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INSPIRATION

I'm always recommending books (& talks & videos) which have inspired me, so here's some personal favourites: 

TAOISM / ZEN / BUDDHISM:

TAO TE CHING: A New English Version, with Foreword and Notes, translated by STEPHEN MITCHELL
-the book which opened me up to Eastern philosophy. Gifted to me over 20 years ago while backpacking in New Mexico, it's one of the few books I've held onto all this time, and have read over & over...A treasure!

ZEN MIND, BEGINNER'S MIND - SHUNRYU SUZUKI
- arguably the best book on Zen - especially for beginners! (and really who isn't?)

SALTWATER BUDDHA / ALL OUR WAVES ARE WATER - JAIMAL YOGIS- beautiful, poetic & inspiring memoirs of a fascinating life path, weaving in Zen philosophy, surf wisdom, Buddhist meditation, love, life, travel, and the enchantment of the ocean...

 

HARDCORE ZEN / ZEN WRAPPED IN KARMA DIPPED IN CHOCOLATE and many others... BRAD WARNER- punk bassist, Soto Zen priest and dharma heir , Brad's writing & teaching is soaked in authenticity, depth of understanding & knowledge worn lightly, groundedness & humour. His youtube channel is full of great talks too. 

TARA BRACH - Tara is an American Buddhist author & teacher; her talks (on youtube here ) are excellent: insightful, compassionate, and especially heartening if you are going through tough times...She's also written several books.

A great youtube channel for learning about Buddhism is DOUG'S DHARMA

 

​YOGA: some personal favourites
(besides the well-known classics ie Upanishads/Bhagavad Gita/Yoga Sutras/Hatha Yoga Pradipika/Gheranda Samhita etc)
BRINGING YOGA TO LIFE - DONNA FARHI
YOGA OF THE SUBTLE BODY - TIAS LITTLE

THE RADIANCE SUTRAS: 112 Gateways to the Yoga of Delight - translated by LORIN ROCHE

Not Yoga books but they go deep into how emotional trauma impacts our physicality - so why Yoga can be so profoundly healing on many levels...
THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE: MIND, BRAIN & BODY IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF TRAUMA -BESSEL VAN DER KOLK

  GABOR MATE's work is also all well worth exploring:  start with his talk  "When The Body Says No..." (also the name of one of his books)

INDIGENOUS & NATURE-BASED SPIRITUALITY & OTHER INTERESTING READS

I highly recommend the Mayan Wisdom Project if you want to connect with authentic indigenous Mayan teachings - they offer some excellent online courses.
THE EARTH'S CYCLE OF CELEBRATION - GLENNIE KINDRED - Her other books are great too. This is the one I first read in 2001 and was the start of really learning to tune into nature's cycles...and the ancient Pagan festivals which honour them.

FIRE OF THE GODDESS: NINE PATHS TO IGNITE THE SACRED FEMININE - KATALIN KODA

SHAKTI WOMAN -VICKI NOBLE - reclaiming the sacred feminine from millennia of patriarchy!  

THE BOWL OF LIGHT: ANCESTRAL WISDOM FROM A HAWAIIAN SHAMAN - HANK WESSELMAN

WELCOME HOME: FOLLOWING YOUR SOUL'S JOURNEY HOME -  SANDRA INGERMAN

FOOD OF THE GODS: A Radical History of Plants, Drugs and Human Evolution -TERENCE McKENNA

- A fascinating exploration of how plants have deeply shaped human consciousness & types of society over the millennia

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