Inner Simplicity: 100 Ways to Regain Peace and Nourish Your Soul

by Elaine St. James

Book Overview

The author of Simplify Your Life offers a path to the simpler life of mind and spirit through meditation, solitude, making spirituality a regular part of the day, and getting in touch with your... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 078688097X
• ISBN13: 9780786880973
• Release Date: April 1995
• Publisher: Hachette Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 6.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Excellent Read for People at All Levels of Simplifying Their Lives

This is an excellent book for anyone who wants to clear their mind and gain perspective on their life. It is well written, easy to read, and has a reader-friendly format. There are six chapters in this book: (1) Things you'll want to do (2) Easy things to think about doing (3) More difficult things to think about doing (4) The hard stuff (5) Some fun stuff (6) The real stuff Although this book contains 100 mini-suggestions on how to simplify your life, they provide a tremendous amount of insight. This book is not "fluffed" or complete common sense. I have read several books of this nature in the past, and I found this one genuinely refreshing and insightful. Some of the topics throughout the book include: [] Learn to receive [] Figure out what others have to teach you [] Reduce your need to be in the know [] But don't get stuck in therapy [] Just say no [] Practice Dying [] Figure out your big issue [] Ask what's happening [] Try a modified version of an ancient technique [] Keep your energy up [] Cast a rune [] Stop the world- you can get off [] Learn to listen to your inner voice [] Explore your sleep consciousness [] Create joy in your life [] Love a lot Just a heads up- some of the information in this book was a little too out there for me (such as seeing a psychic), but must of that material was covered in her "Some fun stuff" section. The rest of the book was very reasonable for anyone of any religious background. This book is well worth its listing price. Although you can read it in one simple afternoon, it is the kind of book you'll want to refer to for a long time to come. Buy & enjoy!

Begin to change your life here.

I'm checking in since first reading this little "gem" years ago. It called me from the bookstore shelf and was instrumental in changing my life for the better. Each chapter jump-starts your motivation for, not only rethinking priorities, but re-evaluating the need to separate wants from needs. That had become a blur to me over the years. St. James is true to her word. The title suggests simplicity, and the content is simple to assimilate. Besides, I'm a sucker for an easy read. It's hard to pick a favorite, but the chapter, Slow Down, started a new improved - hopefully, forever - chapter in my life. It simply changed everything.

Peaceful Perspective

Some books and audio books are meant to be read once and then put on a shelf to collect dust. "Inner Simplicity" doesn't collect dust in my house or car. I occasionally listen to it while doing housework or while driving. It helps me keep life in peaceful perspective. I find it a very worthwhile listen each time I pop it into the cassette player.

An excellent overview, especially for "beginners"

I am a fan of the other "simplicity" books by Elaine St.James, and this one did not let me down. She has organized the book in a way that makes for easy reading. As with the first book in this series, St. James covers 100 topics. Each of these subjects are grouped into "chapters" of sorts, by the perceived difficulty of the task. The material is also cross-referenced quite nicely.The ideas contained in the book are basic, but extremely powerful. Anyone who's been into selp-improvement for a while will probably have some of these ideas in other forms already. Still, "Inner Simplicity" is a great refresher. It managed to give me a few new ideas, even though I've got many classics of philosophy, spirituality and "new age thought" on my shelf.At the end of the book, I was very glad I'd purchased it!

Buy multiple copies -- you'll want to give to your friends!

I've bought about 10 copies of St. James' first book, "Simplify Your Life" and have given them to friends. "Inner Simplicity" came along right at the right time for me -- when I'd finally jumped off the consumerism race track, gotten rid of all the excess junk (which had me moving from house to bigger and bigger house so I'd have room for all that STUFF)... and realized it was time to start clearing out some of the internal, emotional STUFF I'd been carrying around for much longer. This book and her first are really remarkably simple, written in a self-effacing and non threatening way. St. James is totally non-judgmental. She talks about her own path in a very personal way, offering with plain sincerity some ideas for people who have started down the path to simplicity, but maybe don't know what the next step should be. I've been amazed at how many people have come into my life recently, since I've read St. James' books, who mention to me that they are sick of being "possessed by their possessions." They want to get rid of the boat, the electronics, all the "STUFF" that is supposed to make us happier, but winds up sucking our life energy. St. James says it all, much better than I can, so I always have several extra copies of both of her books on hand. Don't make the mistake, however, of forcing these books on other people -- you'll learn in Inner Simplicity that everyone has to come to this path at their own pace. If you've read through this entire review, and the books sound intriguing, it's probably time for you to read this book (or her first) and start on your own path toward Simplicity. Good luck!