The Untethered Soul by Michael A Singer

Mr. Singer presents an impassioned introduction to the basic philosophy of Yoga.  His main ideas are that our mind is filled with a frenetic voice that is constantly commenting on the world around us and within us.  He assurts that if we can observe this voice, it is not really part of our true self, and therefore we can free ourselves from its influence.  If we can learn to quiet our inner voice, and just experience each moment as it comes, our lives can be filled with constant energy and love. 

This is a spiritual self-help book that hit the top of the New York Times best sellers list in 2007.  It had some interesting and useful ideas.  He suggests that when our hearts start to close off to protect ourselves from anything that might challenge our self concept, we should, instead, open our hearts and let the experience and the emotions flow through us. I have been struggling to be happy recently, and this technique has helped me this week.  Some of his other assertions didn't really ring true to me.  His claim that this limitless energy and love is available and just waiting for us to tap into it didn't make sense. Where would this energy come from and what is its source?  Plus, does anyone really want constant joy and estacy?  It sounds exhausing to me, and menotonous. His explanations were hollow at best.  Still, I am glad I read the book.  It was short, engaging, and it reminded me that I need not spend a lot of energy trying to change things I can not change. (232 p. 2007)