Neal Pollack | Stretch: The Unlikely Making of a Yoga Dude | The Phoenix native returns home to celebrate his fifth book

Phoenix native Neal Pollack returns home to celebrate the publication of his fifth book, Stretch: The Unlikely Making of a Yoga Dude, a memoir of a bad boy's transformation from disenchanted writer and failed rock front-man to blissful yoga fiend.

Pollack was out of shape, balding, and the hair on his face was pretentious—traits a New York Times critic gleefully pointed out while panning his second book. Combined with the failure of his rock band, it was almost too much to bear. He was willing to try anything to get his life back on track, even yoga.

While struggling to master difficult poses without kicking other yogis in the face, Pollack actually, remarkably, began to feel better, both in body and mind. Soon he found himself immersed in the "weird and circuslike" world of yoga. He participated in a 24-hour yogathon, attended yoga conferences and Asian retreats, went to yoga rock shows, started getting regular assignments for Yoga Journal magazine, and, finally, began teaching yoga classes himself.

EXTRA FUN: In addition to reading from his book, Pollack, a certified yoga teacher, will be leading a yoga class at the bookstore. For those of you who say, "but I don't do yoga," Pollack replies, "That's OK, neither do I." Bring along a mat (if you've got one) and an open mind, and prepare to laugh.