A revolutionary approach to writing inspired by ancient Eastern wisdom, from the bestselling author of Wabi Sabi Join author and Japanologist Beth Kempton on a sacred journey to uncover the secrets of fearless writing which have lain buried in Eastern philosophy for two thousand years. In a radical departure from standard advice and widely-held assumptions about the effort and suffering required for creative success, The Way of the Fearless Writer will show you there is another way to thrive - a path of trust, ease, freedom and joy. Learn how to free your mind so your body can create, transform your relationship with fear, dissolve self-doubt, shift writer's block, access your true voice and bravely share your words with the world. This profound book reveals the deep connections between mind, body, spirit, breath and words. Offering a rare insight into the writing life and a host of fresh and original exercises, it will open your eyes to writing as a direct connection to life itself. Welcome to The Way of the Fearless Writer.

The Sunday Times bestseller FEATURED ON THE DELICIOUSLY ELLA PODCAST We're all on a search for happiness, but we're looking in the wrong places. Everyone looks externally to find contentment, we think material possessions will unlock our happiness. A Monk's Guide to Happiness explains how and why we need to look within, and connect to our true essence, in order to find peace. Everyone has the potential to be happy, after all, we're all 'hardwired' for happiness. But how do we get there? By meditating. Not just in the morning, but throughout the day by introducing micro moments so we never drop the mindfulness ball, even when we're busy. Meditation is more than just a stress-reduction tool or a relaxation therapy, it is the key to finding long-lasting happiness. Gelong Thubten, a Buddhist monk who has worked with everyone from Silicon Valley entrepreneurs to Ruby Wax and Benedict Cumberbatch, explores the theme of happiness in his debut book and explains how to bring meditation into our busy 21st century lives with simple exercises. 'Thubten is a very generous and kind monk who writes with the lived honesty and humour of someone who has experienced the wisdom he shares. His writing is full of inspiration but also the pragmatism needed to form a sustainable practice. His book clearly illustrates why we all need meditation and mindfulness in our lives.' - Benedict Cumberbatch

Imagine you've just entered the parking garage of your office building one morning, you step out of the car, still a little sleepy-eyed, lock the door with your remote and turn around: There staring in your face is a camel, with profoundly soft, gentle eyes, silhouetted against a setting sun. The parking lot? Gone. Your office building? Doesn't exist anymore. And your hum-drum 9-to-5? Gone too. No, this is not the Twilight Zone, it's what this book Through the Eye of A Needle is about: The transformation of our hum-drum existence into the miraculous -- and you don't even have to buy expensive tickets and fly to Egypt for it to happen, the transformation can begin right in the middle of this sentence you're reading -- like turning around in a parking garage one hum-drum morning and staring at a camel. And if that were not not good enough, the book won't even cost you that much: $39.95 (and as everybody knows if you wait long enough, Amazon will sell it to you for a third of that price.) So what's this book about again? Read the inside flap of the dust cover, it will tell you: It's about "the union of the sacred and the profane. Beginning with a brief reconnaisance of prehistoric caves at Chauvet and winding its way through ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, the book] asks a simple question: What do these images really mean?" The book's punchline (which you won't find here) relating to the secret teachings of Lao Tzu, Buddha, Moses, Christ and Plato will simply astonish you -- and (depending on your type -- negative, positive, neutral) maybe even please you.

This book discusses the relationship between compassion and peace with a special emphasis on the role that therapy and education can play in promoting a state of affairs in which, as humanity becomes more compassionate, peace becomes more possible.

This essential meditation manual for the Western reader shares step-by-step guidance to elevating your meditation practice and discovering greater peace and insight. The Mind Illuminated is a comprehensive, accessible and - above all - effective book on meditation, providing a nuts-and-bolts stage-based system that helps all levels of meditators establish and deepen their practice. Providing step-by-step guidance for every stage of the meditation path, this uniquely comprehensive guide for a Western audience combines the wisdom from the teachings of the Buddha with the latest research in cognitive psychology and neuroscience. Clear and friendly, this in-depth practice manual builds on the nine-stage model of meditation originally articulated by the ancient Indian sage Asanga, crystallizing the entire meditative journey into 10 clearly-defined stages. The book also introduces a new and fascinating model of how the mind works, and uses illustrations and charts to help the reader work through each stage. This manual is an essential read for the beginner to the seasoned veteran of meditation.

