When I first picked up Regina Brett’s book God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life’s Little Detours, I have to admit I was intrigued but also a little put off that it might be too religious or preachy. I gave it a chance, and I’m so glad that I did because this little book is jam-packed with wonderful nuggets of inspiration and lessons on how to live life.

Just to give you an idea on some of the topics Regina covers, here’s a few of the titles from the 50 life lessons:

Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save anything for a special occasion. Today is special enough.

Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick, but your friends will. Stay in touch with them.

The most important sex organ is the brain.

Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting for you to discover.

Breathe. It calms the mind.

Hummm, I think Regina may be a little more in touch with her yogic side than she knows! Some of these lessons are sounding strikingly similar to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Regina is a northeast Ohio gal; so, if she’s not already a yogini, I’m gonna have to get her to one of the awesome yoga studios in this ‘hood.

Regina Brett wrote these lessons based on the extraordinary life she has led. At 21, she was an unwed mother; at 30, she graduated from college; for 18 years, she was a single mom; at 40, she got married; at age 41, she found out she had breast cancer and fought it; and at 45, she decided to put all of her life lessons down on paper.  These lessons were first published in her column in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. They became hugely popular and went viral, being e-mailed and posted on the Internet around the world. Regina took these lessons and expanded on them to create this book that made the New York Times bestseller list. Congrats, Regina!

In terms of role models, I would have to say that Regina is on my list. If winning the battle against breast cancer was not enough, Regina ventured into the male dominated newspaper world and has become a successful writer with her own column previously at the Akron Beacon Journal and presently at the Cleveland Plain Dealer. She also hosts a weekly talk radio show on Cleveland’s NPR station, writes a blog, and supports many charitable organizations.

I recently put one of the lessons from the book to good use when I did some spring cleaning. In regard to getting rid of things that are not useful in your life, ask yourself these four questions: “Is it useful? Is it beautiful? Does it add meaning to your life now? If this item were free at a garage sale, would you take it?” Try asking yourself these four questions the next time you clean out your closet. Get rid of some of those attachments. You’ll be amazed how many trash bags you fill, or better yet, how many bags you can donate to an organization like Goodwill!

This book is perfect for developing themes for yoga classes; it’s full of short reflections on life that you can read at the beginning or end of class. There’s something for everyone, and I’m sure you will find inspiration, laughs, and some great tips on how to navigate through life off the yoga mat, especially when it sends you off on one of those interesting little detours.

I’ll leave you one last nugget from the book: Figure out what makes you feel young, and do it! Thankfully, I’ve got that life lesson nailed. Yoga is the thing in my life that makes me feel (and look) youthful, and I plan to embrace the practice of yoga for the rest of my life.

 God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life’s Little Detours