Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul: How to Create a New You

Alternative medicine guru Chopra, author of more than 50 books, argues that the bond between body and soul has been severed; it's his hope that humankind is about to embark on a restoration project that will give the soul the attention it deserves. Chopra presents five “breakthroughs” that address the body and five that address the soul. He also walks readers through a fascinating discussion of how energy affects spiritual and physical health, and includes a scored personal energy efficiency quiz. According to Chopra, when “subtle energy” becomes blocked, awareness can act like an invisible force that turns unhealthy energy around (he also explains how the expression of genes can be altered by lifestyle changes). Chopra encourages readers to follow their inner guidance, to embrace a journey to higher consciousness, to expand awareness through meditation and other methods, to ask for guidance and then wait for it to appear, and to trust their instincts. By accepting the overarching power of the “invisible” or nonphysical world, Chopra maintains that we can begin to nourish a state of wholeness in which there is no longer a disconnect between body, mind and soul. Though Chopra offers 10 “simple steps” to wholeness (including focusing on relationships instead of consumption), this is a multilayered text to savor and study; readers will continue to contemplate the author's message long after the final page is turned. (Oct.)