Book Review: The Inner Light: “Sumaa Tekur”

Book Info

Title: The Inner Light: A Beginner’s Guide to Spirituality and Finding Peace
Author: Sumaa Tekur
Publisher: HayHouseIndia
Print length: 252 pages
Language: English
Genre: Self-Help/Spirituality
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Something About Author

Sumaa Tekur is a writer and editor with stints in publications like The Times of India, Deccan Herald, Femina, and DNA. She has also contributed to various British dailies and holds a Master’s in International Journalism from City University, London. Her spiritual journey started early in life.

This quest gained momentum with solo traveling, which gave her many opportunities for rich learning, reflection, and time to construct her own unique spirituality framework. She offers this unique perspective in her spiritual consultancy, Golden Swan Healing (www.goldenswanhealing.com), through which she supports many a new and seasoned seeker.

Book Information

The growing uncertainty of the economic climate and ever-increasing anxieties about our health and wellness has made it more urgent than ever before to seek a life of stillness, balance, and perspective. As we adjust to a new reality, our inner world is cracked open to reveal the state of our spiritual health. We are now left questioning the fragility of our egos that crumble in the face of a threat to our assumed identities of work and relationships.

The market for spirituality is an endless warren of complex pathways, with each path offering a different routine to reach the same destination. Seekers are enticed with milestones to cross in the form of courses and levels often under the tutelage of a guru. This book shares wisdom on how to wade through the labyrinth of pathways that make up the journey to a more conscious spiritual lifestyle.

Rich with anecdotes from the author’s own experiences and fellow seekers, The Inner Light is a handy guide to prepare readers―aspirants and skeptics alike―for what to expect when they set out to integrate spirituality into everyday life. This book is for beginners looking to dip their toes, and then some, into the waters of spirituality without getting caught in the whirlpool of spiritual consumerism.
It answers these important questions:
What is spirituality? Where do I even start?
How can I walk this path with awareness?
How can I improve my understanding of life?

My Thoughts

Firstly the book title “The Inner Light” is inspired by a famous album by “The Beatles” in the early 60s which sow a perfect seed to start this peace-finding guide. We often misconceive Spirituality and religion which is both simple and complicated jargon. However, your search to differentiate the same ends with this book. As the author says in the starting pages “Spirituality is the process of switching on your inner light”. To find a perfect path towards your life journey one inner light should glow brightly.

This inspiring book is segmented into 15 parts and each chunk is so unique in the way it directly resonated with your inner self. Every Slice reads the intention of what the author wishes to say through a protagonist that rekindles the inner light with its standard practices and awareness to achieve in one’s life. These chapters are so intriguing that we annotate the protagonist and take the life lessons and eventual solutions through them.

I am confident to say out of many books I read that dealt with the Spirituality types, meanings, and experiences. We generally fall into the myth that we often imitate or adopt other’s paths and we fail towards the golden goal. However, crystal clear segregation helps to differentiate and inculcate the same. We also mirage ourself meditation as a complicated technique and run behind different ways of achieving it but this book gives perfect and apt tactics for doing the meditation.

As Osho says “Guru is an awakener” and we do fail to identify the correct guru and become the followers, interesting this book deeply talks about Guru and how to identify and how can we be a perfect disciple of the Guru. My second best pick in the book is where the author talks about creative Spirituality where the author deep dives into Spontaneous and deliberate creativity and draws a line of ensuring personal spirituality nourishment. Interestingly author also deduces theorems and proofs of the less spoken topic in India i.e. connecting sexual life and spiritual growth.

Insights

I shouldn’t miss mentioning the chapter that elucidates the thin line between religion and spirituality which was my biggest question to date. The author answers my age-old question via protagonist Krishna Bhat. the author also re-iterates the terminologies like fanatism, social aspects, rituals, and rational sensibilities. The author also introduces infamous topics like “Intentional Spirituality”, “Social Spirituality”, “Somatic Spirituality” etc etc. I love the way how the author brings in befitting research on travel/pilgrimage towards the spiritual journey and breaks the myth of isolation and activism towards the one journey towards the spiritual world.

Mentions

If I wish to inspire myself with the protagonists in the book I am Maitree, Saraswati & Kartik.
Know about the trio from the book and get yourself successful in your respective paths of spiritualities.

Closing Lines

Undoubtedly this is that work that breaks an era of conventional spirituality and is a definite path setter for the modern world that gives a 360-degree change of a spiritual journey eventually that guides us to find a much-needed state called PEACE. I want this book to be there for every reader’s house to obtain the self-transformation toward a spiritual journey.

I sincerely wish this book should be included in the curriculum of  India’s Spiritual awakening and peace-finding aid. No doubt this book comes from the prestigious “Hay House Publishers“, a company that strives for bringing transformation from the books they publish and dedicate to the world.

Quote Pick

i.) Religion reaches outward and Spirituality turns inward.
ii.) Travel can be a valuable partner in our spiritual journey.
iii.) All forms of spirituality are about the energy that flows.

FootNote

Book Link: Eating Less is Making You Fat: How to Lose Weight Without Starving
Author Contact: Sumaa Tekur
Publisher: HayHouseIndia
My Handle: Kiran_Kumar_Adharapuram
You can also explore my works -> Here

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