Flex Your Mind

by Rachel Bonkink

Discover the ten ancient principles for more peace of mind in your daily life. Understand why you behave and think as you do, and how to make the changes that will transform your day-to-day experience.

With a down-to-earth approach and real-life examples from business and personal life, this book shows you how to make your mind stronger – and, ultimately, to make your life lighter and less stressful – by bringing yoga philosophy into your everyday.

This is no stuffy philosophical book. Rachel Bonkink drank too much, worked crazy hours, went for the money and always wanted more: yoga philosophy transformed her life, and it can transform yours too.

Genres: Nonfiction

147 pages, ebook

Published July 23, 2020

Reviews

[Esther · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gelezen tijdens Bali Silent Retreat, wat een inspirerend boek!

[Manuela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flex your mind takes 10 principles from yoga to provide some insights and advice to how to improve your life. It was a light and simple read. I enjoyed mostly the first parts of the chapters, where she explains the yoga principles, and how the chapters are separated, in quick sessions. It reads a lot like a conversation or a speech from the author, who uses a lot of examples from her life during the book - though it gets a bit repetitive at times. My one problem with the book is that I did not feel like a learn anything new, in the end it felt a bit like the every other self-help books I read, with very similar overall content.

A good read if you're looking for a quick self-development book with a simple language.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rachel has taken Yoga Philosophy and made it really easy to read and process. As a yoga teacher, I have so many books on Yoga Philosophy and this is by far one of the best. Rachel explains the Limbs of Yoga in a way that is easy to digest and put into your life. It's a great tool for Yoga Teachers. I've also recommended this to many of my students, who have loved reading it and understanding the philosophy more. It's written in a Western manner and Rachel has a great sense humour too, using examples of her life in the Corporate World, that I could really resonate with. I would highly recommend this if you struggle to read Yoga Text, are a Yoga Teacher, Student or just want some good tips on improving your life and de-stressing!!! Thank you Rachel. I hope you write another....

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve just read a fantastic book—one I’ll probably always keep by my side. I’ve practiced yoga for a long time and read quite a few books on meditation and yogic philosophy over the years, which have sometimes been hard to apply to my daily life. But Rachel has managed to capture the essence while stripping away the pretentiousness. Flex Your Mind is a gem and everything I need. It offers yoga philosophy and accessible guides to meditation without being lofty or overcomplicated.

What I perhaps appreciate most is how openly she shares her own experiences and acknowledges the challenges of modern life—the pressure to overachieve and be perfect. In doing so, she invites us to believe that change is possible. By learning to listen inwardly, we can grow in our own unique way.

[Beth Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

People can have quite individual experiences within yoga and meditation which may bring up complex emotional responses that are difficult to understand. I enjoyed the personal and conversational writing style, making it seem more translatable to my everyday instead of separating 'real' life and that of what we 'should' be doing and feeling. In essence it makes you break down all the nonsense in your head in to easy to deal with chunks so that you can live in the present a little more, not sweat the small stuff and be kind to yourself and others. I've not read a book for a few years since having my little girl. I made time for this one.x

[Michel Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book, Rachel successfully deconstructs ancient texts of yoga philosophy, interweaving the principles with her own personal journey, making it an effortless, relatable and approachable read.
It is filled with nuggets of wisdom and humour making it applicable to the modern daily (at times) stressful lives we find ourselves in.
I will surely come back to this book as it's cleverly structured form serves as an index of principles for a healthier mindset.
This book is recommended for anyone who wants more insight into the background of yoga philosophy (even if not a yoga practitioner) without the stuffy lingo.

[Karen Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really accessible easy to understand book explaining ancient principles that could otherwise be hard to understand and relate to. Each chapter can be read separately with their own exercises and suggestions to apply to daily life or just plough thro and see how everything is related. Rachel shares some of her life experiences - often with great humour - to bring these principles to life.
If you’re looking for a dense, academic tome then this book is not for you. But if you’re after an enjoyable, enlightening and relatable read that will inspire you to apply these principles to your own like then this is definitely for you.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent mix of the 'new age' and common sense, this does a fair job of explaining the ten principles of Non-Violence, Non-Attachment, Surrender and more in terms that make sense to modern life. I think it's a starting point on changing some thought patterns, rather than going to change your life - not without a lot of very hard work in the background. But nice to think of "peace of mind and an easier way to deal with the challenges of modern life".

Full review is up on my blog.

[Svetlana LyraReadings Sa.Lirom.O.Knjigama · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Flex your mind" by Rachel Bonkink is a book that seems to have found me at the right time and I have enjoyed it very much. The book is subtitled “10 powerful Yoga principles for less stress in a busy world” and it is actually a practical, easy-to-understand guide into ancient yoga philosophy and its principles that can be applied in everyday life. It touches on many topics that might preoccupy a reader in these very stressful and uncertain times and offers helpful advice and motivation.

Whether you are interested in yoga philosophy or not, “Flex Your Mind” has a lot to offer. I can’t remember the last time I’ve underlined so many passages in a book. For me, this was my first encounter with yoga philosophy and I have had a chance to learn many new things. I enjoyed making connections to some aspects of traditional psychology, such as approaches to dealing with anxiety, stress etc. If you are a yoga practitioner, this book can be an easy and relatable source for broadening your insight into what lies behind the physical aspect of yoga practice.

I feel that the author has really succeeded in bringing the ancient philosophy to a modern person. Her writing in itself is really good, which makes it possible for the message of the book to come through. This book was an interesting read for me and I recommend it.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! As someone who enjoys the physical benefits of yoga, this book provided me with a spiritual perspective on the ancient art. Rachel writes as if she's speaking to a friend as she shares her vast understanding of the principles of yoga and applies them to life in today's world. I highly recommend this book. It very smoothly translates ancient yoga wisdom into clear lessons for living a more peaceful life.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy step into the first 2 of Patanjali's 8 limbs of yoga. This book came to me at a time when I needed the reminder of the kindness and awareness we need to have, both to ourselves, but also the wider world as well.

Clearly written and easily accessible.

The only jarr for me was the mention of looking after the planet through recycling and what we eat, but the author the frequently mentioned her many flights - let's be honest, these things dont go together.

[Stijn Wielemans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know Rachel through her retreats www.revealingvajra.com. Even then I experienced her style as clear, to the point, warm and applicable in everyday life. And I also find this in her book.

Finally a book that explains the yoga principles to me so that I understand. This allows me to apply it and I have to admit that it makes me happy :-)

[alice morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I loved about this book was its universality. It really spoke to me even though I knew nothing about yoga. The principles that Rachel explains are actually a brilliant framework for living a better life. I found it really easy and enjoyable to read.

[Proust Geraldine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked that the principles are made easy to understand. With lots of examples and convenient suggestions, this book is also a practical guide to how these principles can still be relevant to us today. I read the book within a couple of hours but I’ve been reflecting the content for much longer!

[Giorgia Imbriani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ogni tanto capita che, lavorando, incontri persone che mi cambiano la vita – o almeno il mio sguardo su di essa. Rachel è una di queste persone, incontrate per caso, e per fortuna. Flex your mind è il mio nuovo strumento di vita.

[Helena Lorentzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It explained the whole process in such an easy language. I could not put it down.

[Carole Dieltiens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and highly recommend it!
Very interesting and easy-to-read book filled with practical examples and tips on how to integrated the ancient wisdom of yoga into your daily life. Equally useful for readers with or without prior knowlegde of yoga philisophy.