Author Alison Zak said of her first book Wild Asana: Animals, Yoga, and Connecting Our Practice to the Natural World, published this summer, “All the themes in my book- nature connection, curiosity, compassion, coexistence, unity — are important to me — that’s why I wrote it!”
Readers may recognize Zak from The Open Book on Main Street where she currently works, or from her time at The Clifton Institute, a Fauquier County research and educational organization which works to restore habitats and conserve native biodiversity. Her background is in primatology, and she holds two degrees in anthropology.
Zak is also director of the Human-Beaver Coexistence Fund, a nonprofit she started which works with landowners in Fauquier County to help manage beaver problems with nonlethal strategies. (Did you know, beavers and their dam construction are crucial for creating wildlife habitats and maintaining water storage far up in the watershed, so flooding doesn’t occur in the lower elevations?).
She’s also a yoga teacher.
Hence the creation of Wild Asana, a nonfiction combination of personal introspection and stories with intensive scientific research.
Zak responded to some questions from Warrenton Lifestyle
Why did you decide to write this book?
I decided to write this book when I realized that, as yoga students, we practice cobra pose hundreds of times without ever thinking about the animal called a cobra as we do it. With so many poses named after animals, I was intrigued by how we could use our yoga practice to connect more meaningfully with animals and nature.
Tell me about the illustrations.
The illustrations were done by an artist at the publisher, Jasmine Hromjak. Usually that would be up to the writer, but my editor shared the book with the art team, and they were excited to do it in house. I was thrilled it worked out so well.
What did you enjoy about writing the book? What did you not enjoy/find the most difficult?
I love the research that goes into writing a nonfiction book- it’s an opportunity for me to dive deep into learning about all my favorite topics. Writing ultimately helps me think, so I learned a lot about myself throughout the process. Although meeting deadlines is sometimes challenging, and receiving feedback from editors can be scary, there is honestly nothing I dislike about the process of writing a book. I love it all.
Did you have writer’s block at any point?
I struggled with one chapter — the one about camels. After multiple rewrites and conversations with my editor, I finally realized that my challenge connecting with camels was actually what the essay was trying to teach me, so I incorporated those reflections into the final chapter.
What did you learn about yourself from the experience?
I learned that I can write a book! And get published! And that I have a unique and valuable perspective to share with others about how we can relate to other animals.
What is the best advice you’ve received about writing?
Read. A lot. You can’t be a writer without also being a reader. Natalie Goldberg said, “If you read good books, when you write, good books will come out of you.”
Is there anyone else that was influential in the process that we should mention?
My writing group buddies, the Wordy Birds: Cammie Fuller, Kris Jarvis, Kirsten Dueck.
Published in the October 2023 issue of Warrenton Lifestyle