Available through For years, 2000 grad Jessica Berger Gross struggled with fluctuating weight and bouts of unhappiness. Like many, she found comfort in food and craved cigarettes and self-confidence. Then one day Berger Gross took her first yoga class in Katmandu. She lost 40 pounds and changed her life forever.
She tells her story in her 2009 book, enLIGHTened: How I Lost 40 Pounds with a Yoga Mat, Fresh Pineapples, and a Beagle Pointer. “People who knew me when I was in Madison may be shocked to learn that the Jessica who enjoyed way too much cheap beer has now morphed into a healthy, happy, longtime yoga devotee who enjoys a two-hour walk in the forest with a 21-month-old strapped to my back, and my dog and my husband, Neil, by my side,” Berger Gross says.
She shares the core principles of yoga philosophy. “enLIGHTened chronicles my journey and shows how yoga — not simply the poses themselves but the philosophical principles behind them, drawn from an ancient but surprisingly timely text called the Yoga Sutras — made the transformation possible,” she says. The book also includes recipes, tips for healthy eating and living, and a series of illustrated yoga poses to practice at home.
Berger Gross has been writing the “Enlightened Motherhood” blog for Yoga Journal since June 2010, focusing on balancing work, parenthood and yoga practice. She posts on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Berger Gross is editor of the award-winning anthology About What Was Lost: 20 Writers on Miscarriage, Healing, and Hope. Originally from Long Island, New York, She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with her husband, son and dog. She teaches creative writing at the University of British Columbia.
This article appeared in the fall 2009 La Follette Notes newsletter for alumni and friends.
Alum to publish collection of essays on miscarriage, December 11, 2006, La Follette School News