Inner Ocean Press

Hip Tranquil Chick: A Guide to Life On and Off the Yoga Mat

admin — Mon, 14 May 2007 13:27:00 +0000

I don’t know about you, but for me, being a girl today is hard work. The stress of relationships, working, trying to stay healthy, managing a meager financial budget and just trying to figure out what to do with the rest of your life is strenuous and draining work for the body, mind and spirit. Luckily, Kimberly Wilson’s Hip Tranquil Chick is the modern girl’s guide to feeling strong, chic and ready to take on the world.

In this book, Wilson breaks down the philosophy of yoga and how it can be applied to enrich your everyday life—on and off the mat. On the mat, Wilson provides basic poses and sequences, such as “Healing Hip Openers” and “Energizing Sun Salutes,” that help you find strength and tranquility. Off the mat, Wilson lays out strategies to help you find your personal style, find your dream job, create positive energy at home and work, manage your money sensibly and nurture your social consciousness. Through the colorful illustrations, creative tips and specific tasks, Wilson provides the tools for you to find your inner “hip tranquil chick;” they will give you the power to transform concepts into action. After reading this book, you will realize that the basic principles of yoga offer you not only a plethora of physical benefits, but also a way of life. Wilson provides the modern girl with the ability to envision her future and help her take tangible steps (with excellent posture) towards achieving those goals.

This book is a must read for any modern girl looking for some perspective in this chaotic world, but please, take this one suggestion… read it slowly. With its wealth of information, this book can be slightly overwhelming. Wilson’s “hip tranquil chick” needs to find her personal style, create an awesome feng-shui room and, perhaps, even save the world. These things cannot be achieved after one quick read of this book. No, this book deserves to be read slowly. Soak in its richness. Take the time to seriously consider and understand every “tranquil tip,” “OMwork” assignment and inspirational quote. Take the time to master each chapter and section. Slowly follow the beautiful path that any girl, from the novice to the most experienced “yogini,” can follow in order to find and exude her “inner hip tranquil chick.” Namaste.

Note: If you want more Kimberly Wilson, check out her blog. There are some pretty interesting podcasts you should check out where she interviews other women doing great work. There is also information on book signings, retreats, and how to throw your own “hip tranquil chick” soirée.

Written by: Lisa Norton, May 14th 2007

Roar Softly and Carry a Great Lipstick: 28 Women Writers on Life, Sex and Survival

admin — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 14:30:00 +0000

By Autumn Stephens

Inner Ocean Press

Roar Softly and Carry a Great Lipstick is what you get when you ask twenty-eight opinionated women to share their personal stories; there’s not a wishy-washy essay in the bunch. Overcoming life’s hurdles is a major theme in this collection of personal essays, and two particular standouts are: Peggy Hong’s sensitive portrayal of the final days of her mother’s life, and Meredith Maran’s “the road not taken” reflection on choosing a walking-over-fire Bohemian life, instead of settling for a less politically-active and more financially prosperous existence.

Hong’s spiritually-vibrant “Walking the Labyrinth with Mother in Memoriam” is a heartfelt meditation on family rituals, and must-read lesson on how to depart from this life with grace and dignity, while Maran’s “To Be (Too) Real: The Unexpected Consequences of Living an Authentic Life” intelligently examines the long-term consequences of her economic and political choices. With a touch of humor, and a grown-up and age-ripened perspective, Maran drives home the point that it is one’s attitude and not the color of the proverbial grass itself that determines if one covets the grass on the other side of the fence or gives thanks for the grass beneath one’s feet.

As much as I loved most of the stories, there were a few that provoked my ire. My inner flower child cringed when Anne Bart destroyed a patch of rhododendrons for the sake of commerce, and I was irked when Ayun Halliday snidely referred to the “gorgeous and privileged” celebrities featured on women’s magazine covers as “cover-creatures.” Creatures? Don’t hate them because they are beautiful, Ayun. In spite of Halliday’s grumpy dismissal of magazines featuring people, places, and things that are fashionable and frivolous, I hold fast to the notion that Time magazine and Marie Claire both hold a legitimate place in the magazine universe.

The twenty-eight writers in Roar Softly roar loud and clear. Their stories will provoke, amuse, and inspire reflection on similar issues in your own life.

Written by: Rachelle Nones, February 4th 2007

We Got Issues!: A Young Woman’s Guide to a Bold, Courageous and Empowered Life

admin — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 13:01:00 +0000

Edited by Rha Goddess, JLove Calderón

Inner Ocean Press

Simone de Beauvoir remarked nearly sixty years ago that in our society woman occupies the negative while man occupies both the positive and neutral positions, and this remains true today. This compilation of interviews, essays and poems highlights the thoughts of young women throughout the country and spotlights voices that are often missing from public debates, allowing us to hear their voices on serious issues. The editors should be particularly congratulated for seeking out women of color and lesbians as contributors since they, more than straight, white women, are often overlooked by mainstream media.

The book contains sections on health, spirituality, “-isms” (discrimination), sexuality, friendship, motherhood, violence, finances, work, and citizenship. Each themed component ends with a “ritual of empowerment” for readers to connect with that aspect of their lives as well as a page of statistics.

Some pieces highlight challenges and frustration. E. Anne Zarnowiecki’s “To Whom It May Concern,” for example, details her experience being treated as a second-class citizen when her young son was injured, as hospital employees could not grasp the idea that the boy had two mothers rather than a mother and father. In “You Can Be Right, Or You Can Be Happy,” Ghana-Imani gives an amusing and on-target description of someone searching for perfection in a romantic partner and coming to realize that she’ll have to settle for less than that, which doesn’t necessarily mean she’ll be unhappy.

The interviews, one in each section, are the weakest area. While occasionally informative, as a whole they are unengaging. A notable exception is the interview with Chino Hardin, who spent time in jail as a teenager and now works for the Prison Moratorium Project, at the start of the segment on violence. Her discussion of the nature of violence and her own journey to understanding its impact on her life is illuminating and unapologetic.

The personal narratives of the book’s editors give us a glimpse of how the issues explored touch on their lives and those of other women. For instance, in the section “Who’s World Is This?”, Rha Goddess describes her disillusionment with electoral politics and her search for another way to make a difference.

More often than not, compilations are fragmented, but while the pieces in We Got Issues! represent a wide array of viewpoints, the editors have assembled them in such a way that they compliment each other. An enlightening read.

Written by: Karen Duda, January 12th 2007