Official Review: Breathtaking by Elizabeth Bunker
Posted: 16 Sep 2019, 09:52
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Breathtaking" by Elizabeth Bunker.]
"It is good to have a guide. For what might take two years can take two minutes with the right guide."
This was the quote that stood out the most to me in the gem that is Breathtaking: Growing Up Mystic in America & Eleven Breaths for Life, by Elizabeth Bunker, which follows the author's journey to living a conscious, peaceful life. While we follow the author's stories in the book, we are also introduced to different tips on self-discovery that we can apply in our lives. Based on her experience as a yogi, the author discusses breath (which she describes as the body of God) in detail, including its types and the role it plays in helping one live a peaceful and conscious life by relieving pain, elevating the mood, detoxifying the body, relaxing the body and mind, and improving blood flow among many other things. Therefore, the book also serves as a manual.
On picking up this book, there was the worry that I would just be reading more of something I already knew without learning anything new, as I have read a few books on yoga and consciousness. However, this book differs from others by giving an in-depth explanation of the mechanism of breathing. In my field (Pharmacy), It's like the difference between telling someone that a drug treats headache and telling the person the exact receptor the drug activates and how it activates it to treat a headache.
Another thing I like about this book is that it transcends religion, despite including spirituality and discussions on Buddha and Jesus, as it contains information that is useful to just about everyone. The author employs different writing styles at different points of the book. Her memoirs feature descriptive writing filled with metaphors that can be open to different interpretations at various points. Even though it was a problem trying to decode what the author was trying to say at times, it somehow made me more engaged in the book. The writing gets simpler and clearer when listing out instructions to perform certain techniques.
Furthermore, the book also includes other themes that are relevant to happiness and self-discovery, like suffering, moving on, acceptance, listening, gratitude, and forgiveness. The author expertly uses stories from her memoir to illustrate her thoughts on these themes and enhance readers' understanding of her lessons. Each chapter contains questions that a lot of readers may have while reading. The answers to these questions are provided as well.
In addition, the book offers a list of books and websites that readers can access for more information. I found about three grammatical errors throughout the book, which gave me the impression that the book was well edited. This ensured that my reading was smooth without a lot of interruptions. There were very few things I didn't like about the book though. The first had to do with the way the book was organized, which I felt could have been better. While it was obvious that the book was well researched with references, there were some instances where references weren't included. For example, I expect references for statements like "Both yogis and modern science agree: The quicker we breathe the sicker we become," but I didn't get any.
Overall, Breathtaking is a brilliant book. I found it very educational and filled with enlightening discussions. The discussions revolving around sexuality and spirituality were among my favorites. The book is also littered with motivational quotes from the author as well as other popular people. All things considered, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I took out a star for the issues mentioned above. I would recommend this book to people that enjoy memoirs and self-help books.
******
Breathtaking
View: on Bookshelves
"It is good to have a guide. For what might take two years can take two minutes with the right guide."
This was the quote that stood out the most to me in the gem that is Breathtaking: Growing Up Mystic in America & Eleven Breaths for Life, by Elizabeth Bunker, which follows the author's journey to living a conscious, peaceful life. While we follow the author's stories in the book, we are also introduced to different tips on self-discovery that we can apply in our lives. Based on her experience as a yogi, the author discusses breath (which she describes as the body of God) in detail, including its types and the role it plays in helping one live a peaceful and conscious life by relieving pain, elevating the mood, detoxifying the body, relaxing the body and mind, and improving blood flow among many other things. Therefore, the book also serves as a manual.
On picking up this book, there was the worry that I would just be reading more of something I already knew without learning anything new, as I have read a few books on yoga and consciousness. However, this book differs from others by giving an in-depth explanation of the mechanism of breathing. In my field (Pharmacy), It's like the difference between telling someone that a drug treats headache and telling the person the exact receptor the drug activates and how it activates it to treat a headache.
Another thing I like about this book is that it transcends religion, despite including spirituality and discussions on Buddha and Jesus, as it contains information that is useful to just about everyone. The author employs different writing styles at different points of the book. Her memoirs feature descriptive writing filled with metaphors that can be open to different interpretations at various points. Even though it was a problem trying to decode what the author was trying to say at times, it somehow made me more engaged in the book. The writing gets simpler and clearer when listing out instructions to perform certain techniques.
Furthermore, the book also includes other themes that are relevant to happiness and self-discovery, like suffering, moving on, acceptance, listening, gratitude, and forgiveness. The author expertly uses stories from her memoir to illustrate her thoughts on these themes and enhance readers' understanding of her lessons. Each chapter contains questions that a lot of readers may have while reading. The answers to these questions are provided as well.
In addition, the book offers a list of books and websites that readers can access for more information. I found about three grammatical errors throughout the book, which gave me the impression that the book was well edited. This ensured that my reading was smooth without a lot of interruptions. There were very few things I didn't like about the book though. The first had to do with the way the book was organized, which I felt could have been better. While it was obvious that the book was well researched with references, there were some instances where references weren't included. For example, I expect references for statements like "Both yogis and modern science agree: The quicker we breathe the sicker we become," but I didn't get any.
Overall, Breathtaking is a brilliant book. I found it very educational and filled with enlightening discussions. The discussions revolving around sexuality and spirituality were among my favorites. The book is also littered with motivational quotes from the author as well as other popular people. All things considered, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I took out a star for the issues mentioned above. I would recommend this book to people that enjoy memoirs and self-help books.
******
Breathtaking
View: on Bookshelves