Official Review: Chakra Healing with Meditation: Balance ...

npandit · Post by **npandit** » 13 Jun 2014, 15:31

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Chakra Healing with Meditation: Balance your Power and Energy System for an Amazing Life (New Age Healing for Modern Life)" by Marion Jaide.]

Share This Review

Chakra Healing with Meditation, by Marion Jaide, is a brief and easy to read booklet covering the seven chakras in the human body, their significance, and how to meditate using them. I found this book to be very enjoyable and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a new technique in meditation, and for whom this subject is new.

Here is the criteria I used to rate this book:

1.What is its purpose, and does it accomplish it? 4/4

The purpose of this book was to “understand and heal your chakra energy”, and on the whole, I believe this book accomplished what it set out to do.

Since chakra philosophy is still not very well known, the author did a very nice job of breaking the philosophy down and making it simple and easy to understand. After a little bit of an introduction in the first three chapters--where the author gave an overview of the chakras and tips on meditation in general--each chapter then focused on one of the seven chakras exclusively.

In each chapter, many things were covered about each chakra, including-- where the particular chakra exists on the body, which imbalances in life pertain to that particular chakra, as well as what manifestations occur in an overactive chakra. Also outlined were the Sanskrit name as well as the sound, element, and color associated with each chakra; and also the correct meditation pose needed to enable one to focus on this particular energy.

For example, chapter eight talks about the 'throat' chakra, which is related to our ability to communicate and tell the truth.

Pg 40-41 "Imbalances in the throat chakra can manifest as extreme shyness, stuttering and a growing sense of frustration as your thoughts and ideas remain bottled within...The opposite manifestation of this imbalance is excessive talkativeness. Everyone knows someone like this in their lives. It is the person that keeps prattling on, drowning out all conversation, not responding properly to others and speaking just to avoid the truth."
If readers were to recognize these imbalances in themselves, the author encourages them to write in a meditation journal, asking them to think about--in this case--
Pg 41-42: "...identify[ing] any areas in your life you have been denying yourself or your expression? Perhaps it is a secret at work or in the home. Not expressing yourself wholly is selling yourself short, and you must put a voice to these denials."
Then, the author discusses how to meditate and focus on this particular area in one's life, and how to use visualization meditation to bring each problem to the forefront, and let it go.

Overall, the points in the book were explained very clearly and effectively, and I think the author did a really good job in conveying what could have turned into an over-complicated philosophy, or a plea to the general public to becoming believers of this ideology--into something that could genuinely be beneficial.

What I personally liked about this book was that there was no sense of desperation in the author’s tone to try to convince you that chakras are real or that you have to learn how to do this in order to experience a full life. She simply presented a method for meditation based on an ancient philosophy, and while I was skeptical at first, I realized the true beauty in this type of meditation and self-healing is that it organizes the various aspects of your life into specific groups, and allows you to concentrate on them one at a time.

Pg 47: The term spirituality can mean different things to different people, and that is okay. Spirituality is not religion and there should be no room for theological discussion or debate. Some perceive spirituality as a connection with the divine. Some look upon spirituality as the ability to view life events from afar with a sense of detachment. When you are spiritual, you move beyond the day-to-day problems, struggles and issues. These factors no longer have the power to impact you negatively."
The only time religion was mentioned was in the quote above, where she discusses how spirituality is a universally human concept, not necessarily one that is confined to any one belief system, and then goes on to explain how this particular method of chakra healing taps into your spirit, in the last chakra. If one is interested in meditation, has tried it before, or is looking for a new way to meditate, I think this book is a fantastic starting point.

However, there were only two things that I would say were shortcomings. The first was that while the descriptions of the meditation poses were very clear, I would have still liked to see diagrams for added clarity.

The second was that at times, the writing seemed to imply that the ‘healing’ would begin almost instantly after the visualization during meditation. I didn't personally get this impression, but the way it was written at the end of every chapter could be misleading to some people. Meditation is not a magical cure to every problem; it is an acquired skill that takes a lot of energy and focus, and you have to go into it with an open mind in order to see results. If one does sense an imbalance in their life, this can be a good process to look inward and improve; but to do it, one has to be in the right frame of mind, and keep doing it for some time. I felt this fact could have been made clearer in the book.

2. Is it interesting (Writing & Style) 4/4

The writing is very clear and polished, as well as conversational and very easy to read. She gives you enough background information, such as where the Sanskrit words for the chakras came from, what each chakra symbolizes, and then quickly gets to the point. Complicated hand positions during meditation poses are written very clearly, and the author spends the right amount of time covering each of her points. The style of writing is very positive and encouraging, and the author is able to get across a very ancient theory in very simple, easy to understand terms.

3. Is it original (Content)? 3/4

It's difficult to get 'original' in presenting a really old philosophy, but even though there is a ton of information about chakras online, after a quick look at them, I felt that this book seemed to organize the information in the best, most clear manner. Much information on the chakras can be found on the web, but if you want a short, simple explanation and quick guide on how to meditate using this philosophy, then this is the book for you.

If one is already familiar with the chakras and what they mean, this book will likely not add too much more depth and insight on the subject, as it is meant for beginners.

4. Is it organized(Grammar/Theme/Structure)? 4/4

The structure of the book is very well organized and easy to follow. It follows a coherent theme, and each chapter is connected and flows very well. It is written professionally, without grammar or spelling errors.

5. Is it well researched, or does it appear to be (Credibility)? 3/4

Even though this is a book stemming from an ideology, which can’t be proven conclusively, the ideology itself appears to have been researched thoroughly, and the author doesn’t seem to be presenting any new theories.

However, though this book appears to be very well researched, there is no table of references. It would not be a far stretch of the imagination to say that after several years studying the subject, it would be possible for the author to completely write this book on her own without the use of another reference, which is why I haven’t marked too many points off of this section. If cross-referenced with other information on the web regarding chakras, the information in this book holds up. However, information always comes from somewhere, and it would have been better if the author had included references she may have used in building her knowledge on the subject, if for nothing else than to provide additional areas of study for readers who are interested.

Overall, I thought this book was very insightful, and I hope to read it again. I have not yet put the guide into practice, but I think it provides a fantastic new way to focus during meditation. I would recommend it to anyone who is either unfamiliar with the chakras or interested in learning more, or anyone trying to find a new method of meditation. Put together in a way that is concise and effective in getting its message across, I think the book deserves a 4 out of 4.

***
Buy "Chakra Healing with Meditation: Balance your Power and Energy System for an Amazing Life (New Age Healing for Modern Life)" on Amazon