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Why We Meditate

Daniel Goleman

We all experience negative emotions from time to time. But in a world with as much frenzy and pressure as ours, it’s incredibly easy for these same emotions to become destructive. Now, by blending Eastern tradition with Western science, Why We Meditate effortlessly helps you embrace and understand meditation as never before.

With accessible and eye-opening advice based on groundbreaking neuroscience, this guidebook helps you not only break free from negative patterns of thought and behavior but radically embrace your very being. Revolutionize your health, relationships, and soul with this book that is perfect for both serious meditators and those new to the practice.

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Effortless

Greg McKeown

As high achievers, we’ve been conditioned to believe that the path to success is paved with relentless work. That if we want to overachieve, we have to overexert, overthink, and overdo. That if we aren’t perpetually exhausted, we’re not doing enough.

But lately, working hard is more exhausting than ever. And the more depleted we get, the more effort it takes to make progress. Stuck in an endless loop of “Zoom, eat, sleep, repeat,” we’re often working twice as hard to achieve half as much.

Getting ahead doesn’t have to be as hard as we make it. No matter what challenges or obstacles we face, there is a better way: instead of pushing ourselves harder, we can find an easier path. 

Effortless offers actionable advice for making the most essential activities the easiest ones, so you can achieve the results you want, without burning out.  

Effortless teaches you how to:
• Turn tedious tasks into enjoyable rituals
• Prevent frustration by solving problems before they arise  
• Set a sustainable pace instead of powering through
• Make one-time choices that eliminate many future decisions
• Simplify your processes by removing unnecessary steps
• Make relationships easier to maintain and manage
• And much more   

The effortless way isn't the lazy way. It's the smart way. It may even be the only way. 

Not every hard thing in life can be made easy. But we can make it easier to do more of what matters most.

 

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The Listening Path

Julia Cameron

The newest book from beloved author Julia Cameron, The Listening Path is a transformational journey to deeper, more profound listening and creativity. Over six weeks, readers will be given the tools to become better listeners—to their environment, the people around them, and themselves. The reward for learning to truly listen is immense. As we learn to listen, our attention is heightened and we gain healing, insight, clarity. But above all, listening creates connections and ignites a creativity that will resonate through every aspect of our lives.
 

The Listening Path offers a new method of creative and personal transformation. Each week, readers will be challenged to expand their ability to listen in a new way, beginning by listening to their environment and culminating in learning to listen to silence. These weekly practices open up a new world of connection and fulfillment. In a culture of bustle and constant sound, The Listening Path is a deeply necessary reminder of the power of truly hearing.

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Slow Birding

Joan E. Strassmann

A one-of-a-kind guide to birding locally that encourages readers to slow down and notice the spectacular birds all around them.

Many birders travel far and wide to popular birding destinations to catch sight of rare or “exotic” birds. In Slow Birding, evolutionary biologist Joan E. Strassmann introduces readers to the joys of birding right where they are.

In this inspiring guide to the art of slow birding, Strassmann tells colorful stories of the most common birds to be found in the United States—birds we often see but might not have considered deeply before. For example, northern cardinals thrive in the city, where they are free from predators. White brows on a male white-throated sparrow indicate that he is likely to be a philanderer. This essential guide to the fascinating world of common, everyday birds features:

  • detailed portraits of individual bird species and the scientists who have discovered and observed them
  • advice and guidance on what to look for when slow birding, so that you can uncover clues to the reasons behind specific bird behaviors
  • bird-focused activities that will open your eyes more to the fascinating world of birds
  • Slow Birding is the perfect guide for the birder looking to appreciate the beauty of the birds right in their own backyard, observing keenly how their behaviors change from day to day and season to season.

 

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Joyful

Ingrid Fetell Lee

Have you ever wondered why we stop to watch the orange glow that arrives before sunset, or why we flock to see cherry blossoms bloom in spring? Is there a reason that people -- regardless of gender, age, culture, or ethnicity -- are mesmerized by baby animals, and can't help but smile when they see a burst of confetti or a cluster of colorful balloons.

