How did a venerable Indian spiritual discipline turn into a GBP20 billion-a-year mainstay of the wellness industry? What happened along yoga's winding path from the caves and forests of the sages to the gyms, hospitals and village halls of the modern West? This comprehensive history sets yoga in its global cultural context for the first time, leading us on a journey from arcane religious rituals and medieval body-magic, through Christianity and the British Empire, to Indian nationalists and the twentieth-century West. Yoga has now become embedded in powerful social currents including feminism, digital media, celebrity culture, the stress pandemic and the quest for authentic identity. Shearer's revealing history boasts a colourful cast of characters past and present, in an engaging tale of scholars and scandal, science and spirit, wisdom and waywardness. This is the untold story of yoga, warts and all.

Sample ways to find happiness from around the world and discover tips on how to adopt these philosophies at home. Wherever we are in the world, as humans we're all striving for happiness--a feeling of wellbeing and calm amidst the everyday struggles and chaos. What differs is how we pursue that happiness, and there are a range of philosophies on offer around the globe. From searching for ikigai (the 'meaning of life') in Japan or taking a fika coffee break in Sweden, to heading for the hills to clear the mind in Norway or appreciating the art of gezellig ('coziness') in the Netherlands, the world is a tapestry of happiness philosophies we can sample and learn from. This book features 20 philosophies together with gorgeous illustrations. Each chapter includes an overview of that philosophy, where it originates from, its meaning to that culture, and ways to implement the philosophy in your everyday life at home. There's also information on places you can travel to experience the philosophy a little deeper, and interviews with people who very much practice what they preach, all wrapped up in a beautiful package.

In this beautifully written book, Buddhist monk and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Thich Nhat Hanh explains how to acquire the skills of mindfulness. Once we have these skills, we can slow our lives down and discover how to live in the moment - even simple acts like washing the dishes or drinking a cup of tea may be transformed into acts of meditation.

Thich Nhat Hanh's gentle anecdotes and practical exercises help us to arrive at greater self-understanding and peacefulness, whether we are beginners or advanced students.

Irrespective of our particular religious beliefs, we can begin to reap the immense benefits that meditation has been scientifically proven to offer. We can all learn how to be mindful and experience the miracle of mindfulness for ourselves.

Cultivate calm and creativity with Magical Meditations, a guided journal filled with prompts and rituals to inspire peace and mindful reflection. Soothing spells, restorative rituals, and mystical meditations inspire magical contemplation in this beautiful guided journal. Harness the power of intention with creativity-sparking prompts and enchanted illustrations as you write, draw, and dream up a life filled with peace, clarity, and magic. This guided journal includes: * 30 prompts to inspire mindful reflection. * 10 spells, rituals, and meditations to incorporate into your practice. * An introduction to calming magic. * Full-colour illustrations throughout. * Blank, lined, and uncoated pages for recording your own dreams, hopes, and magic.

Mantra is not a scary word. Nor is reciting mantra impractical. An important and essential part of most every eastern spiritual practice, it's an easy, accessible tool that anyone can use. Akin to singing in the shower, it can be done whenever it suits you, on your own, and no matter what kind of voice you are working with. Audiences who come to see Alanna Kaivalya at concerts across the country listen in rapt attention at her telling of the mythology and the chanting of the chant and she finds that practitioners love both aspects equally. All spiritual practitioners seek to know themselves better, and Alanna shows that both of these tools are interrelated and important elements of the practitioner's personal development. This book will allow all lovers of myth and mantra to explore further the power contained within this practice.

A book that imparts a sense of safety and serenity in a world that seems increasingly scary and dangerous. Each of the ten sections have ten to fifteen meditations. Those ten points of focus are: re-greening arid places; embodying heart energy; nourishing our souls; intertwining soul-strands; honouring sacred rights and responsibilities; creating spiritual touchstones; awakening to wisdom; enrolling in saint's school; ascending to gratitude; embracing angels and other emissaries. This is an inspirational pick-me-up for women, meant to be read over and over again throughout the course of a year.

