I was introduced to meditation through a hatha yoga course I took as a college student. That’s when I first became enthralled with eastern philosophy. I studied and later taught these subjects becoming a College Professor in them. I’m also a musician and massage therapist. I consider music, meditation, yoga, massage to be beautiful healing modalities with endless transformative possibilities. My various books have been translated into French, Polish, Romanian, Spanish, Turkish, Russian, Bulgarian, and more. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Meditation (co-written with Eve Adamson) has recently become available as an audiobook on Audible.com. This book has turned thousands of people onto the meditative path and I hope it will you too.
This was the first book I read on Yoga and it gave me a wonderful creative look at the effects yoga can have on a life. Inspiring and quite beautiful to read. It actually took me into a dream state as I envisioned the magnificence of this lifestyle. I still have the original copy I read which is tattered over so many re-reads. Decades later, my dissertation in Education included numerous references to this book and the profound influence it had on my teaching and on my life.
Autobiography of a Yogi is at once a beautifully written account of an exceptional life and a profound introduction to the ancient science of Yoga and its time-honored tradition of meditation. Profoundly inspiring, it is at the same time vastly entertaining, warmly humorous and filled with extraordinary personages.
Self-Realization Fellowship's editions, and none others, include extensive material added by the author after the first edition was published, including a final chapter on the closing years of his life.
Selected as "One of the 100 Best Spiritual Books of the Twentieth Century", Autobiography of a Yogi has been translated into more…
This book introduced me to a steady practice of yoga postures. I read it daily and with practice I was eventually able to even do the headstand! The pictures in it are beautifully done and inspiring. This book encouraged me to travel to many Sivananda Yoga Ashrams, where I studied for weeks at a time submerging myself into the yoga lifestyle. I learned a great deal about living in yoga thru this book.
The essential companion for beginning and experienced yogis alike! Now with fresh, colorful pages throughout, The Sivananda Companion to Yoga remains the classic guide to yoga. Featuring easy-to-follow instructions, inspirational teaching, and detailed illustrations, this authoritative guide covers every aspect of the yoga lifestyle—including relaxation, exercise, dietary guidelines, breathing, and meditation.
A highly regarded organization for yoga studies and practices, the Sivananda Yoga Center created the first edition of The Sivananda Companion to Yoga in 1983. Since its publication, it has sold more than 700,000 copies worldwide and has become a standard text for both yoga students and teachers.
This was the book used in the Teachers Training Course I took at the Temple of Kriya Yoga in Chicago. I lived and breathed these pages for the 14 months of training. During this in depth time of study I never missed a noon meditation by Goswami Kriyananda, the author of this book. Many of his past lectures and meditations are now available online. The Spiritual Science of Kriya Yoga is a treasure of information and inspiration.
This fully illustrated book is the most complete text available on the theory and practice of Kriya Yoga. The Spiritual Science of Kriya Yoga takes the student step-by-step through the eight stages of Patanjali's Kriya Yoga system and contains extensive chapters on hatha yoga pranayama, mantra, meditation and samadhi. Goswami Kriyananda explicitly teaches how specific asanas can be used to balance each of the seven charkas. If you could only have one book on yoga, this would be it!
For over a decade, I traveled the globe giving “Awareness Seminars” with Fr. Stroud. This book is like going to one of those seminars. It’s filled with exercises and stories that enlighten and encourage. Every time I read this book a new memory and/or revelation in Awareness inspires me to continue with an open heart and mind on this beautiful path of discovery. Thank you with all my heart, Fr. Stroud.
In his books Awareness and The Way to Love, among others,theinternationally acclaimed spiritual guide Anthony de Mello presented an approach to spirituality that integrated the ancient traditions of the East with the psychological and philosophical perspectives of the West. Twenty years after his death, de Mello’s books continue to attract readers and his work remains a powerful influence on contemporary spiritual thought and practices. J. Francis Stroud, S.J., who helped de Mello with his hugely successful lectures, seminars, and books, has dedicated himself to keeping de Mello’s teachings alive through the de Mello Spirituality Center at Fordham University. In Praying…
The power of the mind – simply and profoundly stated. A dictionary of illnesses with their mental causes along with affirmations to overcome them. From blisters on feet, cancer in body, to stuttering from lips. So many degrees and kinds of ailments are listed, and so many inspirations in ways to heal. Bravo to Louise for clearly and simply exemplifying the profound power of the mind!
Unlock the connection between your physical ailments and your mind, and discover powerful affirmations and practical techniques to help you reclaim your health.
World-renowned teacher, Louise L. Hay has helped to heal and inspire millions of people worldwide. She was diagnosed with cancer more than 20 years ago and used the methods she describes in Heal Your Body to cure herself. Louise L. Hay simply explains how our attitude to life and the language we use cause our ailments.
Using her simple and practical techniques, you will be surprised to discover patterns in your own ailments that reveal a lot…
In today's hectic times, it's more important than ever to learn to slow down, relax and be calm.
Whether part of religious habit or just part of a daily routine, meditation can help slow today's frenzied pace and improve feelings of good health, peace, and control. In The Complete Idiot's Guide to Meditation, Joan Budilovsky and Eve Adamson explain how easy it is to enjoy the benefits of meditation including: Simple stress-reduction techniques that make learning to meditate easier; Incorporating meditation into day-to-day situations.
Common misconceptions about meditating; Special techniques from Zen to mindfulness meditation and more.
I’m an OB/GYN, passionate about adventuring beyond what’s expected. This has led me to pivot multiple times in my career, now focusing on writing. I’ve written a play, The Post-Roe Monologues, to elevate women’s stories. I cherish the curiosity that drives outer and inner exploration, and I love memoirs that skillfully weave the two. The books on this list feature extraordinary women who took risks, left comfort and safety, and battled vulnerability to step into the unknown. These authors moved beyond the stories they’d believed about themselves–or that others told about them. They invite you to think about living fuller and bigger lives.
Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.
The team attempts a new route up the East Face without the use of supplemental oxygen, Sherpa support, or chance for rescue. When three climbers disappear during their summit attempt, Zieman reaches the knife edge of her limits and digs deeply to fight for the climbers’ lives and to find her voice.
The plan was outrageous: A small team of four climbers would attempt a new route on the East Face of Mt. Everest, considered the most remote and dangerous side of the mountain, which had only been successfully climbed once before. Unlike the first large team, Mimi Zieman and her team would climb without using supplemental oxygen or porter support. While the unpredictable weather and high altitude of 29,035 feet make climbing Everest perilous in any condition, attempting a new route, with no idea of what obstacles lay ahead, was especially audacious. Team members were expected to push themselves to their…
