The Chakra Diaries

by Becca Chopra

Balance your own chakras as you learn how these "energy centers" affect love and loss, health and happiness, life and death for the participants in a chakra workshop. You'll laugh, cry and maybe even jump for joy as you experience their transformation! Whether you're an avid yogi or yogini or have never heard of chakras, you'll find this look at the human condition and the miracles that can happen through forgiveness, love and energy healing to be both enlightening and entertaining.Chakra balancing techniques and wisdom are woven throughout the life stories.

Genres: Spirituality, Fiction

218 pages, Paperback

First published November 22, 2010

About the author

I am the author of THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET, THE CHAKRA DIARIES, CHAKRA SECRETS and BALANCE YOUR CHAKRAS, BALANCE YOUR LIFE. When not writing or reading, I'm teaching yoga and meditation, swimming with dolphins on the Big Island, and having fun here in paradise.

I publish Becca's Inspirational Book Blog at www.BeccaChopra.com.

Reviews

[Shaeeza Haniff · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book of real characters with real stories. Very often authors put a group of people in some kind of semblance, and Becca Chopra has done this with great style with "The Chakra Diaries". A story of interwoven lives bound together by a common goal of self discovery and self healing.

The characters in the book have been asked to write in diaries as part of a workshop. Each writes their story as only they could. Becca has showcased her diversity as an author in writing the many voices of her characters. Each one came off as an individual with their own fears, loves, baggage, lessons learnt and gained.

I want to join Rebecca's workshop as I've gained much insight into how chakras work. I want to feel a sense of accomplishment as the characters have and I want to participate in their journey. This is one book to keep with you and read and reread as you will gain more every time.

[Jayde Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first thing that grabbed me was the cover: all those swirls turning in one direction in harmony, it's not something I've seen before. Only later did I realize there's a hidden meaning in this cover, showing that, interwoven in the story are the lives of different characters as they attend a 12 week chakra workshop and experience a major shift in their lives. During this workshop, as characters come and leave, the reader's taught how the energy of healing and different people can leave a mark on one. To be honest, when I started this book I expected a formal handbook with explanations what chakras are, how they work, and how blockages can be removed. However, I was wrong. The Chakra Diaries offers a unique way to teach the reader how energy impacts one's life by giving peeks into the diary entries of the main characters and their lives, their experiences, disappointments and happy moments.

This is definitely different than any other book I've read. It isn't just a story; the book offers a glimpse of the different stages people go through to attain the ultimate. There is Drama. Loss. Guilt. Redemption. Love. Strength. And in the end there's happiness and forgiveness. All in all, this is a well written, entertaining, and thought provoking read I enjoyed.

[Wise Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't you often wonder about the lives of others in your yogo or dance class? What is the tubby woman at the back of the class really thinking? Does the lone man in his spandex clothes feel as stupid as he looks? Is the woman running the class as confident as she appears?

Well, even though the blurb of the Chakra Diaries reads like a self-help book it gives you a chance to dip into the lives of such characters including chubby but lovely Estella, abused Sarah and also including the narrator Rebecca who runs the new age spirituality (Chakra) classes. You also learn a great deal about the Hindu chakra practice and how it can affect/help your life.

The Chakra Diaries was extremely well written, and my only criticism is that I'd have liked more time to stay with the characters before it finished. Hopefully, the author Becca Chopra will write a sequel?

My favourite line in the book was: `Matt had no need to be a man, she had enough balls for both of them', which made me laugh, and you'll find plenty to laugh about with the Chakra Diaries. It is both funny and ponderous.

[Lynn Worton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was contacted by the author for an honest review during a free promotion a couple of years ago. I agreed and downloaded a copy due to being interested in spirituality and the chakras. Unfortunately, due to my rather large reading list, I have only recently been able to read it.

