The Art of Calm: Photographs and Wisdom to Balance Your Life

by Rebecca Ascher-Walsh

Let's face it: the more we rush around, the shorter the days can seem. Packed with page after page of inspirational ideas to help you bring your life back to center, this is the perfect antidote to reducing the chaos of everyday life. Filled with exquisite photographs and insightful quotations, this elegant book offers an opportunity to enjoy guilt-free "me" time, as well as easy suggestions for a more peaceful existence—from keeping a bud vase on your desk to tucking yourself into bed an hour early with a book you love. The brilliant images are a reminder to savor the world's natural beauty—and ease the mind in an instant. This enriching, beautifully illustrated book is an inspiring guide to relaxation and harmony. Simple tips for how to unwind, ideas for spending quality time with loved ones, and illuminating quotes offer ideas on how to slow down and savor life's simple moments.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help

216 pages, Hardcover

First published March 29, 2016

About the author

Rebecca Ascher-Walsh is a journalist and the devoted owner of Buddy, a pit bull she rescued from a shelter near her home in New York City. She volunteers at a shelter in Manhattan and is the founder of the Deja Foundation, which assists small organizations helping dogs rescued from high-kill shelters.

Reviews

[Kym Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little book is an easy, quick read and is a handy reminder about finding our inner peace. It is filled with inspirational and insightful quotes by many well-known writers and contains some simple, cost-effective tips for treating yourself and letting it go.

This elegant little book makes an ideal gift, especially for someone who is stressed out or overwhelmed by the day to day things that create anxiety and worriation. It contains beautiful photos that encourage one to find their inner calm in the simplest yet awe-inspiring things within our environment.

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

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Let me start by saying this is an absolutely exquisite book. The stunning images, the simple yet inspiring and encouraging words indeed create a calming balm.

I have been dealing with very challenging issues lately in which I find myself overwhelmed at times requiring a recharge of my battery but..with responsbililites and limited time along with my high stress level I have failed at renewing myself until this beautiful book came my way.

No such thing as accidents, so it seems in my situation. I have enjoyed perusing the pages, absorbing the images and taking a few minutes to calm myself despite the various serious issues on my plate. A few minutes is all it takes to lose yourself in the illustrations paired with the wise words gently nudging, granting permission for respite from life's grueling demands. Sitting on my nightstand, I simply reach over to start and end my day with a moment of calm, believe me it works!

I enjoyed all the illustrations and words, I found this particular pearl of wisdom striking -

Gorgeous, amazing things come into our lives
when we are paying attention: mangos, grand nieces, Bach, ponds. This happens more often when we have as little expectations as possible...Astonishing material and revelation appear in our lives all the time.
Let it be. Unto us, so much is given.
We just have to be open for business.

This would make a fantastic gift for any woman encouraging her to find mere minutes in her life to feel a moment of calm, after all, WE can all use a dose in this chaotic, hectic world.

[Kaitlynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful photo and a very quick read to lift your spirits, great book to keep beside your bed for a quick pick me up before bed.

[Lori L (She Treads Softly) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Art of Calm: Photographs and Wisdom to Balance Your Life by Rebecca Ascher-Walsh is a highly recommended book with a perfect balance of photographs and inspirational quotes, good advice, and even recipes. This is the kind of book you would give a good female friend, using the ribbon page marker to mark an especially pertinent quote or tip for her, to let her know you understand, value, and treasure her.

Actually, I'd have to make many more ribbon page markers beyond the one affixed to the spine of the book. There were so many good quotes and wonderful advice.

I love: "Women need real moments of solitude and self-reflection to balance out how much of ourselves we give away." Barbara De Angelis (pg. 21)
I could mark the quote: "When you feel overwhelmed repeat this to yourself until you remember that it is true: You'll get it all done. You always have."(pg. 46)
I especially love: "After all those years as a woman hearing 'not thin enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough, not this enough, not that enough' almost overnight I woke up one morning and thought, 'I'm enough.' " Anna Quindlen (pg. 184)
Or I'd marked for myself that peace is found in forgiveness, or celebrating what people accomplish rather than finding fault, or how I'm are not responsible for other adults emotional lives or...
You get the idea.

But I'd likely put that one affixed ribbon marker where it is now: "Start with this thought, every morning, even when your alarm goes off too early: Every day is a gift." (pg. 202)

There are also included wonderful little tidbits of goodness, like recipes included for a facial, and bath salts, and vanilla milk, and tips about what you should have on your bookshelf or in your closet or stocked in your pantry for a quick pasta dinner. There are several pages that give supportive advice to working women and mothers with children. Or maybe I'd mark the page letting my friend know that sometimes it is okay to eat chocolate chip cookies.

Let's not forget the photographs either. They simply exude serenity and help encourage a calm, peaceful, soothing demeanor. They are gorgeous and compliment the text that accompanies them splendidly. The Art of Calm would be a sublime gift for others - or yourself! (And it's paperback sized, so it would easily slip into a bag to take with you!)

I'll leave you with this advice that made me laugh with delight: "Make a playlist of your favorite songs from high school and sing along at the top of your lungs while you remember what it was like the have real problems." (pg 207) Yes!

Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Rebecca Ascher-Walsh for TLC review purposes.

[✩ Aysha (Aelin) ✩ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quickie read to end off this year!

