Burning Bright

I found this to be more of a memoir than a self-improvement title. Despite that, however, I think it shows how people can take their health, healing, and wellbeing into their own hands using some of the methods described here. If you have read a lot about reiki, you really won't find anything new here, but it could be very helpful for people new to the topic. I'll definitely order for my library as we have had a lot of requests for reiki books recently.

As a 30-something living in New York, I'm faced with daily bouts of stress and anxiety. Reading Kelsey's book made me feel like I could take my healing into my own hands. With simple techniques she teaches you how to interrupt anxiety patterns and get back into your own body. This is a great book for people who don't necessarily have the means to see a therapists or attend an expensive workshop.

I enjoyed Burning Bright. Although I am a Reiki Master myself, I still found a lot in the book valuable. The author writes in a comfortable style, almost as if she's talking to a friend. I love its focus on well-being, self-healing, and positivity!

I absolutely loved this book! Burning Bright is the most spiritual self-help book I have read thus far. I enjoyed the author's personal antidotes and stories from her friends/clients, as well as the relatable examples given of common barriers we all face in regards to burn out. I work in behavioral sciences and see coworkers of mine burning out every month. This book is an especially great resource to those who work in a healthcare/social services setting as burn out is so common. I highlighted the heck out of this book and will definitely go back to it when I feel my cup emptying. I could see this book being too woo-woo for some, but it resonated with me.

I'm not new to the wellness world (though this is my first dive into reiki) and I love Kelsey and her podcast, etc. I was excited for this book, and it did not disappoint. I can't really explain what happened when I read it. I FELT it. I felt some energetic charge to (and I read it in two days on a kindle, which BTW I sort of recommend getting hard copy as there are so many exercises I want to go back and do slowly and hard copy is easier to flip around in). I'll be buying it as a hard copy asap, but back to the feeling. I felt something crack open in me as I read it. I felt a shift occur. I want to keep underscoring that this is not my first rodeo! There was just a magical something here. It's also really practical. I got SO many new and specific tools. Hi EFT! I can't wait to go deeper. I think I want the hard copy because it's one of those books that can really serve as a long term reference. I loved it.

I was set to review this book at the time when the pandemic and protests hit America and my stress levels were at an all time high. I’m a seasoned meditator but was still feeling the affects of everything. My schedule being off and feeling hopeless about all the hurt in the world had my head swimming. I felt like I needed and had to do and be more. This book put what I was feeling into perspective and offered help:

“When you have burnout, it always feels like there is more to do and more, more, more that you must give. In this book, I want you to see and feel that you are enough without more doing.”

The author showed me ways to “burn bright” by outwardly doing less and letting go. This enabled me to connect with my energy and light so that I could do the things I want with a sense of joy and ease on the path I have chosen for myself. She writes as follows:

“To burn bright is the opposite of the manic, overwhelmed, anxious, stress-driven, worried energy so many of us associate with productivity and achievement. It is a clean, calm, pure energy, based in love rather than fear— an energy that you can relax into, that feels timeless and dependable and as if it will never run out.”

Throughout the process, the author asks us to to keep looking inward, to find new layers of trust and recognition within ourselves.

She has infused the book with healing and balancing Reiki energy and a special magic intended to open us up to love and permission to burn bright.

There are three major parts to this book:
Part 1 explores the mess of being human and all it entails, which is very relatable to today’s world and time. It addresses stress, anxiety, and pain and how this imprints us.
Part 2 works through the ways to connect with your joy such as Reiki, EFT (tapping), and other methods.
Part 3 covers items that can be used to celebrate daily life, big events, and the cyclical nature of earthly existence such as meditations, crystals, yoga, astrology, and so on.

This book came at the right time for me and has opened my eyes to a lot of methods to help me connect to my joy and burn bright. I recommend this to anyone who is feeling burnout and feeling they need some help to decompress.

Thanks to Netgalley, publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.