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DIARY OF A YOGI

Name: DIARY OF A YOGI
Author: Guan Shi Yin
ISBN: 978-1-982212-29-2

A BOOK OF AWAKENING

by Guan Shi Yin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 20, 2018

An inaccurately titled work, but one that may expand the consciousness of yoga aficionados.

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A young man grows to understand his spiritual identity in Yin’s debut biography.

Before future yogi Altair Shyam was born, his mother, Mary, encountered a Maori elder in Nelson, New Zealand. The elder revealed that she would have a son of great spiritual importance, who would share with her visions of his past lives and his future. When Shyam was 13, Yin writes, he encountered Hannah, “goddess-like” figure in her 20s, who introduced him to the secrets of “the stars” and “magic,” by giving him a book by Paramahansa Yogananda and another called the Kybalion from her library. Yin then asserts that Hannah was an extraterrestrial being who led Shyam, blindfolded, to a pyramid, where a “Master R” revealed that the young boy had spiritual powers, including his ability to “speak to dolphins, snakes, and beings from other worlds.” Shyam later visited key spiritual centers across the globe, including in Japan and Nepal; along the way, Yin says, he had personal encounters with spiritual beings, such as Jesus Christ and Babaji. Yin, who says that she met Shyam “very early on in his travels,” writes this book in the third person; as such, it’s a biography, rather than a diary, despite the title, although there are rare extracts from Altair’s own diaries. Shyam’s transcendental practices are often imparted in dialogue: “When I make my mind still by breathing in the central spine…patterns become clear in my mind like a matrix. They look like energy grids, sparkling paths of the soul which appear like pictures connecting one to another in my mind.” Such passages may be deeply insightful for yoga practitioners. However, it’s unclear whether these are Shyam’s exact words, as there are no references or citations provided. The prose is crisp throughout, but readers won’t get the high level of intimacy that they may expect from a diary. The author asserts that all the experiences in this book are real; each reader’s enjoyment will be tempered by whether he or she believes in their veracity.

An inaccurately titled work, but one that may expand the consciousness of yoga aficionados.

Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-982212-29-2

Page Count: 194

Publisher: BalboaPress

Review Posted Online: Jan. 9, 2019

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.