Muhammad

"Each of us is here to discover our true Self; that essentially we are spiritual beings who have taken manifestation in physical form; that we're not human beings who have occasional spiritual experiences, that we're spiritual beings who have occasional human experiences."
~Deepak Chopra

First there was Buddha, then there was Jesus. Now there's Muhammad. Mind-body guru Deepak Chopra has been interested in the spiritual nature of life since his first book, Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, published in 1993. The best-selling author and founder of The Chopra Center has a brand new book, published in September of 2010, Muhammad: A Story of the Last Prophet.

For many reasons, it seemed like the right time to read this book. Lately there have been several Muslim-related issues in the news. Should NYC build an Islamic cultural center and mosque two blocks from Ground Zero? How do we stop Pastor Terry Jones, the leader of a small church in Florida, from burning copies of the Koran because he believes that it's evil and incites violent behavior amongst Muslims? Is President Barack Obama really a Muslim (a recurring question)? I hadn't studied Islam since my high school social studies classes, and was eager to learn more about this religion and Muhammad.

The first thing I learned (or relearned) in Muhammad is that the word "Islam" means "peace", and September 21 happens to be the International Day of Peace. In Chopra's book, which is a historical novel, different narrators recount the story of Muhammad, who was born in 570 CE, such as his wet nurse, daughters, a beggar, an enemy, a believer, and various others. I was afraid that the multiple perspectives might make the book confusing, but the author makes it easy to follow by providing the names and descriptions of each character as the title of each chapter. Numerous times Deepak Chopra states that Muhammad was an ordinary man, and through the eyes of others, Muhammad is depicted as such--he couldn't even read nor write--yet he was commanded to recite ("to recite" is the root word of Koran). I couldn't help but think that Muhammad really wasn't that ordinary. Even as a child he possessed wisdom and restraint in speech beyond his years; he was visited by angels, and as he matured he developed an unwavering faith, in spite of the fact that he lost both of his sons.

Although I've read and enjoyed several books by Deepak Chopra, including Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, which is a brilliant book, I wasn't sure I'd enjoy this particular book, because of it's fictional nature. But I did enjoy it, and I learned about Muhammad, who brought monotheism to replace the polytheism of the Arabs. I found myself highlighting countless lines in the book, something I don't usually do. It's not a biography of his life but an imaginative novel, but it does seem to capture the light and essence of this man who changed the history of the Arabs, who came to believe in one all-powerful God, Allah. What I got out of this book is an understanding of Muhammad that I don't think I'd have garnered from a traditional, factual biography. I got to know a Muhammad who was human and down-to-earth, yet also divine.

Special thanks to Trish from TLC for the opportunity to review an advance copy of this book. For more reviews of this book, please visit the other stops on TLC's Muhammad book tour.

Love Your Body, Love Your Life

"Read this book and you will discover that there is only one beauty, and you are that."
~Deepak Chopra

How could I resist a book with this quote on the front cover?

I marveled at Deepak Chopra's first book, Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, published in 1993. Back then I was a new mom, and felt a sense of great possibility nurtured by Deepak Chopra's beliefs and ideas about how we may contribute to our own health and well-being.

In Love Your Body, Love Your Life: 5 Steps to End Negative Body Obsession and Start Living Happily and Confidently, body-image expert, speaker, and writer Sarah Maria, who has trained with spiritual and self-help teachers including Deepak Chopra, Dr. David Simon, and Wayne Dyer, presents ways to banish negative body obsession (NBO). Sarah Maria decided to write this book because she suffered deeply from NBO, eating disorders, and low self-esteem. She's certainly not alone. In fact, negative body obsession is a modern cultural epidemic, and the statistics for eating disorders are quite alarming. In America alone, nearly 10 million females and 1 million males are battling eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, and millions more suffer from binge eating disorder. But there is hope. The author wants us to know that we can move beyond self-loathing, beyond the "Barbie doll-like" images we're bombarded with by the media. She stresses the value of being more gentle and loving with yourself, instead of demanding an unrealistic and unattainable standard of "perfection". Beauty comes in all sizes, shapes, and colors.

Love Your Body, Love Your Life provides a five-step plan to help people learn how to love their bodies and their lives. Without revealing too much of the book, here are the steps in the process, and a few related quotes from the book.

• Set a Powerful Intention ~ "The power of intention is the power of love."

• Identify and Detach from Negative Thoughts ~ "Proactively identify and detach from the negative thoughts that are keeping you trapped."

• Discover Who You Really Are ~ "As nature is, so am I."

• Befriend Your Body ~ "Experience the majesty of your own body."

• Live Your Purpose ~ "You were intended to realize your soul's highest potential."

I definitely recognize the influence of Deepak Chopra's special blend of new-age spirituality and thought on Sarah Maria's work. This book is empowering, especially to women, and counts toward the Women Unbound Reading Challenge. At the very core of Love Your Body, Love Your Life is the importance of changing your thinking--about food, about your body, about your very being. By changing your thoughts, you can change your life for the better.

Special thanks to Paula and Penny from AME for sending me this very positive book.