A Piece of Peace: Everyday Mindfulness You Can Use

by Sweta Srivastava Vikram

A Piece of Peace is an autobiographical account of one woman's unique struggle with a near-fatal disease. In 2018, Sweta had already earned acclaim from having written a dozen successful books and for her work toward amplifying women's voices.
Suddenly overtaken with a massive health crisis, she entered a fight for her life that lasted more than six months. Her journey back to wellness through mindfulness and Ayurvedic healing show us both the true resilience of the human spirit as well as laying out a practical day-by-day plan that anyone can build on to restore health and recover from chronic health losses. Sweta shares her vulnerabilities, makes recommendations, interviews experts, and reminds us all that how we respond to a situation determines our path in life. Additionally, you'll learn about:
The power of mindful living.
The impact of finding and owning your voice on your well-being.
A reminder about the role of wellness in the lives of writers & creative professionals.
Essays and stories on coping with the pandemic, mindfulness, Ayurveda, meditation, resilience, productivity, and more.
Tips, tricks, wisdom all packed neatly with compassion to help you navigate life no matter what's thrown at you.
"A Piece of Peace is a great combination of personal experience and street-smart advice including some very potent lifestyle changes. It then segues into very practical tips to stay healthy, physically and mentally, during the pandemic and culminates in sage advice to authors."
Nitin P, Ron, MD, Speaker, Expedition Leader, and Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics
"A Piece of Peace is a wonderful collection of Sweta's reflections on her journey to healing from chronic illness. Sweta's bravery and determination to heal is reflected in her words of wisdom, which I am sure many will find empowering. I loved reading this easy-to-follow guide, it is beautifully honest and packed with tips for every day.
~-- Mita Mistry Columnist, mindfulness-based cognitive therapist and acupuncturist
"What did Sweta Vikram do after a miraculous recovery from near death? She wrote this healing guide to long term health for your creative mind, body and soul. Linger a while with her book and let your body unwind and find peace of mind - the keys to setting your creative soul free."
--- Cauvery Madhavan, Author of The Tainted
"A Piece of Peace by Sweta Vikram is the book every woman needs to have by her bedside. Each chapter is a little piece of magic that is easy to digest after a long day. When times are hard, we just need to know that other women feel the same, as a form of self-empathy."
-- Amy Wheeler, Director of Training at Optimal State Yoga Therapy School and Former President of the Board of Directors at International Association of Yoga Therapists

172 pages, Paperback

Published September 21, 2021

About the author

Sweta Srivastava Vikram (www.swetavikram.com), featured by Asian Fusion as “one of the most influential Asians of our time,” is an award-winning writer, five-time Pushcart Prize nominee, Amazon bestselling author of 11 books, writing coach, columnist, marketing consultant, and wellness practitioner who currently lives in New York City. She teaches the power of yoga, Ayurveda, & mindful living to female trauma survivors, creative types, entrepreneurs, and business professionals. She is also the CEO-Founder of NimmiLife, which helps you achieve your goals by elevating your creativity & productivity while paying attention to your wellness.

Reviews

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wont this book from Goodreads Giveaway and it was a perfect book to end 2022. I only wished I read this a month ago when I still was on crutches. Her chronic illness was my broken body and being couch bound for five months at least just like her. She got through a very tough time mentally and I applaud her. I was upbeat for most of my journey, but I had some pretty dark days.

You will find in this book ways to deal with those dark days whether it is due to the never-ending pandemic or an illness or an injury. I like that she ended the book with how to get through the pandemic (in 2020). She will give you tips on things to make you feel better, including warm water. Her underlying theme is that some chronic illnesses are brought on by stress or mental issues and if you work hard, you can fix some of it through gratitude, exercise, meditation, yoga, and looking at what's important to you. I liked her concepts and will apply to my other issues in my body.

She did repeat a lot of information, a little too much. It got annoying. And most of the book applied to creativity and writing (which she warns the reader), but some of it you can use in other aspects of your life. I recommend this book for sure.

[Victor&Jen Briere · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Piece of Peace, above all, is a deep dive into the power and meaning of vulnerability when it comes to engaging in authentic healing work. Healing takes risk, the risk to expose one’s self to the uncontrollable creativity life has to offer by shedding the layers of protection that we build through our lives. Mrs. Vikram’s willingness to share her life in order to bring this process to the light is a testament to her commitment to the essence of what Ayurveda describes as the root cause of all disease - the separation from Spirit. It helps to relate, on a very human level, to others who have suffered through what often feels like a lonely road. Mrs. Vikram offers precious companionship with her words and experiences. Keep a Piece of Peace close to your heart, like a dear friend, as you heal.

