"Read this book and you will discover that there is only one beauty, and you are that."~Deepak Chopra
How could I resist a book with this quote on the front cover?
I marveled at Deepak Chopra's first book, Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, published in 1993. Back then I was a new mom, and felt a sense of great possibility nurtured by Deepak Chopra's beliefs and ideas about how we may contribute to our own health and well-being.
In Love Your Body, Love Your Life: 5 Steps to End Negative Body Obsession and Start Living Happily and Confidently, body-image expert, speaker, and writer Sarah Maria, who has trained with spiritual and self-help teachers including Deepak Chopra, Dr. David Simon, and Wayne Dyer, presents ways to banish negative body obsession (NBO). Sarah Maria decided to write this book because she suffered deeply from NBO, eating disorders, and low self-esteem. She's certainly not alone. In fact, negative body obsession is a modern cultural epidemic, and the statistics for eating disorders are quite alarming. In America alone, nearly 10 million females and 1 million males are battling eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, and millions more suffer from binge eating disorder. But there is hope. The author wants us to know that we can move beyond self-loathing, beyond the "Barbie doll-like" images we're bombarded with by the media. She stresses the value of being more gentle and loving with yourself, instead of demanding an unrealistic and unattainable standard of "perfection". Beauty comes in all sizes, shapes, and colors.
Love Your Body, Love Your Life provides a five-step plan to help people learn how to love their bodies and their lives. Without revealing too much of the book, here are the steps in the process, and a few related quotes from the book.
- Set a Powerful Intention ~ "The power of intention is the power of love."
- Identify and Detach from Negative Thoughts ~ "Proactively identify and detach from the negative thoughts that are keeping you trapped."
- Discover Who You Really Are ~ "As nature is, so am I."
- Befriend Your Body ~ "Experience the majesty of your own body."
- Live Your Purpose ~ "You were intended to realize your soul's highest potential."
I definitely recognize the influence of Deepak Chopra's special blend of new-age spirituality and thought on Sarah Maria's work. This book is empowering, especially to women, and counts toward the Women Unbound Reading Challenge. At the very core of Love Your Body, Love Your Life is the importance of changing your thinking--about food, about your body, about your very being. By changing your thoughts, you can change your life for the better.
Special thanks to Paula and Penny from AME for sending me this very positive book.
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Sounds like something we need to be teaching our young girls, too.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right, Bermudaonion. NBO can start at a very young age and become a real problem.
ReplyDeleteI have suffered with NBO for years, it is only now after reaching a weight that I am happy with that I can begin to love my body. I have had to work to get it to where I want, but I have done it the right way, by eating healthily and exercising. I think this is a book majority of women should read. We shouldn't feel that we have to be a certain weight and clothes size to fit into society.
ReplyDeleteif you like Deepak, you might want to check out his new iPhone app, Stress Free.
ReplyDeleteHey there! I got an award for you!
ReplyDeletehttp://steelergirl83.blogspot.com/2009/12/blog-awards.html
xoxo~ Renee
Sounds like an important book for younger girls/women.
ReplyDeleteVivienne, David, and Diane, thanks for the comments. Your contributions add much to this post.
ReplyDeleteRenee, I appreciate the award!
More comments welcomed.
Sounds like a very powerful book-I can see body image issues in my 3 daughters 11, 13, and 16 already-of course they have rivalery issues also and like to make negative comments on each others looks!
ReplyDeleteThat is a great quote by Deepak Chopra. This sounds like a powerful and helpful book!
ReplyDeletehttp://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/
What a great set of ideas! I, too, and saddened by the prevalence of body hatred that runs through our society. I think most women have problems accepting who they are meant to be and wish that someone out there would just tell them it's all right to be who you are and to help them stop hating themselves. I think this book is an excellent start and no doubt, many should read it.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to stop by to wish you and yours a happy holiday season and a healthy wonderful 2010. Thanks for being a supportive blog buddy!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this Suko. This is a recommendation I know many females in my life would make immense use of. But, dear Suko, how do I recommend it without making those very people I want to help, feel worse?
ReplyDeleteMel, your daughters are lucky to have a father sensitive to the issues they face.
ReplyDeleteNaida, you sound like a fan of Deepak Chopra's work.
Zibilee, you sum this up quite well--thanks!
Diane, thank you for being so supportive.
Mervat, you're right--you can't really recommend this to a friend or family member without rubbing salt into the wound. You can only hope that many will find this helpful book.
Thanks to all who stopped by and took a moment to comment on this post and others throughout the past year. I've enjoyed your thoughtfulness and support greatly in 2009, and wish you all a wonderful holiday.
More comments welcomed.