We are often made to feel that the physical world has little or no impact on our inner joy. Increasingly, experts urge us to find balance and calm by looking inward -- through mindfulness or meditation -- and muting the outside world. But what if the natural vibrancy of our surroundings is actually our most renewable and easily accessible source of joy?

In Joyful, designer Ingrid Fetell Lee explores how the seemingly mundane spaces and objects we interact with every day have surprising and powerful effects on our mood. Drawing on insights from neuroscience and psychology, she explains why one setting makes us feel anxious or competitive, while another fosters acceptance and delight -- and, most importantly, she reveals how we can harness the power of our surroundings to live fuller, healthier, and truly joyful lives.

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The Self-Talk Workout

Rachel Goldsmith Turow

Self-talk matters, but what methods of building healthy self-talk actually work? This how-to guide shares evidence-based techniques to go from being your own worst critic to your own best friend.

Perhaps you want to be nicer to yourself but don’t really know how to get there. Or maybe you’re someone who assumes self-criticism is a permanent part of your personality. Rest assured you’re not alone—millions of people struggle with the toll that excessive self-criticism takes on their minds, energy levels, jobs, and relationships. And problems with self-talk vary dramatically from one person to the next: they can appear as mild but persistent inner criticism, full-blown self-loathing, or the pain of internalized oppression or abuse. 

After over twenty years of working with individuals, groups, and classes on self-criticism and related challenges, psychologist and mindfulness teacher Dr. Rachel Goldsmith Turow offers the “self-talk workout”—six doable exercises that can help you replace self-criticism with self-kindness and self-encouragement. Specific self-talk strategies such as “Spot the success,” “Fail forward,” and “Allowing all feelings, skillfully,” require just a few minutes a day. These skills can be practiced individually to transform your self-talk, or you can choose to combine two or more exercises to enhance your self-talk workout. Each chapter features a core exercise, variations on the strategy that might feel right for you, scientific studies supporting each approach, and success stories to inspire your own practice. 

Turow includes examples from her own life and experiences as a psychotherapist, as well as lessons from her students and respected public figures such as Michelle Obama and Thich Nhat Hanh, to show that the burden of harsh self-criticism need not go on forever: the way that we relate to ourselves can be changed.

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Mindful Origami Kit

Mark Bolitho

Lose yourself inb the calming world of origami and create beautiful objects to amaze and inspire your friends and family. With the expertly detailed guidance of Mark Bolitho, learn the wondrous art of paper-folding, inspired by these 15 attractive models.

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Yoga For Men

Bruce Van Horn

From the moment the alarm clock sounds to the time his head hits the pillow again, the typical man experiences dozens of stressful events every day. Whether it's tight finances, employment insecurity, challenging family issues, or all of the above, the majority of men fail to cope with such stress in a healthy way. Yoga for Men equips men with the yoga know-how to improve their physical, mental, and spiritual health. An increasing number of men are tapping into the power yoga can release within them. Yoga for Men homes in on yoga techniques that address issues of specific concern to today's males, including reducing the risk of prostate cancer, decreasing daily tension, increasing sexual performance, improving metabolism, and enhancing flexibility and muscle mass. Using a plain-English, straightforward approach, author Bruce Van Horne walks male readers through yoga tips that will help them get into better shape, release fears that are blocking personal goals, and enjoy life more fully.

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Aim True

Kathryn Budig

Are You Ready to Discover What Aim True Means to You?

Yoga teacher and inspirational speaker Kathryn Budig is known for her ability to encourage others to set their intentions and goals, no matter how lofty, and work toward them while staying true to themselves.