[Kenneth Martz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was refreshing. I didn't expect all that it offered, even after reading the table of contents. I found it thought-provoking and had a range of helpful tools that I don't hear from every other author. Enjoyed it!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Naomi Boshari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hooked right from the first few pages of the book. Sweta Vikram has a way of writing that is accessible and deeply relatable. She tackles topics like mental health, illness, well-being, boundaries, and productivity, creativity, in relation to the pandemic and in everyday life. She takes us through her journey from chronic illness to healing with mindfulness and Ayurveda practices and shares helpful tools we can all use in every aspect of our lives. This book gives us a beautifully vulnerable and honest account of how to not only survive in this world, but thrive, and step into our most powerful selves. Would highly recommend it especially for creatives but also for anyone who is looking to restore health and balance into their lives.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweta has very ingeniously used the creative art of writing as the vehicle to dialogue with us about life. As a well established authour, it comes as no surprise that this book is brilliant on so many levels. Sweta brings us into her life beautifully and candidly, sharing with us her insights on healing, writing, and living with a chronic illness that nearly took her life. 'A Piece of Peace' is a book for everyone - to read, to be treasured and to keep nearby. It will serve you well time and again when hope is not to be found or when encouragement is needed or when a solid dose of wisdom is all you need to get up and get going again."
Abhaya, C-IAYT, AWC

[Avid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding Peace in the Everyday

This is an excellent and timely book for living through the current pandemic. Using tools such as Ayurveda and mindfulness, this book takes the reader through an awareness that will help promote a stronger life both at home and at work. This work uses the author's experiences as a reflection, but it also addresses the needs of writer while balancing the use of Ayurveda and mindfulness to achieve a more relaxed and fulfilling life. The section entitled Writer's Corner uses topics that both beginning and advanced writers or even those who find themselves creatively blocked or asking questions will find useful. The Ayurvedic section gives tips and for those who wish to try, spices, that can bring the essence of overall holistic healing to the body. The pandemic section addresses how experiences, such as self-isolation or the question of creativity can be explored, perhaps leading to a sense of thriving instead of feeling closed down.
This is the book that will appeal to anyone who enjoys or wishes to know more about Ayurveda and its best use during the pandemic. This book especially works for writers and other creatives who might have found their creative wells running a bit dry during the pandemic. This book provides hope and inspiration with practical guidance. Overall, this is a great book for the current time.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Joyce Yarrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweta Vikram’s latest book offers exactly what its title suggests—a work based on her own painful, intense experience of what it was like to be broken by illness and forced to find ways in which to make herself whole again. She holds nothing back, this was no easy path – and that’s what makes this book so meaningful. As a writer, I personally found the chapters on nurturing creativity and balancing work with life-affirming relaxation and appreciation of nature to be the most helpful. But no matter where a reader comes from or what difficulties they face, they are likely to find something here that helps them get through a day, week, month or even a lifetime.

Filled with powerful essays on unhealed emotional trauma and accessing gratitude to help with healing, as well as step-by-step tips for healthy living, A Piece of Peace also brings us into close contact with its writer, whose anecdotes about her life bring the content to life. Vikram also acknowledges the importance of accepting and airing out our feelings and this focus on selfcare minus judgment is both unique and heartwarming.

[Veena Rao · Rating 5 out of 5]

A near-death health crisis motivated New York-based bestselling author Sweta Vikram to write her latest non-fiction work, A Piece of Peace: Everyday Mindfulness You Can Use. A collection of deeply reflective essays, the book chronicles the author’s six-month-long fight for life, her healing, and her journey back to wellness through Ayurveda, meditation, and mindfulness. The book offers practical plans to live our best lives, with an entire section devoted to thriving during the pandemic. "Don’t think of yourself as a victim because the pandemic happened to everyone. The degrees of suffering might differ, but we have all had heartaches. We all have bad days and that’s understandable. Be compassionate towards yourself and others. But after 16 months of navigating life with this virus, we no longer can use “pandemic” as an excuse for not being fully present or trying our best," the author says. The book also talks about the connection between chronic illness and unresolved trauma and the role of forgiveness in emotional healing. A must-read for those of us who aspire to live our best lives- pandemic or not!

[Loreen Volpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

"This author's 13th book is easy to read and hard to put down. But reading it slowly, savoring each short chapter, and applying Sweta's sage counsel to your own life will insure the most gain from her hard earned wisdom. Sweta's determination and perseverance after recovering from a near fatal illness is inspiring and motivating, especially to anyone struggling. Written from a place of vulnerability, sincerity and heartfulness, these pages contain doable steps toward living a healthy, meaningfully life, without bypassing or suppressing inevitable difficult emotions. She speaks directly to fellow writers but her perspective and guidance will be relevant to most. This book is truly a gift!"
~ Lori Volpe, Mind Body Practitioner, Mindfulness Based Stress Management Facilitator and Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner

[Jen Gilroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational, compassionate and honest, each essay in 'A Piece of Peace' is filled with wisdom for writers and other creatives.

In charting her journey through a devastating health crisis and living with chronic illness, Sweta Vikram offers practical tips for mindfulness, healthy living and personal growth that are easy to dip in and out of and apply.

Written with warmth and vulnerability, 'A Piece of Peace' is both a heartfelt account of the importance of self-care and self-empathy to wellness, as well as an essential tool kit to help us better nurture our bodies and creative souls.

[Anil Shrivastava · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Piece of Peace is a chronicle of events related to Vikram’s illness and her triumphant return to life. She shares lessons learned on her way to recovery and imparts valuable advice to her readers that can both be life-changing and life-saving. Her story demonstrates the victory of valiance over despair. This is a timely read, especially, because many of us are in low spirits due to the Coronavirus.

I was inspired by “A Piece of Peace” and learned valuable perseverance, courage, and survival lessons. I recommend this book to everyone regardless of their situation in life.