I'm 45 and have never done a day of exercise in my life, let alone yoga. This book spoke my language. The first day wasn't scary at all—just sitting on my couch and learning to breathe properly, which sounds silly but was actually a revelation. I liked that it didn't try to turn me into a guru. It's just a sensible, friendly guide that gave me a reason to actually try. I'm on day six now and I feel like I could keep going. Worth every penny.

The guide is fine, I suppose, but it's not exactly a page-turner. The first chapter was helpful enough in telling me what to do, but some of the descriptions of how things should feel felt a bit too clean, too perfect. It's a decent roadmap for a total novice, but I felt it was a bit dry. I wanted a bit more reassurance that it was okay to feel ungraceful, which it does give somewhat. It's a fine starting point, but not magical.

I got this because I've always thought about trying yoga but couldn't handle the idea of going to a class. The ten-day plan is simple enough, and I did follow it for a few days. The problem, I think, is that I skipped the gear chapter and used my own mat and it was probably wrong, so I struggled. I can't blame the book for that. It's thorough, but maybe a bit too much work for a lazy person like me. A solid 'B'.