In Aim True, Budig extends her empowering message beyond the mat. Life is an adventure that is meant to be explored, challenged, and fully lived. The best part? When you approach life with an open mind and heart, the possibilities are endless. Allow Budig to be your guide along the journey with:

• A 5-day purification process

• 6 yoga sequences to put into practice

• Over 85 recipes to seduce your inner Top Chef

• An introduction to meditation

• Homeopathic self-care and beauty recipes

Whether your goal is to love who you are right now, reshape the way you view food, develop a meditation practice, or discover new ways to embrace the great balancing act that is life, this holistic approach to yoga, diet, and mindfulness has something for you. Filled with vibrant photographs and whimsical illustrations, this guide is as beautiful as it is life-changing.

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Slow

Brooke McAlary

Free yourself from the frantic and embrace the joy of slow...ing contribution to the slow living community. 

Are you constantly striving to keep up with life's busy expectations? It's easy to feel consumed with the desire to "succeed" and "acquire," and miss the simple opportunities waiting for you to slow down: a walk in the forest, sharing laughter with family, a personal moment of gratitude...

Once upon a time, it became clear to Brooke McAlary that the key to happiness was discovering a simpler, more fulfilling existence. She put the brakes on her stressful path, and reorganized her life to live outside the status-quo, emphasizing depth, connection and meaningful experiences. Alongside Brooke's affirming personal stories of breaking down and rising up, Slow provides practical advice and fascinating insights into the benefits and challenges of the slow life, such as:

--Decluttering to de-owning
--Messiness to mindfulness
--Asking why, to asking where to now?

Slow is an inspirational guide on creating a life filled with the things that really matter, and is meant for anyone seeking peace, meaning, and joy in their otherwise rapid lives. Slowly--of course.

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Mindfulness for Unravelling Anxiety

Richard Gilpin

Anxiety is a state many of us know only too well and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is on the global increase too. Mindfulness for Unravelling Anxiety helps loosen the knots and tangles of anxiety and explores the ways we can break their stifling bonds through better understanding of the root of the problem – the mind. Richard Gilpin shares frank personal anecdotes and therapeutic insights, revealing how mindfulness can create a path for us through anxiety. With wisdom and clarity, he guides us through the transformative practice of mindfulness meditation.

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From Suffering to Peace

Mark Coleman

Like yoga before it, mindfulness is now flourishing in every sector of society. It is a buzzword in everything from medicine to the military. Mark Coleman, who has studied and taught mindfulness meditation for decades, draws on his knowledge to not only clarify what mindfulness truly means but also reveal the depth and potential of this ancient discipline. Weaving together contemporary applications with practices in use for millennia, his approach empowers us to engage with and transform the inevitable stress and pain of life, so we can discover genuine peace — in the body, heart, mind, and wider world. While profound and multilayered, the mindfulness teachings Coleman shares have proved effective in a wide variety of settings. From Suffering to Peace will help readers of all kinds access and benefit from the "true promise of mindfulness."

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Pause, Rest, Be

Octavia F. Raheem

Restoring your body, mind, and spirit amid change is an act of courage, empowerment, and hope. This warm, powerful guide will help you honor the changes and spaces in your life with purposeful rest and reflection.

If you're trying to push your way through endings, beginnings, and places of uncertainty, only to find yourself more confused, disconnected, tired, and uncertain, this book will hold and fortify you. Yoga teacher and activist Octavia Raheem offers us the motivation and guidance we need to restore ourselves in the midst of all sorts of change. She gives us three simple restorative yoga poses (savasana, side lying pose, and child’s pose), and offers short teachings, reflections, and practices to see us through times of ending, beginning, and liminal/transitional space. She shows us how slowing down, stillness, and deeper connection to our own transitions empower us to move through collective shifts with more grace--and what it means to navigate shifts and change with presence and courage.

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Good Mornings

Linnea Dunne

Early-morning rituals for contentment, clarity and purpose.
In this inspirational guide, Linnea Dunne shows how building a life-affirming ritual into your morning routine is an act of self-care that can benefit both your physical and mental health, enhance your productivity and positively influence your day. Whether it's a dedicated yoga practice at sunrise, mindfulness meditation just after waking, journalling while you sip your morning coffee, or listening to birdsong in the back garden before you tackle your daily commute, a morning ritual can enhance your health and wellbeing, and bring increased contentment, clarity and purpose to your day. With countless ideas for nourishing morning practices and invaluable advice on how to create a morning ritual that is unique to you and takes your individual needs, circumstances and time constraints into account, this book will help you to make the most of the peace and promise of the first moments of every day.

