lifelong cycle of repetitive self-judgment about her body. Instead of the radical contentment expected in international yoga teachers, she realized that hating her body was a form of suffering, which was infecting her closest relationships—including her relationship to herself.

Inspired by the honesty and vulnerability of her students, Lee embarked on a journey of self-discovery that led her outward—from the sacred sites of the parched Indian countryside to the center of the 2011 earthquake in Japan—and inward, to seek the counsel of wise women, friends and strangers both. Applying the ancient Buddhist practice of loving-kindness meditation to herself, Lee learned that compassion is the only antidote to hatred, thereby healing her heart and changing her mind.

With prose as agile as the yoga sequences she creates, May I Be Happy gives voice to Lee’s belief that every life arises, abides, and ultimately dissolves. By becoming her own best student, Lee internalizes the strength, stability, and clarity she imparts in her Buddhist-inspired yoga classes.

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Reviews for May I Be Happy

Book Review Blog

“I recommend this book STRONGLY to women with body/image issues (and similarly, though perhaps less strongly, to men with body issues), as Cyndi’s honest journey (and the wisdom she was offered and gained along the way) can be profoundly helpful. I’d also recommend it to anyone doing a bit of soul-searching, and to all yoga teachers (and yoga-teacher-want-to-be’s). And yes, to those facing the challenges of an ailing parent, many parts of this book will speak to you as well. (Just be sure to have a box of tissues nearby.)”

— Being Breath

“Lee beautifully describes the yin and yang of an all-encompassing yogic lifestyle. Sprinkled throughout are short (but sweetly sage) anecdotes from the veteran yoga instructor’s classes. The author writes that her beloved mother’s firm direction on “how to be ladylike and strong at the same time” still resonates with her today and pretty much sums up the tone of this distinctively Zen autobiography.”

— Kirkus Review

“Despite international renown as a Buddhist-inspired yoga teacher, Lee (Yoga Body, Buddha Mind) experiences suffering just as we all do. In this heartfelt memoir, she reflects on hating her body—an all too common problem. Lee examines how her dance career, her relationship with her mother, and other life events affected her body image and in turn how it impacted her marriage. Honestly, and at times provocatively, she describes her journey toward remembering her basic goodness and finding contentment with her physical appearance. Woven into the narrative are first-person vignettes of Lee teaching her students. Her style is a beautifully accessible blend of Buddhist mindfulness practices and yoga asana. Guided by wise women (actress Jamie Lee Curtis, Christiane Northrup, self-help guru Louise Hay, various Buddhist teachers, friends, and herself), Lee remembers the truth: that we are all perfect and there is nothing wrong with us. Verdict Lee’s writing matches her teaching style: patient, melodic, and straightforward. Yoga students of all levels and abilities will learn from the simple, profound lessons in this book.”

— Library Journal Review

“Instantly relatable to almost every woman, Lee’s journey reels readers in.”

— Publisher’s Weekly

“Though May I Be Happy‘s message embraces female empowerment, its underlying wisdom about the body as a vehicle for self-improvement and instrument for spiritual growth should appeal to readers of either gender. Discover: A wise and vulnerable memoir about freeing ourselves of outdated images of the body from a skilled writer and spiritual teacher.”

— Shelf Awareness

“It’s not every day that one of the leaders of the yoga world — in this case, the founder of OM yoga — comes out as having body-image issues. A yoga teacher who hates her body. Huh? It’s about time someone was straight about this. Her willingness to do so takes guts and is an inspiration to the rest of us.”

— Shambhala Sun

“Even yogis have fat days. In May I Be Happy, superstar instructor, Cyndi Lee, admits to hating her body, despite being at the top of an industry that gushes self-acceptance. Whether or not you do yoga, this memoir is riveting.”

— Fitness Magazine

 

Yoga Body, Buddha Mind

From Cyndi Lee, creator of the OM yoga method comes the first guide to developing clarity in the mind while developing strength for the body.

The Buddha said: “Cultivate positive qualities and reduce negative emotions. This is the way to enlightenment.”

As Cyndi Lee says, “People’s bodies will change but their minds will still be jumping, their hearts still buried under layers of tension and fear.” “Yoga Body, Buddha Mind” is the first book to join these two powerful, uplifting practices, Cyndi shares her longtime experience as a practicing Tibetan Buddhist and one of the country’s most famous yoga teachers. Offering a unique combination of playfulness, precision, and curiosity, Cyndi shows how blending the Buddhist practices of opening the heart, reducing anger, and developing clarity and awareness with yoga practice can give you a balanced body and a spacious mind all at the same time!

Written in the same personal, comfortable and charismatic style that Cyndi Lee brings to her OM yoga classes.

Note that Cyndi received an affiliate commission when you use the above button.

 
 

OM yoga

A Guide to Daily Practice

Too busy to attend yoga class but can’t be bothered to read the endless instructions in the latest yoga book? In OM Yoga: A Daily Practice, celebrated yoga instructor Cyndi Lee brings the rigors and reqards of yoga class to the home with a totally unique method of teaching. Instead of wordy direction and minimal pictures, each series of asanas is communicated entirely through easy-to-follow illustrations and tips. Designed in a practical, concealed Wire-O format that lays flat on the floor while being used, OM Yoga is organized in tabbed sections for each day of the week. Monday is devoted to the Sun Salutation to welcome the week’s start. Thursday’s practice focusses on sitting poses, when the week’s energy is dwindling. When joined together, each day’s recipe cultivates a yoga practice that is challenging, energizing, and restorative. Including sections on meditation, breathing, and do-it-yourself yoga “recipes” for all levels, OM Yoga: A Guide to Daily Practice creates the possibility for a meaningful yoga practice in the privacy of the home.