Bodies Arising: Fall in Love with your Body and Remember your Divine Essence

You (and Your Body) are Divine I have struggled with body image my entire life, so this book fascinated me when I saw it at one of my favorite book review sites. This is no light and breezy look at the issues surrounding our relationship to our senses of self and our bodies. It is surprisingly in-depth, and the author shares much of her own experience and journey to give context to the discussion. Unlike many self-help authors, she doesn't focus on herself to the exclusion of the reader or more objective ways of looking at the ideas in the book. She traces the concept of body image and sense from infancy through the messages we get from culture as we mature. But the book doesn't stop there. Body acceptance and even love are discussed in a more spiritual and metaphorical sense, too. The author also gives meditations and exercises to help readers with their own personal journeys. The writing is dense, and in parts, strongly grounded in psychology or other scholarly works. In other words, this is not a quick-and-easy read. I suggest reading it slowly and digesting her messages each step along the way—and certainly do the exercises and meditations. While I did read through this quickly so I could give a review, I am so impressed by it that I intend to go back through it much more slowly and really reflect on what she says and recommends. If you struggle with body image and self-loathing because you don't fit the societal ideal, check out this book; you might come to appreciate yourself and your journey more. I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.