Written by the UK's leading teacher and practitioner Natasha de Grunwald, a pioneer of Thai massage and bodywork for 30 years. Thai Massage Dissected is a book aimed at massage therapists, yoga teachers, physiotherapists, osteopaths and all manual therapists who want to expand their therapeutic approach and are curious to learn about the body from a Thai anatomy and dissection perspective. Therapeutic Thai massage and bodywork is a rich and diverse modality, so much more than the stretching and deep tissue work for which it is known. The book provides a richly curated combination of tools, techniques and protocols that will enhance all practitioners' skill sets. Natasha discusses the roots of this modality as Buddhist medicine, the five element system, the use of therapeutic herbs and Thai anatomy, whilst also writing about concepts such as proprioception and interoception. There is an additional chapter looking at traditional healthcare practices for women, informed by her time spent with village midwives on the Thai/Burmese border. Natasha de Grunwald uses imagery from many hours spent in a cadaver lab to describe anatomical, textural layers and structures, bringing human form to life. She consolidates this with a therapeutic perspective on Thai medical theory and how Thai massage and bodywork can be carried out in a clinical setting. This comes from her extensive research, studies and knowledge spanning over three decades.

Silence your inner critic and offer yourself the kindness and acceptance you deserve with these 150 guided meditations to embracing your true self. We are often kinder to others than we are to ourselves. But self-compassion is vital to helping you understand your emotions, giving and receiving love, letting go of past mistakes, moving forward with more confidence, and so much more. Now you can cultivate and practice self-compassion through 150 guided meditations in My Pocket Mediations for Self-Compassion. Learn how to find and express kindness and compassion towards yourself and make peace with your emotions, build your resiliency, and learn not only to accept, but appreciate exactly who you are. Featuring meditations on self-appreciation, being body positive, accepting love, meeting your emotions, and more, this book will help you start living with more self-awareness, kindness, and peace every day.

Often we all feel frantic and stressed when travelling, whether on the daily commute or the annual family holiday. But travel presents many opportunities that - with a mindful approach - can open up our minds and hearts to new places, new people and new experiences that can enrich our existence. Often we focus on where we are going and how we are to get there, but the questions this book poses are why we travel and how we can gain fulfilment by doing so. With inspirational quotes, practical travel tips and Tiddy's own observations on travel, The Little Book of Mindful Travel is a stimulating read for travelling both in mind and body.

A practical and inspiring approach to tackling our environmental crisis, from a master spiritual teacher. We can heal our earth by choosing a simpler, more fulfilling lifestyle, as trustees of a compassionate universe. Eknath Easwaran presents a penetrating analysis of the spiritual roots of our current predicament and offers a realistic and hopeful way forward. Each of us has a role to play in making wise choices, and each of us can genuinely make a difference. Drawing inspiration and insight from Mahatma Gandhi, Saint Francis, and his own experience of living in the East and the West, Easwaran shows the connections between individual thoughts and actions that move beyond consumerism to the unity of life. Mahatma Gandhi formulated a series of diagnoses of our seemingly perpetual state of crisis, which he called "the seven social sins": knowledge without character, science without humanity, wealth without work, commerce without morality, politics without principles, pleasure without conscience, and worship without self-sacrifice. Easwaran explores each of these diagnoses in turn and presents an alternative hypothesis of who we are and how we fit into the universe. This is ecology as a great adventure, filled with the challenges and rewards of inner growth. Easwaran tells us that "once we open our eyes to cooperation, artistry, thrift, and compassion, we begin to see thousands of little things we can do to help restore the environment - and restore dignity and deeper fulfillment to our own lives." Eknath Easwaran is renowned as a teacher of meditation and for his translations of the Indian scriptures. His writings express timeless spiritual insights and are illustrated by stories from East and West. His books reflect two cultures: India, where he grew up in a self-supporting agrarian village, and the United States, where he taught and lectured for over thirty years. His early experiences of living in harmony with nature, his firsthand acquaintance with Gandhi's India, and his long familiarity with an American audience have resulted in this book: a deeply thoughtful examination of our present situation, and a blueprint for living as trustees of a compassionate universe, in a world that we would want our children and grandchildren to inherit.

Use your mantram when you're ill or anxious, tired or restless, and it will guide you and comfort you like a true friend. The Mantram, or mantra, is a short, powerful, spiritual formula from the world's great traditions, repeated silently in the mind, anytime, anywhere. Easwaran, the author of Passage Meditation and the best-selling translations of The Bhagavad Gita, The Upanishads and The Dhammapada, taught the use of the mantram for forty years as part of his passage meditation program.The mantram can help you to steady your mind and free it from anxiety, anger or resentment. Easwaran explains how the mantram works, and gives practical guidelines for using it to focus your thoughts and access deeper resources of strength, patience, and love.

