This may not appear like a book on ayurveda but it's all in there! David Simon is a warm and fluid author which makes this title a very gentle introduction to ayurveda. Free from the unfamiliar sanskrit terminology that can overwhelm the beginner on the ayurvedic path, Vital Energy embraces the principles of high energy, gentle consciousness, healthy Ayurvedic living in plain yet fascinating English - highly recommended.

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Product Description

The secret to vitality and happiness is within your grasp

"This book is a treasure trove of information. Vital energy is our most precious personal resource, and David Simon teaches us how to create it and maintain it."–Marianne Williamson, author of A Return to Love and Enchanted Love

"David Simon’s vast experience as a physician and healer is distilled into one of the best books on health ever written. I was thrilled to discover my own body type and how small, individually tailored changes in lifestyle can optimize energy, emotional balance, creativity, and health. Every person could benefit from his brilliant and simple program."–Joan Borysenko, Ph.D., author of Minding the Body, Mending the Mind and A Woman’s Journey to God

"This is a magnificently written book. . . .Vital Energy is a powerful, practical plan to reinvigorate your life at every level. Use your highlighter when you read it!"–Wayne Dyer, Ph.D., author of Manifest Your Destiny

"When you are ready, a teacher will appear–and this book can be your teacher."–Bernie Siegel, M.D., author of Love, Medicine, and Miracles

Are you overwhelmed by fatigue, lack of enthusiasm, and depression? Do you feel that something vitally important is missing from your life? Each of us has an inner treasury of energy and creativity, but many of us have lost the key. Filled with compassionate spiritual wisdom, down-to-earth health advice, and beautiful, insightful writing, Vital Energy gives you a proven, practical plan for tapping into your own reservoir of vitality through healing nutrition, healthy and loving emotions, a balance between mindful work and joyful play, and an appreciation for the sacred magic of life.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #64556 in Books
• Published on: 2001-01-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Amazon.com Review
The subject of energy is never far from most people's minds. We wish we had more, we wonder where what we used to have went, and we worry that our future energy is overcommitted to work and other obligations from which we derive no pleasure.

Vital Energy seems the perfect book for solving this increasingly widespread dilemma. Based on the ancient healing system of Ayurveda, which originated in India, it will help you identify yourself as an earth-, fire-, or wind-based personality. (Earth people tend to be more nurturing, fire people more competitive and driven, wind people more flighty and creative.) And then it presents seven key ways in which each of those types can improve their lives: finding yourself, eliminating toxins, feeding yourself better, building loving relationships, exercising, finding meaning in your work, playing passionately, and finding happiness and contentment by simply being alive.

While that may sound like an ethereal set of goals and standards, Dr. David Simon's advice is really focused and easy to apply. For example, in the chapter on exercise, a fire person is told to choose outdoor or water-based fitness activities and to not make exercise another way in which he asserts his competitive drive. In the chapter on building loving relationships, Dr. Simon offers a way to "metabolize" feelings so that you can digest them, absorb what you need, and eliminate the rest, as you would with food. There's even advice on how to have better bowel movements in the morning.

Dr. Simon is medical director of Deepak Chopra's Center for Well Being, so the readers most interested in Dr. Chopra's work will probably be drawn to Vital Energy. But it would be a shame if this book only ended up in the hands of those already familiar with Ayurvedic medicine and philosophy. Vital Energy is a completely engaging, easy-to-follow introduction to Ayurveda, and anyone searching for better health, vitality, and well-being should give it a read. --Lou Schuler

From Library Journal
By filling out the numerous questionnaires contained in this book, readers can discover which of the seven basic mind-body types they are: earth, wind, fire, or some combination of these. However, Simon explains that we all embody the three basic principles to varying degrees, and he suggests that understanding how these forces interact and affect the mind-body connection can lead to increased vitality. Once medical conditions such as diabetes, thyroid disease, or anemia have been ruled out as causes for fatigue, we need to discover our "inner ocean of vital energy." Chapters instruct readers on how to, among other things, Seek Yourself, Clear Your Toxins, and Work with Meaning. Simon, medical director of the Chopra Center for Well Being and author of Return to Wholeness and The Wisdom of Healing, provides practical advice to help us understand that "we are composed of the same stuff that makes the world and [that] enables us to imbibe the energy we need to create balance and vitality in our lives." For large public libraries.AJodith Janes, Cleveland Clinic Fdn.-- enables us to imbibe the energy we need to create balance and vitality in our lives." For large public libraries.AJodith Janes, Cleveland Clinic Fdn.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"I am really grateful to David Simon for making the complex seem wonderfully simple. The information here can change your life."--(Neale Donald Walsch, author of the New York Times bestselling Conversations With God)

"Written by one of the wisest healers of our time, Vital Energy provides us with the tools to create a passionate and extraordinary life." -- Debbie Ford, author, The Dark Side of the Light Chasers

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Customer Reviews

Vital Energy
Every day I meet someone who says to me, "I don't know why I'm so tired" or "I don't feel like eating, food doesn't even appeal to me." It seems in this busy world we live in, people have forgotten how to really enjoy the bounty of a fulfilling life. So many people you meet,including ourselves, just don't seem happy. We have become overworked, undernourished, unappreciated, we lack passion, interest and the energy to enjoy our relationships, our work or anything else in our lives. The title of this book states a very important fact. Energy is vital. Without strong vital energy, we lack the basic tool that allows us to make our lives vibrant and whole. In a very clear, concise and practical way, Dr. Simon, brings us back to the innocence of renewal, finding joy and happiness, the awareness of nature, the importance of nurturing ourselves. We learn that we are part of the universal flow of energy. The book outlines seven steps, providing direction and insight into sparking the vital energy that exists in all of us. Giving us the tools to renew our vital energy and enjoy greater happiness, health and fulfillment in life. I was very inspired and I highly recommond this book....

Truly Magical - Experience How Good Life Can Be
Because this book was written by a doctor, I expected it to be heavy on advice for improving physical health. To my pleasant surprise, it turned out to be so much more than a diet/physical fitness guide. Dr. Simon gives equal treatment to all three aspects of vital living: body, mind and soul. I was quickly immersed in discussions of how to deal with emotions and the value of incorporating spiritual practices into daily life, in addition to learning about diet and exercise, yoga and meditation, love and relationships. The book is full of easy, practical things you can do right away to begin experiencing enhanced vitality in your life. Dr. Simon's apparent genuine caring and concern encouraged me throughout the book to put the words into action, and for the first time, I was motivated to make some real changes. After only a few days of incorporating just a tiny fraction of Dr. Simon's advice into my daily life, my friends and family noticed the change and remarked on my new vitality, happiness, and general sense of "alive-ness." (Also, as an unexpected benefit from reading this book, my spouse and I have begun experiencing far and away the best sex of our entire lives! What better endorsement could there be? ) This book truly opens the door to living an exciting, magical life.

Vital Energy
I was inspired by Vital Energy. The book is loaded with intimate, revealing questionnaires and specific action steps that I was able to put into practice right away.

This book teaches how to fill ourselves up from the inside, and gain access to the wellspring of vitality that is available to all of Nature's creatures. The seven keys can be followed like a roadmap for happiness. They illuminate the secrets for taking great care of our bodies, purifying our emotions, feeling more love in our lives and fulfilling our divine purpose on Earth. David Simon offers us a profound view of our place in the Universe, while all the time encouraging us not to take ourselves too seriously.

Vital Energy is a potent distillation of spiritual guidance, self help techniques and holistic medicine. Just what the doctor ordered!