FAQs

1) What age range is this book intended for?

The target audience for the fun read-aloud elements of “Llamas and Niyamas” is children ages 3-8. But the subtitle is “Yoga Fables for Young and Old” because the collection makes an engaging reminder of the importance of niyama practice for readers of any age, such as yoga parents, grandparents, older siblings, and teachers. We won’t tell anyone if you’re using a children’s book to guide your personal improvements.

2) What if I back this book and my kid still refuses to pick up their toys?

Ah, the "santoṣa " (contentment) challenge! Read the second chapter of our book and reflect. While our book shows the value of a tidy space, our years of yoga practice has not achieved magical abilities that can induce a child to put toys back into their bins. We’re working on a game for that! We keep hoping that with a few more years of yoga practice, we'll be able to levitate the toys into the bins.

3) Is there an early-bird reward?

We hope to provide a special bookmark to the first 100 book supporters.

4) If the goal is met, will we receive an extra reward?

Yes. We're planning to provide a downloadable commemorative coloring book page. We may also add a digital "Founder" badge to the Ebook.

5) Are there stretch goals? If the goals are met, will we receive extra awards?

If the initial goal is met, we hope to provide a special commemorative downloadable coloring book page. We envision many stretch goals. Examples might include higher quality printing at no extra cost to you, a weekly table of the niyama animals that can be checked off; a QR code to a page with selected animal sounds; book donations to libraries and schools; Kickstarter exclusive upgrades to the book cover such as a gold foil seal or embossing; a posable plushy add-on; children's yoga video add-ons based on the niyamas (one taught by the author and another by a well-known kid's yoga teacher); and a celebrity-voiced audiobook. Yes, you can make these happen! Buy a lot of books, perhaps now for every friend with children.

6) What if I have trouble making the llama sounds when I read the stories aloud?

Do the best you can. Most children won't care. You can challenge them to make the llama sounds themselves. However, if you are stickler, real llama vocalizations are readily available through an internet search. One of our stretch goals is to provide links to some animals vocalizations on our social media sites. So buy more books!

7) When will my books/stickers ship?

We hope to begin shipping the paperbacks and stickers in mid-June, before the June 21, 2026 publication date. Autographed paperbacks will take longer due to the extra logistics involved. (Especially if autographed copies are in high demand, and the author needs frequent breaks for hand mudras to prevent cramping.)

8) Are the stickers edible?

Hmm, that was completely off our radar when designing them. Most adults aren't interested in eating a raccoon or a spider sticker, but we don't judge. Some kids are curious about what everything tastes like, and truly not everything tastes like chicken. While the designs may be a feast for the eyes, the stickers are strictly "low-carb/non-food." Please keep them on water bottles, notebooks, desks, walls, toilet seats, or your most expensive furniture, and off the dinner menu. If you or your child chose to eat them, call poison control just in case (800-222-1222).

9) How do I remove the stickers from my expensive furniture.

We should have anticipated this question after our last answer. We decline responsibility for the results of sticker removal. Our favorite AI-empowered search engine advocates using a hair dryer on a low setting and offers a variety of options for removing the residue. (I note that my ancient laptop still has the Velma stickers that my daughter placed on it.)

10) When can I download the ebook?

We hope to fulfill the electronic rewards on or before the June 21, 2026 publication date. The fulfillment mechanism may depend on the volume of support, with a large volume allowing us to utilize a fulfillment mechanism that will enable early delivery. So, ask all of your friends to buy Ebooks as well as paperbacks!

11) How will I get the ebook and what platform will it be on?

We hope, provided the Kickstarter campaign is successful, to send out time-limited links for supporters to download their products. At a minimum, we intend to provide an EPUB format.

12) When will Kickstarter charge me?

When the campaign ends, Kickstarter will charge the pledged amount (including the anticipated shipping charges) to your payment method. If your payment method changes before the campaign ends, please update it. If it's not working properly, Kickstarter may contact you to correct any problems, so look out for their messages and respond quickly. (Of course, don't click on any links, go directly to their site before logging in. Phishing attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated.)

13) What is your refund policy?

Kickstarter delivers pledged money quickly so that the creators can move projects forward as soon as possible. Supporters have the option to cancel or change their pledges any time during the campaign. As far as we can determine, Kickstarter does not have a mechanism to provide refunds.

14) Why don't the animals in my neighborhood talk or do asana?

They do! Listen and watch them. Sometimes you just have to catch them before their morning espresso. Certainly, their language is different, and their anatomical differences require different rules of alignment for postures. Get outside and show them how humans move! Often, neighborhood animals are practicing "stealth yoga." It’s an advanced meditation technique, which looks a lot like staring blankly at you until you fill the bird feeder.

15) Will the books be printed in the U.S.?

Print-on-demand fulfillment to U.S. addresses would be printed and bound in the U.S. For books ordered to be sent to Canadian addresses, the print-on-demand printing and binding location would be in the U.S. or Canada depending on the selected fulfillment mechanism. However, if certain stretch goals are met, offset printing would likely be done outside the U.S. We are still investigating U.S. possibilities for offset printing that would keep our book affordable.

16) Do you ship internationally?

Unfortunately, this is our first vinyasa, so to speak, so we are limiting our shipping to the U.S and Canada for the Kickstarter. After publication, it is likely that a print-on-demand English language version will be available internationally.

17) Will non-English versions of these books be available?

Books made available through this Kickstarter will be printed in English. The author is working on his French language skills, but waiting for him to be sufficiently adept to create an understandable French translation may take longer than his lifespan. So, following publication, we will be presenting our title(s) to foreign publishers to measure interest.

18) Will the illustrator receive royalties?

Beyond the advances, royalties are expressly provided for in our contract. So, buy enough books, and she will earn out her royalties and more!

19) My dog already does "downward dog" perfectly. Can he skip the book?

Your dog is clearly a prodigy, but even masters need a refresher. Just make sure he doesn’t eat it. Plus, the book focuses on the niyamas (not on the asanas), and we suspect that your dog could work on his "śauca" after he rolls in the grass (or something else)!

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