KIRKUS REVIEW
In this guide to mindfulness as a tool toward wellness and satisfaction, the author provides methods to gain insights and honor emotions with the respect and validation they deserve.
Schoeninger (Keys to Inner Power, 2013) delivers a work that sets itself apart from other wellness books by offering ample exercises and journaling opportunities that make the reading experience deeply personal. Focused on calming the mind and building an innovative perspective of the world rather than reactive habits, the manual challenges readers to step back from conflicts or uncomfortable situations to examine what values are at play and what others might be feeling. In one section, the author discusses pain with a close examination of the emotions that it arouses, including anxiety and worry. Schoeninger challenges readers to examine their belief systems as they deal with anguish and determine whether it is a negative, fearful experience or simply a sensation. Developing these insights, the author explains, can keep trauma from derailing readers’ lives and even turn it into something positive, such as inner power and opportunities to grow. Another common theme is abandoning victimhood. The book discusses two important concepts: “Letting Go of How You Think Things Are” and “The Primary Mistake” that all humans make—believing things are the way they see them and identifying who they are based on their own perceptions. These traps, according to Schoeninger, close the mind rather than opening it to fresh experiences, new awareness, and increased wellness. One of the volume’s strongest sections involves the exploration of “Inner Smiling,” a practice of allowing warmth and positivity to flood the body through meditation. The author deftly describes in detail a multistep process for engaging in this healthy exercise, which can train the mind and body to unwind more readily. Relaxation is a primary thread here, as the author considers it a key to creativity, heightened mental and physical abilities, and self-esteem.
A valuable, easy-to-read, positive manual on relaxing the mind, finding perspective, and journaling one’s way to self-awareness.