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Sitting Still Like a Frog

Eline Snel

Simple mindfulness practices to help your child (ages 5-12) deal with anxiety, improve concentration, and handle difficult emotions—with a 60-minute audio CD of guided exercises

Mindfulness—the quality of attention that combines full awareness with acceptance of each moment, just as it is—is gaining broad acceptance among mental health professionals as an adjunct to treatment. This little book is a very appealing introduction to mindfulness meditation for children and their parents. In a simple and accessible way, it describes what mindfulness is and how mindfulness-based practices can help children calm down, become more focused, fall asleep more easily, alleviate worry, manage anger, and generally become more patient and aware. The book contains eleven practices that focus on just these scenarios, along with short examples and anecdotes throughout.

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Miracles Now

Gabrielle Bernstein

"Miracles Now by New York Times best-selling author Gabrielle Bernstein will help readers clear stress and find peace--even if they only have a minute to spare. Bernstein knows that most of us don't have time for an hour of yoga or 30 minutes of meditation to dissolve our anxiety, so she has hand-picked 111 techniques to combat our most common problems--from fear and anxiety to burnout and fatigue. Inspired by some of the greatest spiritual teachings, Bernstein offers up spirit-based principles, meditations, and practical, do-them-in-the-moment tools to help readers burst through blocks to live with more ease. She breaks down each technique Spirit Junkie style--with meditations, assessment questions, and step-by-step guidance--while incorporating lessonsfrom A Course in Miracles.As readers benefit from the techniques they'll be able to share them. Each practice has been boiled down to a 140-character description--or Miracle Message--which can be tweeted, pinned on Pinterest, posted to Facebook, or shared on Instagram. Each Miracle Message will end with the hashtag #111Miracles. Ebook readers can share from their device.Readers familiar with Bernstein's fun and innovative take on spirituality will scoop up her latest work. And those who are discovering her will appreciate her tech-savvy approach to spirituality and transformation"--

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Wherever You Go, There You Are

Jon Kabat-Zinn

The author of Full Catastrophe Living explains how anyone can use mindfulness--the art of living each moment fully as it happens--to reduce anxiety, achieve inner peace, and enrich life.

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The Mindful Way to a Good Night's Sleep

Tzivia Gover

This accessible guide to cultivating deep, restful sleep — naturally — combines author Tzivia Gover’s expertise in both mindfulness and dreamwork. Along with a healthy dose of encouragement, Gover offers practical lifestyle advice, simple yoga poses, 10-minute meditations, and easy breathing exercises, plus visualization and journaling activities. You’ll also learn how to set the scene for safe, productive dreaming and cultivate your dream recall. This holistic approach extends into your waking hours with tips on morning routines to ensure that sound sleep leads to refreshed, more conscious living all day long.

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The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi

Peter Wayne

A longtime teacher and Harvard researcher presents the latest science on the benefits of T’ai Chi as well as a practical daily program for practitioners of all ages
 
Conventional medical science on the Chinese art of T’ai Chi now shows what T’ai Chi masters have known for centuries: regular practice leads to more vigor and flexibility, better balance and mobility, and a sense of well-being. Cutting-edge research from Harvard Medical School also supports the long-standing claims that T’ai Chi also has a beneficial impact on the health of the heart, bones, nerves and muscles, immune system, and the mind. This research provides fascinating insight into the underlying physiological mechanisms that explain how T’ai Chi actually works.

Dr. Peter M. Wayne, a longtime T’ai Chi teacher and a researcher at Harvard Medical School, developed and tested protocols similar to the simplified program he includes in this book, which is suited to people of all ages, and can be done in just a few minutes a day. 

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