Book: Complications – Atul Gawande
I’ve reviewed another of Dr Gawande’s books – Being Mortal – previously. This is actually an older work of his, dating to 2003 – but contemporary none the less. The subtitle is “A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science”, and was written towards the...Book: The Mindful Way Through Depression – Williams, Teasdale, Segal and Kabat-Zinn
The subtitle is “Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness” – I’m tempted to suggest this is the burden of our time but, I suspect, it’s been mankind’s lot for many a century even if our modern society tends to exacerbate it. Anyway increasingly we have the...Book: Descartes Error – Antonio Damasio
Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason and the Human Brain – Antonio Damasio “I think, therefore I am” – The statement Descartes (1596 – 1650) is best known for, and still a principle which many hold fast to today. But what does it mean, and,...Book: Treat Your Own Back – Robin McKenzie
McKenzie exercises are well known in the body work world – this is the guide to them by their creator. Its not a new book, first edition 1980, ninth and latest edition 2011, and this leads to a curious phenomenon – where the content is very dated but...Book: The Emperor of all Maladies: A Biography of Cancer – Siddhartha Mukherjee
Taken to its logical extreme, the cancer cell’s capacity to consistently imitate, corrupt, and pervert normal physiology thus raises the ominous question of what “normalcy” is. “Cancer,” Carla said, “is my new normal,” and quite possibly cancer is our normalcy as...Book: The Subtle Body – Cyndi Dale
The subtitle to this work is “An Encyclopaedia of Your Energetic Anatomy”, and at 400 pages its a substantial work. The first part is a review of the concept of Energy, before a second part of the book looking Human Anatomy from a physical perspective...Book: Why You Eat What You Eat: The Science Behind Our Relationship with Food – Rachel Herz
What makes us eat what we eat? We don’t often stop and ask that question, but if we do it rapidly becomes obvious its about more than mere nutrition. For example, what makes one food tasty and one not? Why do some people find one food group...Book: The Chakra Project – Georgia Coleridge
The most striking thing about this book is its use of colour – sumptuous photography and illustrations – and it sets the tone for a slightly different take on the Chakras, one which is accessible and readable, avoiding the density of writing by some...Book: Wheels of Life – Anodea Judith
Its fair to say Anodea Judith is probably the most prolific writer and thinker in the Chakra system and Yoga of the current generation. Wheels of Life is her seminal work on the theory of the Chakras – but a book which, until recently, I hadn’t read even...Book: Do No Harm – Henry Marsh
Subtitled “Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery” these are the professional memoirs of Henry Marsh a recently retired Neurosurgeon. At first glance not really a “yoga book”, but as I’ve often said, Yoga for me is about Insight, and,...Book: Yoga For Healthy Ageing – Baxter Bell & Nina Zolotow
The book stems from the long running blog of the same name. The Yoga for Health Ageing Blog is the only yoga blog I read daily, and to that end I was looking forward to a book which took some of the issues covered on the blog one stage further. Alas, this...Coherent Breathing
A few of you have asked for a link to the chimes I use in class for the Coherent Breathing practice, where we take the breath down to six breathes a minute Here are some links to the chimes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/respire-1/id1120414310 – the track...Book: Your Brain on Yoga – Sat Bihr Singh Khalsa
Behind the day to day yoga we practice – whether in a class, in our home, maybe squeezed into a train journey (always a good time for me to slip on headphones and do a deep relaxation) there is a richness of scientific benefit alongside just feeling brighter and...Book: The Mind Manual – Andy Gibson
A lovely simple book on how your mind and brain work, and some simple steps to improve them. What I liked about this book, was it was an easy read, and quite refreshing after some of the more complicated works I have to read professionally. There was...Book: Fascia in Sport and Movement – Robert Schleip
Fascia is the buzz word du jour in movement practice and treatment these days. You’ll probably hear the phrase in my classes. But what does it really mean, and what are the implications? Robert Schleip is one of the foremost anatomists working in...Chakra Meditation
From the workshop on Energy and Chakra’s this morning, this is the Chakra Mediation I used – albeit shortened in class – and the one I use myself in my own practice. I use Insight Timer app, iOS/android, with a 18 minute timer and 2 minute intervals...Book: Boundaries – Jennie Miller & Victoria Lambert
Boundaries – How to Draw the Line in Your Head, Heart and Home. In class we often talk about the adaptation of the human brain to modern life – quite simply we end up spending most of our lives “plugged in” (irony – I have two screens on...Book: Stretching With Ease for a Pain Free Back – Linda Minarik
Back Pain is a big thing for a lot of us, and a dammed good stretch can help – both physically and mentally (and there are good psychological reasons behind the latter). So, this is a practical simple book about stretching, and ideal for anyone with back pain...Book: Pure White and Deadly – John Yudkin
The full title of this book is “Pure, White and Deadly – How Sugar is Killing Us and What We Can Do To Stop It” – and as the title suggests its an exposition of the harm that refined sugars potentially do to us. This is not a new book...Socials and Feeds