This is a collection of stories that were quite interesting. They are a small insight into the lives of the people who, in one way or another, found themselves learning about chakras and opening themselves to spiritual and emotional growth through the teachings of Rebecca. Each story relates to a journey taken by the various characters and the emotional or physical barriers that have weighed them down over the years, which relates to the chakras of the body. These are the Root, Sacral, Solar Plexis, Heart, Throat, Third Eye and Crown chakras. Each chakra is represented by a colour: Red for the Root, Orange for the Sacral, Yellow for the Solar Plexis, Emerald Green for the Heart, Sky Blue for the Throat, Indigo for the Third Eye and Violet for the Crown.
The characters come from varied backgrounds and social circles. However, they all have found themselves at a crossroads in their lives. They are Estrella, Barry, Deborah, Sarah, Carol, Jean, Julie, Tony and Mark. Rebecca also has her diary entry included.
I loved meeting these characters and getting to know them better through their diary entries; they all come alive as their stories are revealed. The characters in this book take the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride as they struggle with their issues and undertake their journeys into spirituality.

However, I struggled to follow the chakra meditations at the beginning of each section. I don't know if it is just me being stubborn or lacking imagination, but I found I couldn't picture the exercises as described. I don't know if I was doing it wrong, or what the problem was. I must admit, I have even have trouble making my mind go blank by focusing on or imagining a plain white wall! Perhaps I'm too tense or self-conscious about meditating, even when I'm on my own. I have even tried listening to meditation CD's of crashing waves and whale calls in an attempt to calm the mind a few times over the years, but all that happens is that I get irritated by the repeated pattern of the sounds and end up switching it off and listening to the sound of nothing! Maybe I need to have a chakra reading to see what the problem is. I am usually open to nature spirits and believe in inner spirituality, but meditation is harder than it looks! Perhaps it's not my journey to take.

That being said, this book may help those of you who would like to learn how to meditate or unblock chakras to allow the emotional energy within the body to flow better and bring about health in both mind and body. - Lynn Worton

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The chakras come from the sanskrit word meaning "wheel" or "disc" and in yoga and meditation there are seven of them, one starting from the base of the human body to work its way up the spine to stop at the head and above; muladhara, svadhisthana, manipura, anahata, vishudda, ajna and sahaswara act as spiritual pathways to eventual enlightenment for the person who uses them in a series of disciplines in this book. The first to the third are the chakras of matter, while the fourth is the connection of matter to spirit, the fifth, sixth and seventh are the chakras of spirit.

Becca organises the book into chapters about each person who is undergoing their own spiritual change, starting with the base chakra and working their way up. These are comprised of diary entries that give the reader the opportunity to truly feel the step by step gradual change of how the have let go of the daily worries we all carry with us and start to relax and eventually change our lives. Personally I was glad I took up yoga as I can understand both the physical parts of it as well as the spiritual, and fully understand this book.

As it is a fictional work, I can see that Becca has a lot of it based on fact and the research into chakras is there in the novel. Each of the characters have their own problems they have to get over if they are to live better lives, and as they meet during their development, they start to enjoy time together as friends. This serves to be an enlightening and enriching story that encourages the reader to want to invest time into their own research on chakras and yoga for their own personal fulfilment.

If you've never got into chakras or yoga, you might want to give this book a try, you won't be disappointed.

[Em · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm...

I'd give it 2 1/2 stars if I could.

The book is about a group of people taking a chakra workshop. The first chapter reveals what's going on. Each chapter after that is a workshop diary from a participant, so through the book we learn about each participant, including some that overlap. The final chapter brings all of the workshop participants and the leader together.

I liked the format and that it was a fictional telling of the chakras. The stories were interesting. Some were disturbing though. I've had this book for a while and put it off because I knew some of the stories were dark.

The writing itself was often clumsy, with the author trying "too hard" to be literary or imaginative. The result was clumsy writing that kept the story from flowing well.

Some of the characters were hard to remember, so toward the end, I was having to thumb back and refresh myself. Perhaps a stronger introduction to each character at the beginning would have helped with this.

With the workshop leader being "Rebecca" and the author being Becca, it did made me wonder if there might be some truth to some of these stories.

It's an interesting read. I think that those who are most intrigued by "the chakras" will like it best.

