Simply Put: Practical Yoga & Meditation Tools for a Beautiful Life

By Danit Schreiber and Telia Garner

Simply Put shows how anyone can apply yoga and meditation techniques to lead a more beautiful life.

Simply Put offers practical tools and inspirational ideas to help you cope with life's constant challenges. Danit shares powerful anecdotes, lessons learned, and advice borne out of the hardships she and

• Language: English
• Publisher: How2Conquer
• Release date: Nov 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9781945783319

Danit Schreiber

Certified yoga instructor Danit Schreiber applies theoretical and philosophical ideas behind yoga and meditation with her unique voice and distinctive style of teaching. The Yoga By Danit Method™ extends beyond the classroom by providing students with practical tools they can use to improve the quality of their day-to-day lives. The studio she founded has become a special community where students feel mutually supported, empowered, and safe - a place where they are inspired and better prepared to face life's challenges.

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Praise for Simply Put

"One of Danit’s many talents is incredible physical adjustments. She can spot your physical pain from across a room and shift your posture in just the right way to create space throughout the body. Simply Put is like these physical adjustments in book form: a clear, thoughtful collection of small lessons and observations, written to be accessible and relevant to all readers, and sure to make big shifts when applied over time. Simply Put brims with heart, honesty, compassion, and wisdom."

– Samantha Greene Woodruff, Bestselling Author of The Lobotomist’s Wife and Certified Yoga Instructor

"For the first time in my life, I laid my eyes on a book that felt like a friend. In a single statement, Simply Put is the most penetrating rendition of Life for Dummies. Every single reminder, sentence, and overview provides tangible mechanisms for life’s endless pickles in a way that allows you to feel human during the process. A truly life-changing read."

– Netta De Lagrave-Codina, World Competitive Figure Skater, Coach and Choreographer, Program Coordinator

"Simply Put is an invitation to consider our daily experiences differently, take a bird’s eye view, remain true to ourselves, and accept the impermanent nature of life. Danit provides the opportunity and permission for us to truly observe our discomfort and vulnerability while making them the stepping stones of learning and strength on our individual paths. Danit’s sincere and compassionate writing is as approachable as she is, and Simply Put is a gift to all readers."

– Sonya Sanders

"Simply Put tops my short stack of essential reads for personal growth and deflecting stress. With concise, insightful acuity, Danit treats us to a wellspring of practical, applicable wisdom. Her precise and intuitive instructional narrative mirrors her gifted teaching methodology. The tenets of her core beliefs, principles, and sequences cultivate a practice of intention, choice, and awareness. Danit’s authentic voice resonates with relevancy, inspiring us to explore our authenticity."

– Marie Kimmel, Yoga by Danit Student

"Simply Put beautifully bridges the timeless teachings of yoga with a contemporary and pragmatic perspective on life. Rich family narratives, rooted in a tradition of strong and compassionate women, offer fresh insights into daily challenges. Simply Put inspires a newfound appreciation for everyday moments and encourages approaching life with curiosity. After reading, I’ll never leave a pickle jar half-open and am committed to embracing chores with an open mind."

– Hadas Weisman

"Simply Put is a calming resource for managing life’s stressors. Danit’s wisdom and skill deftly demonstrate how to apply yoga and meditation to approach the world in a therapeutic and meaningful way. It’s a primer for life wrapped in a blanket, with a cup of tea, enclosed in a hug."

– Sharon G. Herzog, PsyD, Clinical Psychologist

"I read Simply Put in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. I know I’ll go back to it over and over for peace, perspective, and life advice. Readers will benefit from Danit’s approach to life’s ups and downs — building a solid personal foundation that can’t be shattered no matter what life throws at us."

– Alexa Fishback, MS, RD

"Simply Put stands out as an engaging guide to integrating the profound wisdom of yoga and meditation seamlessly into daily life. Weaving personal reflections with the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of yoga, Danit invites the reader to undertake their own journey of transformation, self-discovery, and authentic living.

– Dr. Yarden Finder, Psychologist and Mother

Simply Put

Practical Yoga & Meditation Tools for a Beautiful Life

by Danit Schreiber

Published by How2Conquer

Atlanta, Georgia

www.how2conquer.com

How2Conquer is an imprint of White Deer Publishing, LLC

www.whitedeerpublishing.net

© 2023 by Danit Schreiber

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — for example, electronic, photocopy, recording — without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

First edition, November 2023

Ebook edition created 2023

Illustrations and cover design by Telia Garner

Edited by Lauren Kelliher

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Print ISBN 978-1-945783-25-8

Ebook ISBN 978-1-945783-31-9

I wish to dedicate this book to my brilliant husband, Jonathan, who put in the hours of support and patience without which this book would not exist.

To my children, Nadav, Netta, and Romi, who are always my inspiration and reason to be a better person and mother.

For my parents, who, even though they are no longer with us, are constantly with me whispering in my ear.

To my students, who have provided much of the inspiration to write this book.

