Showing posts with label Memoirs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Memoirs. Show all posts

Only Way Out Is In

Only Way Out Is In: A Modern Day Yogi's Commentary on the Synergy of Ashtanga Yoga, Ayurveda, and Tantra, Anthony Prem Carlisi. How can we get on the road to true happiness, peace, and equanimity? Is it possible to find it in this lifetime? The Only Way Out Is In, addresses these questions and gives an answer to man's relentless lifelong quest of looking outside oneself and chasing this inevitable illusion when the answer is simply to look within! This book offers guidance for each individual to look inside and live in the here and now, using the ancient practices of Ashtanga Yoga, Ayurveda, and Tantra in daily living. It affirms that the way "In," can be found by the practices of self-study offered by these three sciences. Utilizing the synergy of the three is one of the most powerful practices for the journey within. Each one has it's own unique qualities of clearing, building, and cultivating the needed energy to ascend. Ashtanga Yoga does this through the practices of yogic postures, breathing, and awareness techniques while using the body as a vehicle for transformation. Ayurveda assists each individual by creating a blueprint for which to live a healthy, vibrant life, as well as to understand your own unique place in the natural order of the Universe. Tantra guides readers further within by connecting people with their own inherent wisdom through the concept of loving yourself first and foremost. Out of cultivating this love of yourself, people naturally share the abundance with everyone and everything. Carlisi's book demystifies these esoteric practices in a user-friendly way. He lures the reader "In" by describing vividly and vulnerably his own trials and tribulations along the Yogic path. He does this by clearly creating a usable "map" for life, that he developed over 30 years of self research as a practitioner of these 3 sciences.





The Red Book: A Deliciously Unorthodox Approach to Igniting Your Divine Spark

The Red Book: A Deliciously Unorthodox Approach to Igniting Your Divine Spark, Sera J. Beak. Beak, a religious scholar and writer for the San Francisco Chronicle Web site, sfgate.com, presents a brief but potent book focused on invigorating spirituality in the 20- or 30-something American woman. She vividly criticizes the patriarchal interpretation that has dominated most belief systems for centuries, and then quickly moves on to create her own feminist one. Beak encourages her female audience to do so as well, with their own "red book" modeled after hers, which was first given her as a birthday gift by her sister after their grandfather's death. Beak initially rejected the idea of keeping a journal, but soon found herself writing down prayers, recording dreams and in essence keeping a spiritual scrapbook. Avoiding the typical sentimentality, Beak's vision is a modern, femme fatale spirituality. The book lives up to its "unorthodox" subtitle, advocating that young women search for the spiritual in all things, even sex (memorably in a chapter called "Open Up and Say Ahh"). Beak calls herself a "spiritual cowgirl," taking her readers along for the ride. Her writing is probably too brazen for more conservative spiritual readers, but she displays poignant insights throughout.