Interviewing June Browne and Introducing Her Book “The Yoga Habit”

Readool Books December 28, 2021 Blog

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Interviewing June Browne

Today, we have the pleasure to interview June Browne, author of “The Yoga Habit.” June Browne is a natural lifestyle author and former organic-farming magazine editor. She has spent decades studying and utilizing alternatives to conventional medicine. Yoga has proven indispensable time and again for her health and wellbeing.

June is a dedicated yogini, wife, and mother of two. She studied Mysore-style Ashtanga, as well as some other styles, for over twenty years, and participated in a yoga teacher training. June has also advised pregnant women and new mothers on natal and post-natal holistic care and has assistant-taught both yoga classes and nature-based preschool.

Holding a degree in Literature and Art History, June is passionate about the arts and has lent her talents as a writer, art model, and writing tutor.

Below is our interview; let us get to know more about our featured author, June Browne.

What is this book about?

This book is a primer on yoga, for use toward self-practice or to support studio (shala) practice. The book shares a number of yogic habits that together guide the practitioner to the fullness of what yoga has to offer. Some of the yogic habits discussed include poses (asanas), breathing techniques, also known as breathwork (pranayama), locks (bandhas), hand gestures (mudras), and meditation. An ancient philosophy of yoga called the eight limbs of yoga is also explained, so that readers can begin to access the full spiritual, mental and physical benefits of yoga. The book also helps beginner yogis know what yoga mat is best for them and what yoga clothes to wear. I offer modifications for safety when doing yoga poses, as well as suggestions for a simplified practice plan on days when it is hard to find time for yoga. In terms of poses, I teach foundational poses, including the core vinyasa flow, as well as full Sun Salutations, and several purposeful guided series. Also included is an A to Z chart of many yoga poses for use in yoga discovery and self-practice development. I discuss how to find a good yoga teacher, and what it truly means to develop your own best yoga practice. The book also details the top 50 benefits of yoga, including increased flexibility and strength, improved posture, better bone density, lower blood pressure and blood sugar, less inflammation, easier menopause, heart health, general anti-aging, lower stress, enhanced self-esteem, less depression, better digestion, allergy and pain relief, improved focus, and better sex. It is my hope that knowing the benefits will both inform and inspire readers to begin and keep up their yoga habit! And that through their newfound practice of the full basics of yoga, they will then grow into their healthiest, happiest, best selves.

What motivated you to write this book?

What motivated me to write this book was the unmet needs new, and sometimes even longtime yogis can experience, when seeking to dive into all that yoga has to offer. I wanted to provide readers a quick path to beginning to utilize all the core facets of a full yoga practice. It took me a long time to uncover these core gifts of yoga, a lot of searching and sorting through what mattered. It was a slow process of coming to a deeper awareness of what I needed to include in my practice to benefit more fully. While no book can remove the divine timing, dedication, ripening, and practice that must contribute to a person’s yoga habit development, my motivation in writing this book has been to streamline that process for newbies and longtime searchers alike, so that they may find the gifts come easier and with a little less patience-testing than was true of my own early yoga journey.

Where did you get your information or ideas for your books?

The yoga knowledge I share in this book came from years of study of yoga. I learned from one primary decades-long teacher, as well as various other invaluable teachers, and also from the questioning and seeking of my own personal health journey. I have read and studied some of the core texts of the yoga tradition, as well as modern books on yoga. I have also participated in a yoga teacher training in Mysore-style Ashtanga yoga.

What is your favorite part of the book? Why?

I would say it is likely the pose sequences, because the heart of yoga is in doing the practice. Pattabhi Jois, the founder of modern Ashtanga yoga, famously said, “Yoga is 99 percent practice, 1 percent theory.” I do include theory in the book. I do think it is important to be familiar with the conceptual basis of the yoga practice. Yet in the end, as Pattahbi Jois so deftly expressed, it is the act of the practice that matters most. I also hope that my readers will come again and again to the pose sequences in the book as a support to their daily practice.

I would like to add that my favorite format for the book is the Audiobook. For more complete use of the materials, I suggest having either the e-book or the paperback in conjunction with the audiobook. This way you can quietly curl up with the book as you study the material, but can use the audiobook when you are on your yoga mat, to directly guide your practice.

How long did it take to write this book?

It took me more than twenty years to “research,” and only a few months to put together the first draft. Then came many edits and refinements, including a republish of the book with improvements. I realized through my own growing understanding of my readers’ needs, as well as direct requests from readers, that I needed to make some adjustments and additions. I take the task of sharing yoga as properly and effectively as I can very seriously. I aim to offer the respect owed to India and all the native practitioners of yoga for the gift of yoga to the world. Yet I also wrote The Yoga Habit because I want to offer yoga in a way that translates well for us Westerners, while retaining the core yoga habits that need to be shared. Lastly, I wrote this book because I want a career sharing the knowledge I have gained. It is said to really master a subject, one must teach it. I will never fully master yoga, but I do feel that as I began crafting this book, I had an inner awareness that it was my turn to teach and an inner urge to move more fully from student to teacher of this practice.

How did your book get published? Why did you choose to publish your book in this way?

My book is self-published. For now, it is just on Amazon, but I hope to expand to Ingram Spark, and bookstores, as well as yoga studios or other small businesses that are interested in carrying the book. The yoga I have long practiced is a type of yoga that moves at the pace of one’s own breath. I felt the need to also go through the publishing process at my own pace. This is the main reason I chose to self-publish.

Is there anything else you would like to share in this interview?

Thank you for taking the time to spend a few minutes with me here and learn about my book and audiobook The Yoga Habit. I hope the book serves you well on your own yoga adventure. Please also check out my website. There you can sign up for my newsletter, where I offer a free series on Yoga for Hands and Feet, with more to come. Namaste.