“enLIGHTened: How I Lost 40 Pounds with a Yoga Mat, Fresh Pineapples, and a Beagle Pointer.”

Mama’s Boy columnist Jessica Berger Gross has a new book called “enLIGHTened: How I Lost 40 Pounds with a Yoga Mat, Fresh Pineapples, and a Beagle Pointer.” Jessica struggled with severely fluctuating weight until she took her first yoga class in Katmandu, lost 40 pounds, and changed her life forever. She shares the core principles of yoga philosophy—not the poses and postures, but the ancient system of ideas that lies behind them, drawn from a 2,000 year old text called the Yoga Sutras. Beyond health and dieting, enLIGHTened shows readers how to gain peace of mind.

Catherine Newman, author of Waiting for Birdy, writes “If your body is a temple, would you really want to leave Doritos at the altar?” Good question–and this book is full of them, along with recipes, philosophy, yoga poses, compassion, pineapple-cutting lessons, and practical tips about diet and health. Even if all the yoga you can handle is “corpse pose,” you’ll be glad for Jessica Berger Gross’s inspirational company on your journey to inner beauty.”