Publication Date:May 2, 2000 Shipping:Eligible for Super Saver Shipping Availability:Usually ships in 24 hours
Editorial Reviews:
Product Description "When you balance your seven energy centers, you reclaim your natural rights and reestablish your natural order. You begin to undo the damage that was caused by living your life backward, from the head first, forgetting the body and spirit altogether. As with everything in nature, if your life isn't supported by a grounded source of energy, it will wither and lose its vitality. As you learn about the chakras, you will discover that balancing them isn't particularly hard, especially if you think of it as a process of not just living your life, but actually loving your life." -- From the Introduction
How can we balance our time and energy when our days are so hectic? How can we find harmony in mind, body, and spirit? In True Balance, renowned intuitive and spiritual healer Sonia Choquette presents a step-by-step workbook for finding balance within our seven essential energy centers, or chakras. Drawing upon her deep personal experience and practice, she offers a wise and down-to-earth guide to achieving harmony. With supportive questionnaires, practical advice, and many specific remedies, Choquette leads us to a balanced life filled with creativity and blessings.
Balance is the Key to a Happier, More Harmonious LifeMay 25, 2008 True Balance is a wonderful book that has helped me so much. It gives an explanation of the chakras and what each one does. From the first--the firm foundation--to the seventh--spiritual atunement with God. Choquette helps you acheive an even flow of energy where you have an imbalance. The third--your soveignity as a person, your decisions and your will to achieve your goals was particularly meaningful to me as it helped me to realize the need to respect myself, set my own priorities, and not expect others to take responsiblity for me. Respecting others and not intruding on their personal space is also part of this very important chakra. This wise insightful psychic gives practical down to earth advise to help you balance these seven physical/psychological centers on your body so that you can live a happier, more harmonious life.
true balance shows some simple ways to balance yourselfSeptember 4, 2007 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
true balance shows some simple ways to balance yourself. it seems like a good introduction to the topic of energy balance. I was looking for more advanced techniques.
ConcreteMay 16, 2007 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book came into my life at just the right time. It gave me concrete simple steps to help me with my spiritual journey. It also taught me about Chakras or energy centers, something I knew nothing about. It has really motivated me rediscover myself.
Easy to Follow Instructions to Get CenteredMarch 16, 2007 8 out of 11 found this review helpful
The benefits of this book are that these instructions on every chakra are easy to follow. Anyone could do them and in that, it achieve the author's goal of helping people get into balance. The explanations are clear and concise and the case stories illustrate the point well.
On the flip side, I agree with another reviewer's honest appraisal of this book. While I find it very useful for the most part in my life, I agree with two other commentators of the Pollyanna approach in this writer's tone. I've also wondered how true to life these case histories are because the theme seems to suggest that Choquette's guidance is a form of ultimate salvation towards one's dreams fully realized just like Moses was to the Israelites when he delivered out of Egypt and Pharaoh's bondage. Choquette seems to suggest that those who follow her instructions get their dreams and those who don't perish just like the heathens on the Tower of Babel.
For the most part, the resources in the back of this book with recommendatoins connected to each chakra are very valuable. But some of Sonia's selections don't seem as "safe" as others: Sai Baba (an Indian guru with controversial allegations of abuse on young followers), A Course in Miracles (written by a woman in New York City who was an agnostic Jew yet claims to channel the voice of Jesus Christ), Lynn Andrews (a plastic shaman who has been exposed for making all her books up), and The Avatar Course, Started by a former Scientology Mission holder--Harry Palmer. This recommendation to the Avatar Course is the one resource that had me step back from True Balance.
In a Petition to the office of Governor Jeb Bush of Florida by the Avatar Survivors League (now I have never done Avatar but felt that if something like this was sent to a Governor's office, it is worth mentioning for the purposes of consumer protection):
This Delaware corporation is registered as a for-profit enterprise selling a series of courses under the trademark "Avatar." The courses are described as "personal development education." In reality, Star's Edge is a quasi-religious cult with roots in Scientology.
