They say everything we do has a purpose, whether we know it at the time or not. That has definitely been the case in Minneapolis resident Daniel Hertz’s life. 

 

“When my 9th grade English teacher told me, ‘I hope you grow up and have lots of students just like you,’ I never expected it to happen. It was the farthest thing from my mind, but it did happen eight years later,” said Hertz, who is now retired from a 31-year career as a teacher and counselor in Minneapolis Public Schools. 

 

Not only that, his mother’s passing and the grief it caused spun his life in a whole different direction; his discovery of The Meditation Center in Minneapolis as place to help heal his pain led to a spiritual journey; and a year-long writing workshop at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis led to the creation of a memoir that has the potential to help a lot of  people. 

 

Everything Is a Little Bit Alright – yoga, meditation, and a dog named Roy was published by Shanti Arts Publishing of Brunswick, Maine in May 2020. The story begins with Hertz’ reflections on the role yoga and meditation has played in everything that is good about his life, then flashes back to the many struggles he has had to face and overcome. Struggles that are commonplace in our society. 

 

As a child Hertz had to make sense out of his parents' divorce. As a young man he encountered overwhelming grief from dealing with their illnesses and deaths. During his teaching career, he faced a lot of obstacles, mostly due to his students’ struggles and a lack of the resources needed to help them.

 

Realizing he was in need of healing, Hertz turned to the practices of yoga and meditation—as well as bonding with his dog Roy—to help transform his grief and sadness into gratitude, forgiveness, and joy. Three chapters in the book feature Roy, who was there for the author when he needed help the most.

 

In the book, Hertz explains that his true transformation began in the year 1993. “Three years after my mother passed away, I went to the Meditation Center in Minneapolis. The grieving had caused so many physical injuries in my body because of how long and strong it was,” said Hertz. “When I went to my first yoga class, and was actually able to do the simple exercises the instructor provided, that just grabbed me. It was the moment I realized I could practice every day and get relief that transformed my life.” 

 

Hertz is now internationally certified as both a biofeedback practitioner and as a yoga and meditation instructor. He was initiated into the Himalayan Yoga and Meditation Tradition in 1993 and has been on the faculty of the Meditation Center in Minneapolis since 1995. 

 

Hertz’s debut book, Everything Is a Little Bit Alright, is an uplifting and lighthearted memoir that recounts the author's lifelong spiritual journey. Early reviews have been very favorable. 

 

“Everything Is A Little Bit Alright is a force of measured argument. The reader is mesmerized into a calming meditative space that is at once familiar and highly uncomfortable. Hertz recounts the death of his mother, father, and dog all with the same even-handed delivery and exhalation that he writes of his travels to unfamiliar places. . . . a breathing journey of both literal and internal space. . . . a barely perceptible trail in a heavily wooded grove; a yoga class on each page,” said Nicole Helget, a 2018 Minnesota Book Award winner. 

 

“Daniel Hertz opens the door by way of his own life-lessons and gives simple to use techniques of clearing one's mind and opening one's heart. A must read ‘How-To’ manual for the soul with rich illustrations of enlightened moments that you too can treasure. Meditate and dance to the ‘inner-music’ of a liberated spirit through the stories and anecdotes. Thank you, Daniel, for this truly remarkable book of life in your journey of life. Your book is truly a beacon of illumination,” said Daniel Richey, MBA, past director, The Meditation Center, Minneapolis.

 

Everything Is a Little Bit Alright – yoga, meditation, and a dog named Roy was published by Shanti Arts Publishing, Brunswick, Maine in May 2020. To learn more about Daniel Hertz’s work, go to Facebook.com/Daniel.hertz.5.