Description
Book SynopsisDiscover the ten ancient principles for more peace of mind in your daily life. Understand why you behave and think as you do, and how to make the changes that will transform your day-to-day experience.
With a down-to-earth approach and real-life examples from business and personal life, this book shows you how to make your mind stronger – and, ultimately, to make your life lighter and less stressful – by bringing yoga philosophy into your everyday.
This is no stuffy philosophical book. Rachel Bonkink drank too much, worked crazy hours, went for the money and always wanted more: yoga philosophy transformed her life, and it can transform yours too.
Trade ReviewRachel Bonkink takes us through the ten ancient principles for more peace of mind in everyday life. The real life examples help the down-to-earth feel of the book and they allow us to reflect on our own lives.
It’s a book that helps us get back to basics, it’s practical and can be easily applied to our personal and professional lives.
Personally I would love to keep this book and refer back to it as and when needed.
* NetGalley *
This book is like having your own personal guide take you by the hand and lead you to a simpler, kinder and richer way of life.
Rachel writes with beautiful clarity and positivity.
I read it in one sitting but I willl be going back to it often. Highly recommended!
* amazon.co.uk *
I always imagined that learning about yoga principles would be heavy going and difficult to apply to real life. This book is so opposite to that. 10 principles, one covered in each chapter but also interrelated (because of course everything is connected!).
Rachel explains each principle using modern life examples, many taken from her own personal experience. To make is applicable to the reader, there's plenty of opportunities to stop and think or simple exercises to help apply the principle to life right now.
You'll find humour throughout and situations that might be familiar to your own. If you want to learn more about yoga principles then this is the perfect book to help you start.
* Amazon.co.uk *
"Flex your mind" by Rachel Bonkink is a book that seems to have found me at the right time and I have enjoyed it very much. The book is subtitled “10 powerful Yoga principles for less stress in a busy world” and it is actually a practical, easy-to-understand guide into ancient yoga philosophy and its principles that can be applied in everyday life. It touches on many topics that might preoccupy a reader in these very stressful and uncertain times and offers helpful advice and motivation.
Whether you are interested in yoga philosophy or not, “Flex Your Mind” has a lot to offer. I can’t remember the last time I’ve underlined so many passages in a book. For me, this was my first encounter with yoga philosophy and I have had a chance to learn many new things. I enjoyed making connections to some aspects of traditional psychology, such as approaches to dealing with anxiety, stress etc. If you are a yoga practitioner, this book can be an easy and relatable source for broadening your insight into what lies behind the physical aspect of yoga practice.
I feel that the author has really succeeded in bringing the ancient philosophy to a modern person. Her writing in itself is really good, which makes it possible for the message of the book to come through. This book was an interesting read for me and I recommend it.
* NetGalley *
While many yoga books requires remembering the ancient terminology, this book offers a no-no sense clear explanation of principles that can easily be implemented in your every day life e.g. ensure that you do 3 things every day that bring you closer to your life goals as an actionable item for one of the principles.
While it's possible to read the book in one go, I feel this book is one to refer back to as each person may take different approaches to which principle and when to implement it.
* amazon.ca *
In this book, Rachel successfully deconstructs ancient texts of yoga philosophy, interweaving the principles with her own personal journey, making it an effortless, relatable and approachable read.
It is filled with nuggets of wisdom and humour making it applicable to the modern daily (at times) stressful lives we find ourselves in.
I will surely come back to this book as it's cleverly structured form serves as an index of principles for a healthier mindset.
This book is recommended for anyone who wants more insight into the background of yoga philosophy (even if not a yoga practitioner) without the stuffy lingo.
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Chapter 1: Non-violence
Non-violence as the foundation of all yogic philosophy and the quality of the strong. I dive into the different manifestations of violence, zooming into our thoughts, judging and social media, and revealing techniques to generate more kindness and compassion towards ourselves and others.
Chapter 2: Truthfulness
Knowing your truth, your true Self and not lying—not to others, nor to yourself. I discuss the power of secrets, silence, listening and the words we speak.
Chapter 3: Non-stealing
Not about stealing objects or money, rather on stealing other people’s time, joy and enthusiasm. It means not stealing from the earth, nor from ourselves. This requires slowing down, taking ownership, controlling our greed and feeling true abundance.
Chapter 4: Energy management
Regulating our energy and resources to avoid and burn out. This requires us to figure out what brings us energy and what takes energy. I also discuss topics like breaking free from bad habits, the relativity of our jobs and focus.
Chapter 5: Non-attachment
Non-attachment or the liberation from greed. This includes the freedom that comes with not wanting more stuff, but also covers not hanging on to old beliefs, patterns, habits, relationships, people, a career or a position. At the same time, we see how mastery of this principle will give us exactly what we want.
Chapter 6: Purity
Which involves cleansing both body and mind. I ask the reader: If our thoughts were beamed on a big screen above us, would we be in trouble? I further the discussion by looking at judging, simplicity, health and working out. The need for meditation is being introduced as a means of psychological hygiene and mental fitness.
Chapter 7: Contentment
The internal state of happiness and satisfaction. This includes accepting life as it is and examining our own expectations and restlessness.
Chapter 8: Self-discipline
Self-discipline and motivation. I explain how to reach goals with intentions and willpower, and how to examine the process of failure to increase the potential for growth.
Chapter 9: Self-inquiry
Involving a frank discussion of why we do the things that we do. This practice is about spiritual passion and cultivating an eagerness to know Self, with a capital S.
Chapter 10: Surrender
Having
full trust that things will work out. This requires us to look at our fear and
show our true Self.
