About A Lotus Trail by Tara Gardiner
★★★★★ “Excellent read!” – M. McEvoy
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“I woke, in the nude, surrounded by empty beer bottles and five naked men, with no idea how I got there”.
After a childhood accident left her permanently disabled, Tara Gardiner spent decades searching for happiness. For 20 years, she backpacked through North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia, on a fruitless hunt for meaning. The life and soul of every party, ready for any adventure her damaged knee would permit, she lived life to the full.
So why were her fleeting moments of joy marred by illness, hangovers, memory gaps, physical and sexual assault – and shame?
Finally, in a desperate attempt to avoid the knee replacement her doctors said was essential, Tara tried a new path. Returning to India after 18 years, she swapped drink, drugs and anonymous sex for yoga, study and Tibetan Buddhism. And as she began to find, inside herself, the contentment she sought, a chance encounter in India’s poorest state directed her to her life’s purpose.
Populated with a cast of colourful characters, A Lotus Trail is the story of one woman’s quest for self-discovery. It will take you on an inspiring journey from desperation to transformation, and show you that anything is possible!
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Author Bio:
I was born dyslexic into a working-class family in the slums of Notting Hill, West London. No one knew what dyslexia was, so people just thought I was dopey.
When I was seven, I crushed my right leg under a cast iron rocking horse and spent most of my childhood in hospital. The doctors told my parents I would never be able to play sports or lead a ‘normal life’.
I became a bit of a loner, until one day, at 21, I bought a backpack and took off into the world. For more than 20 years I lived life to the full, taking up all the adventure and debauchery my knee would allow.
In 1999, the doctors told me I needed a knee replacement. An arthroscopic knee washout bought me time but it was yoga and meditation what saved me and turned my whole life around for the better.
Eventually, I realized that my disability, lack of education, and been bullied were among my greatest blessings and gurus. But I had a long hard journey to travel before I reached that point.
The doctors were right all-along; ‘I could never lead a normal life’