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Section 1: Consistency

Chapter 1: When the Earth Crumbles beneath Your Feet

Chapter 2: It’s All Our Choice

Chapter 3: Giving, Contentment, and Hoppla Hopp

Chapter 4: Saucha

Chapter 5: A Race against Time

Chapter 6: Washing Bottles

Chapter 7: Escaping the Twilight Zone

Chapter 8: Vulnerability

Chapter 9: Oh No, I Feel Upset

Section 2: Ego

Chapter 10: An Unlimited Abundance

Chapter 11: A Sense of Belonging

Chapter 12: The Box

Chapter 13: The Seer

Chapter 14: The Visit

Chapter 15: Pause Please

Chapter 16: The Finish Line

Chapter 17: Saying No

Chapter 18: An Entrepreneur’s Diary

Section 3: Impermanence

Chapter 19: Puffer Fish

Chapter 20: Answering Aggression

Chapter 21: Staying Present When It Stings

Chapter 22: Slack Water and the Doldrums

Chapter 23: Dare to Ask

Chapter 24: A Wake-Up Call for Love

Chapter 25: Aging Ouch

Chapter 26: Witnessing Pain, a Fresh Take

Section 4: Reality

Chapter 27: A Bump in the Road

Chapter 28: About Perfectionism

Chapter 29: A Beginner’s Mind

Chapter 30: Going against the Grain

Chapter 31: The Boo-Hoo Token Jar

Chapter 32: Exiting the Tunnel

Chapter 33: Decision Making Is Hard

Chapter 34: Working from Previous Experiences

Chapter 35: Making a Change

Wrap Up & Resources

Conclusion

Morning & Night Home Practice Workshop

Resources

Acknowledgements

About Danit

Preface

Yoga is the thread that runs through my personal life, from the time I get up in the morning to the time I go to bed at night. Everything I do — cleaning the house, my morning yoga practice, managing conflicts and interpersonal relationships — is based on the concepts and ideas I write about here. This book is a window into my personal practice. It’s how I live my own life. This common thread has grown into a pillar that has helped me and my family overcome many of the challenges in our lives. My hope is that by providing this intimate glimpse into my life, I’ll offer some inspiration or ideas that’ll truly help someone somewhere who is facing their own challenges and travails find their own way to cope and overcome.

Writing this book is a manifestation of daring to be who I am. I’ve always been loyal to my authentic self, whether or not it was easy or popular, while always respecting others. It’s the only option for me. I’m literally physically compelled to be true to myself. There’s a price — being myself doesn’t always conform to expectations or easily fit into a defined social group. The price, however, is cheap considering the benefit. Being truthful to myself gives me the strength, confidence, and strong foundation needed to cope with the constant curveballs that life seems to fling at us. May Simply Put inspire you to dare, dream, and allow yourself to be who you really are with confidence and pride.

Flower 2

Introduction

As a yoga and meditation teacher, I receive the most joy when I see how people take the tools they learn in the yoga studio into their own hands and make their lives better on their own. The goal has always been to transform spiritual ideas into practical tools that can be implemented effectively in our regular day-to-day existence. I’m blessed to teach a group of students at my studio that has become a strong community. They constantly inspire me with their ability to apply the tools they learn on the mat to their daily lives to overcome whatever challenges come their way.

The tenets of yoga and meditation were created to help people in the here and now. Over time, I’ve accumulated anecdotes and thoughts that have proved helpful and inspirational to my community. By sharing these stories and ideas with a wider audience, I hope to empower more people to help themselves. If a reader can take one positive idea from this collection that can help them, then it will have been worth all the work.

I’m Not Flexible

For many people yoga is quite daunting. Like anything new and unfamiliar, people imagine barriers and obstacles that prevent them from helping themselves.

I’m not flexible may be the most common refrain I hear as a yoga instructor. Whether it’s a new student or simply somebody who happens to overhear that I teach yoga, people seem to feel compelled to say, I’m not flexible, or, I’m horrible at yoga, or, I can’t touch my toes, or, I’m really stiff. No — really! or any one of dozens of similar permutations.

My answer is always the same — So, what?

Flexibility isn’t a prerequisite to practicing yoga, and the ability to touch one’s toes doesn’t make you a better person.

A student’s performance on the yoga mat isn’t judged and doesn’t receive any points, stars, stickers, or extra credit. Whether or not you can reach the most advanced form of a given pose or the final pose of a sequence does not determine the value of the practice. Yoga’s intrinsic value is the process. The ability to reach your toes or not isn’t the point at all. I keep reminding my students that they all get 100 percent of the experience and 100 percent of the benefit regardless of how advanced the pose or level of flexibility they reach is. It’s about the process.

When you open yourself up to that mindset, you find a wonderful opportunity to learn about the rhythms of your body, your breath, and your mind. With a new awareness, you begin to cultivate new habits and new abilities.

Narrowing yoga to physical limitations such as lack of flexibility does a big injustice to both potential practitioners and the magic called yoga.

The magic of yoga is the positive shift that’s happening throughout your daily experience on the mat and especially the shift that occurs over time with consistent practice.

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