MISREPRESENTATION OF ORIGIN, CREDENTIALS AND PURPOSE * The founder and sole owner of Star's Edge, Harry Palmer, operated a Church of Scientology Mission in Elmira, New York for 15 years. After he was excommunicated in 1986, he soon introduced the Avatar Course. * Palmer claimed the course resulted from revelations gained during a prolonged series of "sensory deprivation" sessions in a flotation tank. He promoted the course to former Scientologists as providing "the entire span of the Scientology bridge, the Buddhic path and beyond." * Over the past decade, Palmer has broadly advertised himself as an educational psychologist. This unlicensed imposture as a health care professional is a felony in Florida and throughout the US. In truth, Palmer never received a degree in psychology, and has never held any credential or license as a psychologist. His college degree was in secondary education, and he was certified in New York to teach high school English. * The basic Avatar Course consists of mental processes that induce a state of hypnotic trance. They are similar to those taught in Scientology, Raja yoga, Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Buddhist meditation, among other practices. Yet the materials are represented as "confidential," and students are required to sign a nondisclosure agreement that defines them as unpublished trade secrets. * Avatar Course trainers engage in mental manipulation by indoctrinating vulnerable students into the belief that the Avatar "network" is key to creating an Enlightened Planetary Civilization that holds the key to solving the woes of mankind.
UNETHICAL AND ILLEGAL BUSINESS PRACTICES * Star's Edge and its licensees recruit students for a nine-day course to become "Masters" (individual trainers) licensed to deliver the basic Avatar Course. The conditions of full licensure are not fully disclosed beforehand. * Successful graduates receive a "provisional license." They are required to pay internship fees for an indefinite period until they become "qualified" by Star's Edge. Meanwhile, they are pressured to take successive trainer courses. * Qualification requirements are arbitrary and unpublished. The licensing contract allows Star's Edge unilaterally to revoke any license issued, without explanation or recourse. * Trainers are pressured to fix fees for the basic Avatar Course at the full "suggested" amount. This practice violates fair trade and competition regulations in virtually every jurisdiction worldwide where the Avatar Course is offered by independent licensees. * The licensing scheme is a pyramidal multilevel marketing operation with the primary objective of selling successive courses for the financial benefit of Star's Edge, rather than providing a viable business opportunity for licensees. As a result, the vast majority of those who completed the Master course have since failed and given up on teaching Avatar as a business.
MEDICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MALPRACTICE * Although Palmer falsely advertises himself as a psychologist, most of his works (including those registered as published) are claimed to be confidential, and have never been subjected to peer review. * During the top-level Wizard course (which costs $7,500) Palmer reveals to students that they are infested with multiple possessive spirits or "entities." These are similar to the implanted "body thetans" of Scientology lore. * Palmer has stated that these entities are the true cause of fatal illnesses, including AIDS and cancer. Their influence is said to be responsible for psychotic breaks that may occur during the basic Avatar Course. * As a result, Avatar Masters who have taken the Wizard Course sometimes spread unfounded rumors of miracle cures. Many claim that taking the Avatar Course(s) will enable students to cure themselves of various medical conditions, including bipolar disorder. This amounts to a fringe religious doctrine akin to those expounded by Scientology, Christian Science, the Jehovah's Witnesses, Voodoo and other groups that practice faith healing. * On the Wizard Course, students finally learn that Palmer is a sort of New Age messiah. This is the culmination of a progressive indoctrination into an occult belief system. It all began with the deceptive promise that the Avatar Courses only enabled students to examine and restructure their own personal and religious beliefs.
Also in her later book Ask Your Guides, Sonia also references Dr. Emoto on the impact of thought energy on matter. Dr. Emoto's Ph.D. is also from a questionable unaccredited university and his findings were done not according to scientific protocol nor have his reports been peer-reviewed to maintain quality control. Before stating anything as gospel (even the gospel itself) do due diligence for your own good. If you see someone who is licensed you have recourse if they cause harm. Psychics are not regulated so it is "at your own peril"... and often at high fees (Sonia charges $800 USD/hour) you can never recover. My strongest criticism of Choquette despite her best intention is that she recommends homeopathy and flower essence remedies in the section on the throat (fifth) chakra. There is no evidence to this effectiveness apart from placebo and many of these products are not tested for safety in human consumption.
To Sonia's credit, her suggestions to do The Hoffman Process, The Artist's Way, Gestalt, Imago Relationship Counselling, Improv, and get massages were a tremendous benefit to myself and others who read her books. Nonetheless, most people new to chakra work will like this introduction but the Eastern original take on the kundalini is the truer to source form.
Life's better when you're balanced!November 8, 2006 3 out of 6 found this review helpful
I'm a Sonia Choquette fan. Everything I've read by her I've found helpful and enlightening.
The step-by-step instructions in True Balance make this "how-to" book advice easy to implement. Whether you're just a little off kilter or way out of alignment, True Balance suggestions get you quickly back on track so that you can think clearly and function optimally. I highly recommend this book.
Judy Marcus, author, WHERE ARE MY KEYS?, Memory Training You'll Absolutely LOVE
