Review of Unveil your Intimate Self

[Jorge Pinkus]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Unveil your Intimate Self" by Elena Georgiadou.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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In spite of its grand promise from the subtitle, I started reading Unveil Your Intimate Self: The Secret to Freedom and Extraordinary Living by Elena Georgiadou, with great hopes for finding different ideas or concepts about self-development, self-realization and life fulfillment. But found so many clichés and common places in the first three parts, almost enough for the regular reader of self-help books to not continue reading.

I've been a student and reader of the teachings of Ayurveda (the millenial Indian science of health) for about a decade, so I might know a thing or two about its philosophy and psychology. It was a disappointment to find the author saying very simple things like life's situations contribute about 15% towards our happiness, without presenting evidence, studies or backing data. So, how Elena Georgiadou came about with these figures?

Nevertheless, I kept on reading because I'm really interested in the subject matter. And then I discovered, in what the author calls Sections (after the first three Parts—never knew why this nomenclature) several simple, well-defined, ideas, techniques and even recipes (yes, cooking recipes) to apply to our daily living. Mabye the greatness of Ayurveda lifestyle lies in its simplicity...

In the first three Parts (I already commented on the separation of Parts and Sections) there's basically nothing new or different from other self-help books: find yourself, be kind, be centered, cultivate positivism... Yes, the author--tongue-in-cheek--clearly expresses that Unveil Your Intimate Self is not a code of behavior but a natural unfolding of a pathway. These Parts talk about what we could call the foundation, causes and purpose of life, existence and conciousness. The three Sections afterwards are an attempt of a guide to help us develop our intelectual/emotional, physical and spiritual life.

Thus, I could make this book in two distinct books: the three first Parts are explanations of a subjective matter, too much simplistic, too much general, or too much common for my taste. I read this collection of clichés and obvious statements, and was left with a sense of, ok, now what? The second book (spanning the book´s three Sections) could be a much more practical one and we can easily apply many of its concepts, ideas and tips.

As a conclusion, extraordinary living? I'm not so sure the consequences of reading and applying the ideas of Ms Georgiadou will take us there, but certainly they will help us live a more centered and peaceful life. That is enough for many of us.

In regards to the book in itself, is very well-edited and I found no errors in it. Its Table of Contents at the beginning is very helpful. I rate it 4 out of 4 stars.

Lastly, this book will not be a good fit for a person looking for a profound Ayurvedic guide, but it is a good fit for a reader looking for ways to enhance their overall well-being.

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Unveil your Intimate Self
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