Inspired by old Nordic myths and folklore, this beautiful deck featuring a specially commissioned card by Tracey Emin, offers a new and powerful insight into the meanings of each card. Filled with symbolic imagery, it takes the reader on an empowering journey filled with magical possibilities. From images of symbolic animals (like wolves and bears), to depictions of the Northern Lights and Nordic Tree of Life, The Magical Nordic Tarot is filled with powerful imagery. There are references to the Nordic Gods and Goddesses, including Odin and Freya, and images of key Nordic symbols, such as the Nordic compass and Rune stones. References to some of the key characters in Nordic myths include a mischievous squirrel called Ratatoskr, who would run up and down the Tree of Life stirring up trouble between the eagle on top and the serpent at the bottom. The deck also includes a book giving detailed information about each card, along with key words, an inspirational message and interesting Nordic legends.

Wisdom Mind is a scientifically tested mindfulness program for older adults - those who are cognitively healthy, as well as those who may be experiencing what is referred to as subjective cognitive decline. While mindfulness is already known to benefit a wide variety of individuals, the unique strengths of this program are the ways in which it is tailored specifically to older adults. Session content is keyed to common concerns of older adults (such as cognitive slip-ups, loss, and grief), and incorporates strategies for building upon mindfulness practices in a sequence of increasing difficulty as well as strategies to promote learning and integration. Designed to be used alongside the companion Facilitator Guide, this session-by-session Participant Workbook provides detailed information on how to take part in the program, as well as the reasoning behind why certain practices and strategies are provided at different times and in different ways. As such, it will be of interest to those familiar with mindfulness as well as those new to the practice. A companion website provides downloadable meditation audio recordings that participants can access throughout the program.

Alleviate anxiety and soothe all stress with The Little Book of Calm Colouring. The international and Sunday Times bestseller from David Sinden and Victoria Kay is the perfectly-formed antidote to a busy life. Beautifully hand-illustrated and thoughtfully designed to be the perfect size for portability, you can now take colouring art therapy with you wherever you go. With beautiful anti-stress designs on quality paper, this gorgeous colouring book will help your creativity flourish. Take a short relaxing breather from your day to colour the calming images and feel inspired by the poignant quotations that accompany each elegant artwork.

An accessible guide to controlling the mind. Written in a simple and easily understandable style, Concentration is a classic among books on the art of meditation. Without the ability to concentrate, our efforts at meditation will result only in going nowhere, in spinning our wheels in an unending rut. Through a series of practical steps, the author provides the frame work of achieving the state of Samadhi. It encourages readers to actively walk the path of spirituality and achieve a state of super consciousness, rather than just passively read about it.

Long out-of-print yet often cited in psychedelic literature, THE BOOK OF SACRAMENTS, originally published in 1970, was a Holy book from the (now defunct) Church of the Tree of Life, established and incorporated by John Mann. A fundamental belief was that we have the right to alter our consciousness with plants extracts for medical, spiritual, and even recreational (re-creating) purposes. THE BOOK OF SACRAMENTS consists of introduction and discussion of several sacred plants, most still legal and easy to obtain, that have been used traditionally in religious (spiritual, consciousness expanding) rituals by native people. While the Church of the Tree of Life disbanded decades ago, the longing for a spiritual connection continues. One way to achieve such a connection with with the ritual use of magical plants. THE BOOK OF SACRAMENTS describes the ceremonial practices and rituals used by natives for thousands of years in some cases and gives guidelines for employing such practices in one's personal worship, including how to prepare the plant and oneself for the ritual. The mind has self-healing power. Spiritual experiences can lead to dramatic healing. Ritual is a method for organizing experience - mentally- and creating order around an inner experience to enable one to surrender to the experience without fear - due to the security provided by the repetitive and reliable ritual. The ritual helps to conjure up a frame of mind that is conducive to an ecstatic experience. When used properly ritual use of magical plants can open up new channels of awareness. The plants alone cannot bring about the desired results - the individual mind must be engaged. THE BOOK OF SACRAMENTS identifies over 20 magical plants for ritual use and tells how to prepare the potion and oneself for the journey and gives instructions for classic rituals as well as creating one's own variations. Finally it discusses how to process the experience afterwards to gain the maximum benefit from the journey.