Article first published as http://blogcritics.org/book-review-health-happiness-wellness-by-rakesh-sethi/ on Blogcritics.
June 4, 2013
Health + Happiness = Wellness
Discover Your Unique Nature and What Specifically Works for You
Rakesh Sethi
True Wellness Group (2013)
ISBN: 9781489534392
New Book Reveals How Everyone’s Path to Health is Unique
In Health + Happiness = Wellness, Rakesh Sethi, a certified Ayurvedic health practitioner, brings to a Western readership the secrets of Ayurvedic medicine in an easy-to-read and follow format that will change people’s perceptions of their bodies and what is necessary for good health. Don’t let the term “Ayurvedic” turn you away; it is simply Sanskrit for “the science of life.” And this book discusses what you need to know to make your life as happy and healthy as possible. The concepts presented here are not difficult, but they are so accurate that I am sure readers will be, like me, both surprised and inspired to make the simple changes necessary to improve their lives; in fact, the changes are so easy to make that it is a relief to read the book and discover how altering just a few foods in your diet or changing your sleep or exercise patterns can revolutionize your life.
This book’s focus is not on medicine but on you, the reader, the person most involved with creating your own wellbeing. No form of conventional medicine can perfectly prescribe solutions to improve your health because one box does not fit all. The most important point of Rakesh Sethi’s discussion here is that every person is unique, and as a result, everyone has a unique body constitution made up of that person’s emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical components. To treat your body properly, you need to know your specific body constitution; then you can attain ultimate wellness.
While everyone is unique, Sethi uses traditional Ayurvedic categories of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha to describe the body’s three major types of energy and which energy or energies are dominant in an individual. I was astounded by this information, and by reading the descriptions of these three energies and working through the questionnaire included, I came to the determination that I predominantly have a Pitta constitution with Kapha being my secondary energy.
What do you do with this information once you determine your unique body constitution? You learn how to treat your body in ways that will most benefit it. For example, I have always wondered why certain foods that are supposedly healthy have never agreed with me. Now I know the reason. Sethi even offers long lists of foods to avoid and foods that will benefit you depending on your constitution. He also discusses when and how much to exercise and what exercises are best for your constitution, what kind of work most suits you, and in what kind of an environment—warmer, cooler, amount of sunlight, etc.—you will feel better. This book even helps you to understand what other people’s constitutions might be so you can determine which people you are compatible with; then you can better understand your relationships with others and choose an appropriate partner.
The information in this book is based on tried and tested ancient knowledge, but most readers in the Western world will be unfamiliar with it. I find it astounding that this information is not more widely known, especially when it is so accurate and practical to apply. Making just a few simple changes to my diet by following Sethi’s advice have already made me start to feel better, and the diagnosis appears spot on for my moods and physical attributes.
If you are tired of doctors giving you pills that don’t make you feel better, if you wonder why the diet books have never helped you to lose weight, and you have never understood why your exercise routine has not worked for you, Health + Happiness = Wellness contains the missing components for solving your dilemma. I honestly can’t imagine anyone reading this book and not finding multiple ways it can help to make him (or her) feel happier and healthier. Perhaps best of all, because I’m sure after reading this book many people will want to explore the topic further, Rakesh Sethi is available for personal consultations.
You always knew you were unique. Finally, there’s a book that acknowledges it and guides you toward bringing your uniqueness to its highest levels of wellness.
For more information about Rakesh Sethi and Health + Happiness = Wellness, visit www.TrueWellnessGroup.com.
— Tyler R. Tichelaar, Ph.D. and author of the award-winning Narrow Lives