[Sei1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought it in Ontario Art Museum. Good one to read to relax, be calm when you're mentally stressed. It helps you to find little happiness more in your ordinary daily scenes.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Art of Calm is one beautiful book. It's a compact hardback with a pretty purple ribbon book marker so you can place it on your nightstand and read a few pages at night before bed, escaping into the words and the soothing photographs that illustrate it. Or, dip into it after you wake up to ease into your day (the book recommends you start every morning with beautiful words rather than checking your email first thing). I find little self-help books like this one to be hit or miss--are they useful, or do they just take up space? I found The Art of Calm to be a definite hit with its balance of quotes, useful advice, and gorgeous color photos. The suggestions are pretty simple and could easily be incorporated into daily life--there were things that I already do, reminders of things I know I should do, and some good ideas I never thought about. One example is brewing yourself a cup of herbal tea before bed (I do this often in the afternoon or evening) while making enough to put the remainder in the fridge for a quick iced tea the next day (why have I never thought of that?) Or looking at your calendar on Sunday night and making sure there is one thing in the week you are looking forward to and if not add one because "Anticipatory anxiety is terrible, anticipatory happiness is joy." The quotations, mostly from women, include wisdom from Jane Austen and Ethel Barrymore to Michelle Obama and Sheryl Sandberg. Some made me think, others made me smile; all were insightful. (I especially liked "Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."--Marthe Troly-Curtin, Phrynette Married.)

There is a little bit of everything in the just under 200 pages and the advice and quotations are versatile enough to fit any busy woman. A copy of The Art of Calm would make a lovely gift for a friend, family member, or co-worker--especially when paired with a favorite herbal tea, soothing bath salts, a pretty potted plant or flower, a favorite scented candle, or some good dark chocolate. Or, do yourself a favor and get a copy of your own and follow the book's advice to "Once a week, turn off your phone and computer at 8 p.m. Get into bed with a book and stay there until lights out."

You can see my review and a recipe for Warm Vanilla (Coconut) Milk on my blog post here: http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...

Note: A review copy of "The Art of Calm" was provided to me by the publisher and TLC Book Tours in return for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review and as always my thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Luanne Ollivier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Life is busy - sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes its just overwhelming. I've tried many tips, techniques and strategies for stepping back out of the fray to catch my breath, unwind and re-centre.

Rebecca Ascher-Walsh's new book is The Art of Calm - the cover made me want to take a closer look.

From the preface:

"The following passages, tips, and tricks are meant to offer inspiration, provide an outline for 'you' time, and allow time to reflect. The words of wisdom and advice from inspirational figures are aimed to remind you how to be your own best friend, to go ahead and allow space for calm and the possibility of magic that comes with it."

So, what did I find inside? A wonderful wide range of ideas - from recipes for brownies, bath salts, hot cocoa, pasta and more.

To quotes - many from books such as this one from Ann Brashares' Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants: "Maybe happiness didn't have to be about the big, sweeping circumstances, about having everything in your life in place. Maybe it was about stringing together a bunch of small pleasures."

And this one from Michelle Obama: "You may not always have a comfortable life. And you will not always be able to solve all the world's problems all at once. But don't ever underestimate the impact you can have, because history has shown us that courage can be contagious, and hope can take on a life of its own."

To suggestions - Keep a beautiful flower in a bud vase where you can see it - be it your home or work desk. Say something nice to a stranger. And I loved this one - once a week, go to bed early with a book! To activities - try a headstand, volunteer. To proverbs, advice and so much more. There's lots of food for thought, all accompanied by full colour, peaceful photos.

A ribbon bookmark is bound with the book, perfect to keep your place from day to day if you're a front to back reader. Me - I like to jump around, see what's at the end first and surprise myself. I'm just going to open it to a random page every day. Now, not every idea and suggestion appealed to me, but I can see something for everyone in the pages of The Art of Calm.

The most valuable one? "Start with this thought, every morning, even when your alarm goes off too early: Every day is a gift." This one I'm going to repeat to myself each and every day.......

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

copy received from TLC Book Tours for an honest review
I use to buy books like this all the time and when I opened "The Art of Calm" by Rebecca Ascher-Walsh I was reminded about how important books like these are. Ascher-Walsh combines beautiful photography, inspirational quotes and good advice all in one book. Every morning and night a few moments before starting and ending my day I would read and reflect on both the photo and the quote or advice. I felt calmer and happier in ending and starting my day this way. One of my favorites is on page 62 " a woman is like a tea-bag-you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water." This gave me not only a chuckle but a good reminder about endurance. I highly recommend that anyone get this beautiful night table companion. It makes for a great mediative reminder at the end or beginning of the day and also a great gift. I keep this book by my night stand and will continue to use it daily.

[Laura Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I've learned from this book, is that if something makes you happy, don't ignore it because of what other people think.
I've had some people tell me that this book isn't worth the price I paid for it, and to that I say it WAS worth it, because it makes me happy. When you have a stressful day, it's nice to come home to something that makes you happy, and you shouldn't let the opinion of others change the way you live your life.
Even just looking at the images and reading the quotes calms me down, so I'd say it works. Definitely recommend it. :)

[Keri Murcray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful little book full of lovely photos, short quotes and thoughts. Something I would like to own.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Remember you can only do your part in any situation.
Do the best you can.
That is more than enough."

[Mala Rajpal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a lovely and sweet little book to keep by your bedside or just accessible in the shelf. For me, it was just what I needed on the day I received it. Nothing new and nothing profound, but it is filled with some lovely quotes, beautiful pictures and some helpful reminders/suggestions. One of these books should always be around. It is a spot of calm.