Solstice thoughts
This morning was the Winter Solstice – officially the start of the winter, although it feels its been with us a while doesn’t it? I’ve been delving into some Celtic traditions, well scratching the surface of them, of late, and its drawn me to looking...Book: The Magical year – Danu Forest
Its fair to say until I met yoga my spirituality was best described as “low key Christian”. One of the great gifts yoga has given me is the curiosity, and tools, to explore a wider spiritual map, drawing into my still firm Christian faith elements of...Book: Insight Yoga – Sarah Powers
This is one of the very first books on Yin Yoga, written in 2008, and Sarah herself was one of the very early Yin Yoga teachers in the US. Confession time – I re-read this book for the third of fourth time recently, thats in a time period of about four...Book: After Buddhism – Stephen Batchelor
The subtitle to this book is “rethinking the dharma for a secular age”, and the author, a former Buddhist Monk, sets out on a task of trying to get back to Buddhism’s roots, and filter out the additions of dogma and tradition over the years, aiming...Book: The Universe in Your Hand – Christophe Galfard
Astro Physics and Yoga? Tenuous links? I suppose I’ve always had a curious mind, and during a week of travelling to London for a course this summer I picked up this book on Waterloo Station – promising a journey through “Quantum Mechanics,...We are all Donald
OK, so that was a bit of a surprise. I mean we really hoped he wouldn’t win? That common sense would prevail? Although I personally would have voted for Hillary, I can see the attraction of The Donald to some people, particularly his call to change...Book: Mindful Moments – Louise Adams
This little book has been on my reading pile for a while, it was some thing I bought in January on the magazine rack of Tesco of all places! It was worth the wait. The author is a Clinical Psychologist with an interest in evidence based techniques which has drawn her...Book: Yoga Reminder – A G Monaghan
The subtitle to this book is “Lightened Reflections”, and that sets the tone for this short, and light hearted, exposition of the basics of yoga. Not the basics of yoga as in getting your foot behind your neck, but the basics of the system of personal...Book: An Empath: The Highly Sensitive Person’s Guide to Energy, Emotions & Relationships – Alex Myles
The phenomenon of the Highly Sensitive Person, also known as an Empath, is something that only came up for me recently, but which I immediately related to. Theres a distinction to be made here between someone who is Empathetic and the Empath. Most of us can be...Book: Fierce Medicine: Breakthrough Practices to Heal the Body and Ignite the Spirit – Ana Forrest
Part autobiographical, part practice manual, this is a book about radical self healing. It’s not an easy read, arguably in some places controversial, and maybe for some triggery, very raw in places, the author weaves the story of her life through the practices...Book: Back to Life – How to Unlock your Pathway to Recover when Back Pain Persists – David Rogers & Grahame Brown
Two books on backs in as many weeks! Partly a coincidence, but also it reflects what a hot topic backs and back pain is. I suspect most people experience back pain at some stage. This isn’t a yoga book specifically, indeed yoga is only mentioned a couple of...Book: Yoga for a Happy Back: A Teacher’s Guide to Spinal Health through Yoga Therapy – Rachel Krentzman
Spinal Health – a big audacious topic – and hats off to the author she covers it really well. In fact of all the books I’ve read about Yoga and backs this would probably rank as the best. This isn’t a simple book, being clearly...Book: Yoga of the Subtle Body – Tias Little
One of the key distinguishing traits of a yoga practice against other physical, spiritual or mental disciplines is the focus on the whole of a person – not just their body, but their mind, emotions and energy as well. Yogis see this as a five layer...Book: Turning the Mind into an Ally – Sakyong Mipham
Our minds are wonderful creative dynamic things, capable of great thinking, capable of emotion, capable of passion, capable of ruminating when we are asleep – “I’ll sleep on it” – and much more. However the minds great capabilities can be...Book: Holistic Anatomy – Pip Waller
On holiday last year we stumbled across a bookshop selling only – only! – yoga/mind/body themed books. From the haul I came away with – limited by carrying capacity – this is one of the first titles to reach the top of the reading pile; I...Post Brexit: a word on tolerance
No matter whether you were “in” or “out”, I think we can all agree the fallout from last Thursdays vote has been surprising; the Prime Minister going, the Labour leader looking likely to follow, men in suits jostling for power, rhetoric to and...Book: The Breath – Vessantara
There are many approaches to meditation, and many books about those approaches. This is another approach, and another book… ..except, for me personally this is a book that resonated more than most. Two things stood out; simplicity of the practice, and the...Book: Running with the Mind of Meditation – Sakyong Mipham
As the name suggests, a book about running and meditation. Admittedly not an automatic association of topics. And for anyone who knows me, the running certainly isn’t an automatic association, being a committed “non runner”. Truth be told, the book...Book: Too Simple for Words, Reflections on Non Duality – Graham Stew
Anyone looking back on my post archive will see a lot of book reviews, reflecting a lot of reading; it’s against that background I would describe this as one of the most important books I’ve read. It’s also one of the most difficult books to write...Socials and Feeds