Christianity Today Award of Merit In the midst of our hectic, overscheduled lives, caring for the soul is imperative. Now, more than ever, we need to pause-intentionally-and encounter the Divine. Soul care director Barbara Peacock illustrates a journey of prayer, spiritual direction, and soul care from an African American perspective. She reflects on how these disciplines are woven into the African American culture and lived out in the rich heritage of its faith community. Using examples of ten significant men and women-Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Darrell Griffin, Renita Weems, Harold Carter, Jessica Ingram, Coretta Scott King, James Washington, and Howard Thurman-Barbara offers us the opportunity to engage in practices of soul care as we learn from these spiritual leaders. If you've yearned for a more culturally authentic experience of spiritual transformation in your life and community, this book will help you grow in new yet timeless ways. Come to the river to draw deeply for your soul's refreshment.

"The Art Of Feeling Good" unveils ase Yoga, a self-healing practice that transcends our obstacles and transforms our lives. African American women in the United States and the Diaspora share a unique history, which has affected how we feel about ourselves. Something happen, yet we don't talk about it. But, even if we choose not to deal with the chaos of the past, the suffering of our foremothers will not fade away. Knowing the history is not enough. Healing from the "enslavement process" is crucial to connecting with our beauty and feeling good. In "The Art of Feeling Good," Dr. Robbin Alston takes us on a journey to the balancing power of ase Yoga. As a guide, this book encourages African American women to begin embracing and re-claiming yoga as practice for healing. Using our ancient mystical systems, knowing who we are, reconnecting with a universal holistic spirit-mind-body energy practice, with ase Yoga, we begin to re-member, to re-discover our real identity. Dr. Alston introduces the balancing power of ase Yoga, a blend of personal energy, healing asanas, healthy lifestyles, breath connection, rhythmic movements and guided meditations designed to activate our vital energy centers, rebalance our life force and engender authentic relationships with self and others It's time to feel good. "The Art of Feeling Good" offers a path to wellness, right relationships and mindful choices. This book shares with you an empowering healing process that supports your journey toward self-realization and feeling good.

'This is a book that should be on every meditator's bookshelf' - Dr Jim Lockard An accessible, insightful, user-friendly guide to meditation, perfect for anyone who wants to enjoy sustained and meaningful meditation practice Meditation is an ancient practice that has brought peace and clarity to people from every time, culture and place. Its benefits - a sense of calm, greater knowledge of self, better health - are as appealing to the modern world as they were to the ancient. In this beginner's guide to meditation, author Patrick Harbula provides readers with everything they need to know in order to experience deep meditation. Readers will learn: - The history of meditation, both Eastern and Western - The benefits of meditation for the mind, body, and spirit - Different forms of meditation practice - Supportive practices to enhance the benefits of meditation in daily living. - Simple ways to begin meditation immediately, and more . . . In addition, readers will also find simple techniques to deepen the meditation path for more experienced meditators. Meditation demystifies the often times intimidating world of meditation, providing the perfect starting point for anyone looking to cultivate a sense of peace in their life.

Many of us live on autopilot, often so guarded that we don't experience the potential richness that life has to offer. How can we find real happiness amidst the chaos, where we don't reach our life's end and feel we missed out? In Stop Missing Your Life, mindfulness teacher Cory Muscara takes us on a journey into the heart of what is required for real change, growth, and happiness. He exposes how the phrase "be present" has become little more than a platitude, imbued with the misguided message to be present just for the sake of being present, and reveals how to achieve true Presence: a quality of being that is unmistakably attractive about a person, and one that only comes when we've peeled back the layers of guarding that prevent us from being our full, honest, and integrated selves in the world. Muscara shows how we build internal walls, what he describes as a "Pain Box" inhibiting us from living a deeply connected and meaningful life. He offers a four-part FACE model (Focus, Allow, Curiosity, and Embodiment) that helps chip away at those walls and builds our capacity to experience the richness of our lives. Stop Missing Your Life ultimately teaches how we can find peace in the chaos and become better people for our family, our communities, and our world.

