East West Living

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If the stress and disharmony of city living has become a little too overwhelming, East West has plenty self-empowerment titles for cultivating metaphysical success — and comfy yoga clothes, too. The spare decor of tiny track lights and earthy grey floor tile make for an extremely mellow environment, and the café upstairs is a quiet place for some chai and spiritual conversation. The sections near the front of the store shelve how-to books on yoga, meditation, and tantra, while the topics in the back — esotericism, pagan magic and healing touch — are more apt to alarm the uninitiated. Fortunately, the able staff can thoroughly explain the significance of all the book genres, objects and adornments they vend, even if not in entirely unambiguous terms. The jewelry, for example, incorporates stones like hematite and quartz which raise the wearer to a “higher level.” Dubious or not, the objects can have irresistible back-stories. The Native American smudge wands — feather fans with polished wood handles and large Amethyst pommels — are traditionally used to cleanse a person’s spirit with swathes of sage smoke. At prices up to $120, however, your pocketbook had better be a strong center of energy. — Ben Perkins