Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

If you’re looking for some spiritual guidance, healing, or just some interesting stories from leaders throughout the world, this is a great book to pick up.

About the Book

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Amazon US Link: https://amzn.to/43FWoah
Amazon UK Link: https://amzn.to/3oTyxpj
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156624840-from-the-boxing-ring-to-the-ashram
Author Website: https://thenamastecounsel.com/

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Step into the ring with life’s challenges and come out a champion.
Drawing on an impressive network of mentors and gurus from around the world, Deborah Charnes has distilled the life lessons they taught her into a collection you won’t want to miss. Some of her teachers are real-life swamis dressed in orange robes. Others don lab coats, army fatigues or boxing gloves. All radiate an inner wisdom that echoes the union of mind, body and spirit.

As a wellness coach, Deborah Charnes has selected tips from their powerful and transformative teachings with her students and clients in mind, those who are seeking ways to boost their flagging mental, physical and spiritual resources. And now they are available to you too in this practical and adaptable guide.

With easy life hacks for improving your overall health and well-being that take as little as ten minutes a day, From the Boxing Ring to the Ashram empowers you to rise above your struggles and conquer your challenges.

This holistic approach to self-improvement is the ultimate guide to finding balance, peace and purpose. So don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to learn from some of the most experienced and insightful teachers of our time.

My Thoughts

This is an interesting book. If you’re looking for spiritual guidance for mind, body, or spirit, this could be a great book for you. The author has spent many years learning from various gurus and has written this book to share the wisdom she has gained with us. It’s not the kind of book designed to sit down and read in one go, though of course, you can do that. Instead, it’s more like a spiritual tome that you keep on the shelf and visit when you need particular guidance.

I enjoyed learning about the various techniques that the author had learned along the way. Growing up in the Bible Belt, my religious experience had been pretty traditional. But in the past few years, I’ve branched out and learned a lot more about meditation and yoga, and the like. I’ve also learned that I’m neurodivergent, and unfortunately, meditation doesn’t work for most neuro spicy folks (as with everything this differs from person to person).

I know that not everyone knows neurodivergent people, or knows much about neurodivergence. I myself didn’t know a great deal until we started the journey with my daughter a few years back. And it’s made me particularly sensitive to self-improvement books that make assumptions about people that could make neurodivergent people feel bad. One quote, in particular, rubbed me the wrong way. While discussing how many adults worry about how they meditate, she quoted one of her gurus: “Christopher used an analogy of cleaning the house to explain pushing through the beginners’ angst. ‘You don’t stop and give up when the place is a complete mess. You start in one room or with a specific task, like sweeping, vacuuming, or washing the laundry. Getting flustered, frozen, or running away from what needs to be done only makes things worse.”

While this is absolutely true – it does make things worse – it also paints a clear picture of executive dysfunction. Those of us with executive dysfunction, in fact, often do give up when the task overwhelms us. It is a real struggle for those of us with ADHD, autism, and other neurodivergence. And statements like this can perpetuate the stigmas that make us feel bad about ourselves and make it hard for neurotypical people to understand us.

Otherwise, this is a book with some great tips to help you explore various spiritual, mind, and body practices that could help you. Mindfulness, yoga, and other practices in the book have been proven to help with anxiety, PTSD, and other issues that many people in today’s society need help with. I wholeheartedly believe in using medication, therapies, and alternative treatments – such as these. So this is a great book to explore alternative practices that might help you unplug and find some peace in the world. After the past few years, we all have some trauma to unpack and learning to live with our new world order can have its challenges.

My favorite chapter was the one on laughter. While this isn’t a new concept, the old adage “laughter is the best medicine” is old and cliche for a reason, I appreciated the author including it. I wholeheartedly believe, like she does, that humor and a positive outlook are paramount to health, even if it can be hard to keep them up sometimes. I am grateful to the author and Love Books Tours for including me on this tour.

Who’s It For

If you have strong religious views, this book might not be for you. It will require you to step outside your comfort zone and consider some approaches you might not have done before. Additionally, this book might not be best for neurodivergent people. It makes some assumptions about how people think and act that might not line up with your reality. But if you can work around that, you can still glean some interesting and helpful experiences from the reading.

About the Author

Riddled with chronic low back pain and digestive disorders since childhood, Deborah Charnes spent 50 years exploring the world, uncovering secrets to health and happiness.

For two decades, she managed hundreds of news conferences, editorial board meetings, press briefings, and one-on-one interviews. She worked with security, communications, and advance teams for John McCain, Hillary Clinton, President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, then-Vice President Joe Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, Bernie Sanders, megastar Jennifer Lopez, and the Vice President of El Salvador.

To balance the chaotic scales directing major league campaigns, it was essential for her to soothe the stress and 24/7 schedule with body, mind, and soul lifesavers.

In 2011, Deborah left the high-pressure demands as an international corporate marketing communications strategist. Moving forward, she dedicated that same energy to positive transformation—of herself and others. She vowed to never stop learning—or sharing.

Already a certified yoga teacher, she added training in Ayurvedic massage therapy, nutrition, and cooking. She received certification in multiple holistic modalities and after completing 800 hours of specialized training became one of the first bilingual (English/Spanish) certified yoga therapists in Texas.

Coaching people of all ages, and with many physical or emotional challenges, she seeks to boost the body, mind, and spirit through simple techniques that can be practiced anywhere and anytime. To that end, she has created a dozen signature therapeutic workshops. Among them are Dem Bones, Gutsy Yoga, Chill Out, Breath of Life, Chant and Be Happy, Tummy Bust, and Sugar Drop. All are offered in English and Spanish.

Her deep commitment to helping others achieve maximum well-being led her to teach yoga and lead therapeutic workshops in the US, Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Italy, and India.

Deborah has lived, worked, and studied in the U.S. and Latin America. A travel blogger since the early WordPress days, she has published 500 mind/body and lifestyle articles. She joined AARP’s The Ethel as a contributing writer in 2021.

When not writing or traveling, she enjoys hosting guests at her mini-retreat center, The Namaste Getaway in Texas Hill Country. Connect (and learn) with her on her virtual book club, Instagram/deborahcharnes, Facebook/TheNamasteCounsel and YouTube channel (youtube.com/deborahcharnes).

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Published by Amorina Carlton. Award-winning American author, Amorina Carlton, is currently working on her first novel. You can find more about her published work and works in progress on the home page. She also serves as the PR/Marketing Lead for Ravens and Roses Publishing, and reviews books, mostly by other indie authors, here and on Bookstagram

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