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Against a tragic background that few are able to transcend this powerful memoir leads us on a path to healing. Hafiz, a holistic nutritionist and yoga instructor, paints pictures that show us how to heal our bodies with healthy food, yoga, and exercise—and our minds with meditation and psychotherapy. She takes us on a journey into a land of holistic health that can have a social and spiritual impact. As Hafiz's body suffers from sugar deprivation, she is thrown into flashbacks from her abusive family life. These flashbacks propel her into the need to understand herself and to rise above those beginnings. Ultimately what sustained her through life's journey when all else seemed to fail was to be present in the moment. By example she teaches us how.
One does not need a tumultuous childhood to discover the empowerment that Hafiz's integrated approach to living provides, when mind and body are in alliance. Food choice and yoga helped her discover who she is and in turn helped her define herself. Hafiz writes, as yoga instructors, "We were trained to refer students and ourselves to good therapists when the mind is disturbed... seek professional advice when and if we needed or wanted to take a deeper look at life." This authoritative memoir lends permission for each to examine life without "...boxing oneself into a prescribed solution." This is a beautifully written story that creates a potent social and spiritual impact. In addition, it offers healthy food recipes and a section on illustrated yoga poses.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review