[Nana Prah · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be honest I don’t know what to make of this book. I liked learning more about chakras. I enjoyed the individual stories and the healing of the chakras. The experiences were wonderfully told and allowed me to gain a bit of insight into the people.

My issue lies with Becca. When I got to one point in the book I was so angry at her that I wanted to slam the book by either not rating it or giving it a low rating. To me, what she did as a spiritual leader of sorts, had me so disappointed that I wondered if any of us were infallible to the whims of humanity.

Of course I then had to look at myself and wonder why I was being so judgmental about someone else’s tale. It’s because I’d gotten so engrossed in the story that I empathized with the characters. Now that’s some good story telling. So here I am reviewing the book.

Granted I really wish things had turned out differently for one of the characters and that Becca had handled the situation better, but that’s life, right?

[RYCJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Chakra Diaries delves into the lives of characters who seek to become emotionally centered. Each give readers a glimpse into their personal lives sharing how they rose from adversity to face life’s challenges. Particularly interesting was the romance that developed between Barry and Deb. Really liked that part, though I wanted to understand better why Barry dropped out of the class? And though it wasn’t the case, but why would Rebecca put him out of ‘a healing’ class that has the tools to circumvent adversity through the power of love? It also was fascinating trying to figure out which emotion went with what chakra. Readers really have to read closely to separate compassion and emotions from personal power and psychic power to find their chakras.

[Linda Parkinson-Hardman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories that Becca tells in The Chakra Diaries are both common and enlightening. We’ve all heard them, perhaps even experienced them – the unrequited love, the cancer diagnosis and the betrayal of those closest to us; what makes them stand out in this book though is the way that they are each woven into a stronger theme of positive change and personal development. Each story is complete in it’s own right, yet each forms a part of the whole novel. Each story talks eloquently about the chakra’s and shares a meditation you can use, yet each also forms a part of a longer, stronger meditation you could use to balance all the chakra’s. The stories are heartwarming and accessible, which where I think their strength lies.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

kindle - a fun way to experience the use of the Different Chakras. The author tells the story through nine participants of a chakra workshop, run by a woman named Rebbecca. Each participant tells his or her story through a notebook given at the start of the class, where they write down their life story, their fears, hopes, wishes etc. Each of these characters, have one of their chakaras blocked and each is given a meditations and exercises to follow to hopefully correct the flow of the energies. We also as a reader can participate in the healing process. Good and diverse characters, who form some interesting connections. I enjoyed this book very much.

[Kathleen Westberg]

Drawn In

I was totally drawn in by Becca's writing style. The characters and their individual stories gave so many examples of issues we deal with in life. The stories were artfully woven into beautiful expressions of connectivity to our "energy centers" or Chakra's.
Whether you are new in your understanding of the chakra's or just need a reminder of how we are impacted by life experiences, The Chakra Diaries should be on your to read list.

Kathleen Westberg, author of Dying is Weird; A Journey of Enlightenment

[Cameron Starnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quick read that left me inspired to journal and full of love. Lots of very thought provoking and healing quotes at the start of each chapter. The first person narratives of the diaries were a very refreshing way to read about the Chakras. This was is short, sweet, and powerful book.
Thanks Becca for sending it my way!

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book written in diary form of the journals kept by its participants while attending a Chakra workshop was a little bit too much of personal sharing for my tastes. If this indeed happened in real life I can't imagine anyone pouring out their inner secrets for public dissemination.

[Izabela Zalas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book describes stories of nine different people which go to Rebecca`s yoga class. They search love and understanding and want to express themselves better. By the way you can easily learn here about chakras and how to balance them.

[Lyanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a good 'in between' read, very kid of lightweight and easy to read. Interesting how it all molded together as you went along reading each person story in the group.

[Karissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyed the meditations for the chakras & info about them but the fictional story was a little too much drama. I personally could not relate to the characters.

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/10 a nice little book which uses the chakras for structure giving a meditation for each and contextualising them through the story's characters and histories.

[Carson hall · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea.

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like the idea. Just a shame it's not better written.