A collection of restful puzzles and brain-training activities, designed to relieve stress and inspire creativity. This is the fourth in a series of four books by the same bestselling author, which currently includes The Mindfulness Puzzle Book, The Mindfulness Puzzle Book 2 and The Mindfulness Puzzle Book 3. There is also an ebook, Mindfulness Puzzles for Your Kindle, comprising content from books 2 and 3. Puzzle-solving is a favourite relaxation technique for many, and this book features a wide range of specially selected games to provide the perfect level of challenge and reward for your brain. Feel the tension release as you focus on each achievable and fun task, and experience the endorphin-reward buzz as you successfully complete each puzzle. Stimulating your mind with each puzzle also helps unlock your brain's innate creativity, just as sleep and rest can help you reach a breakthrough on pending tasks. This book will help you feel refreshed and renewed, and ready to carry on with your daily life. Puzzles include a wide selection of standard puzzle types, avoiding the stress of the new, but without the boredom of over-repetition. They also include adult versions of relaxing kids' activities, such dot-to-dot puzzles, mazes, colouring-in and spot-the-difference puzzles.

From the author of the bestselling classic The Meditation Bible. Meditation has the potential to help you create a better state of mind. But with the time constraints of everyday modern life, it isn't always easy to find an opportunity to be alone with your thoughts. With Minute Meditations it can be. Divided into three handy sections - 5, 10 and 20 minute practices - this book is perfect for busy lives. No matter how much time you have in your day, it will allow you to reap the benefits of daily meditation, creating calm and balance in the busyness of everyday life. Incorporating short practices into your daily life also benefits those who engage in longer practices by training the mind to enter a meditative space more easily. You'll find 5, 10 and 20 minute meditations specially designed to help in every aspect of your life, including meditations for: - Calming and Centring Yourself - Healing your Body, Mind and Spirit - Promoting Love and Compassion for Yourself and Others - Living More Mindfully - Problem Solving - Manifesting your Dreams and Connecting to the Divine Take some 'you' time wherever you are to recharge, de-stress and connect with your spiritual self. Discover what even 5 minutes can do for your inner peace.

Freedom to live, love and succeed on your own terms comes from learning how to trust that grace will provide for you. This grace is to be found within ourselves and encompasses peace of mind, an ability to be fully present in the moment, and an awareness of the power and possibilities present in the infinite. Bestselling author Brandon Bays leads you on this challenging journey with daily meditations and contemplations to draw you ever deeper into an awareness of this awesome power. As your awareness grows, your own wisdom will reveal itself and you will be able to live in the deep peace of freedom.

Many people are discovering in meditation a way to find peace of mind and a more centred focus on their true inner nature. This book is the first of the series of volumes where spiritual teacher Sri Chinmoy answers a very wide range of questions about meditation, including the meaning of different meditation experiences, how to make meditation practical and the intrinsic value of meditation. Topics include: What is the best way to meditate; How to begin meditation; How to empty the mind; How to develop better concentration; The significance of mantras; How to keep inner peace in the outside world; Understanding of higher experiences in meditation.

Research shows that the stress points in children's daily lives are on the increase and can have a negative impact on their ability to learn, relate to others and to themselves. This practical resource: explains and demystifies relaxation, meditation and visualisation; provides an educational rationale backed up by case study material that shows the benefits of helping children to develop 'stillpoints' in order to neutralise stress, develop a stronger sense of 'self' and create 'optimum' learning states; includes a very practical and unique resource for use in the classroom or home. Based on sound educational, yogic and psychological philosophies, each of the 7 tracks has a specific theme and is only 5 minutes long: Track 1: Relaxation - 5/6 minutes (sitting in a chair); Track 2: Heart Meditation - 5/6 minutes (sitting in a chair); Track 3: Finding Peacefulness - 5/6 minutes (sitting in a chair); Track 4: Pack Up Your Troubles - 5/6 minutes (sitting in a chair); Track 5: Finding Silence - 5/6 minutes (sitting in a chair); Track 6: The Learning Tree - 5/6 minutes (sitting cross-legged); Track 7: The Learning Tree 2 - 5/6 minutes (lying down). The handbook provides the rationale for the 'why' and the downloadable resources provide the guidance and practical application on the 'how'.