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Reading & Writing are powerful practices and ways to train the mind.
books we've written
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Writing is a practice and a powerful way to train the mind.
books we've written
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Written without “yoga jargon,” Feeling Happy explores the nature of happiness as a basic human capacity—and illuminates how suffering, imbalanced emotion, and confusion can cast a veil over one’s ability to truly feel happy.
What is the fully embodied experience of happiness, and is there any way for it to last? Feeling Happy helps you explore what happiness is and offers practical steps toward cultivating happiness as a deep, embodied expression of life and connection to others. Using familiar examples from everyday life, traditional understanding of one’s search for happiness, stories, and humor, Freeman and Taylor demonstrate how to find your way back home to the essence of who you are, and the direct experience of what it feels like to be truly happy.
The book offers 24 accessible practices—meditations, simple movements, and breathing exercises—along with 22 black-and-white illustrative photos as guides along the path toward fully embodying happiness. These practices together with insight into the nature of being, will allow you to wake up and integrate the physical body, heart, and mind through the breath so that even in difficult times, compassion, equanimity, and happiness can emerge.
Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor draw from their years of experience practicing and teaching yoga, meditation and the philosophical interfacing of yoga and Buddhism to explore what happiness is and to offer practical steps toward cultivating happiness as a deep, embodied expression of life. They offer insight into the nature of happiness as a basic human capacity—and illuminate how suffering, imbalanced emotion, and confusion can cast a veil over one’s ability to truly feel happy.
Some of the practices included:
What is the fully embodied experience of happiness, and is there any way for it to last? Feeling Happy helps you explore what happiness is and offers practical steps toward cultivating happiness as a deep, embodied expression of life and connection to others. Using familiar examples from everyday life, traditional understanding of one’s search for happiness, stories, and humor, Freeman and Taylor demonstrate how to find your way back home to the essence of who you are, and the direct experience of what it feels like to be truly happy.
The book offers 24 accessible practices—meditations, simple movements, and breathing exercises—along with 22 black-and-white illustrative photos as guides along the path toward fully embodying happiness. These practices together with insight into the nature of being, will allow you to wake up and integrate the physical body, heart, and mind through the breath so that even in difficult times, compassion, equanimity, and happiness can emerge.
Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor draw from their years of experience practicing and teaching yoga, meditation and the philosophical interfacing of yoga and Buddhism to explore what happiness is and to offer practical steps toward cultivating happiness as a deep, embodied expression of life. They offer insight into the nature of happiness as a basic human capacity—and illuminate how suffering, imbalanced emotion, and confusion can cast a veil over one’s ability to truly feel happy.
Some of the practices included:
- Focusing and calming the mind
- Observing and engaging the breath as a guide
- Working with difficulty and vulnerability
- Keeping a tender and open heart
- Building authenticity and presence
- Attuning to yourself and to others
- Cultivating kindness and compassion in complex times
- And more
Feeling Happy
by Richard Freeman & Mary Taylor
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In uncertain times, the traditional Indian epic the Bhagavad Gita is uniquely suited to guide us through our fear, confusion, and paralysis and help us find the way forward on the path of compassion and love. Here, Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor, both deeply respected yogic teachers, offer a practical, immediately relevant interpretation of the Gita that emphasizes self-reflection and waking up in our modern world. Following the traditional sequence of teachings in the Gita—from its opening scene in which the protagonist, Arjuna, finds himself in the middle of a battlefield, torn by the various paths of action he might choose in the process of awakening—Freeman and Taylor interweave insight into how these classic teachings are relevant for modern readers struggling with what it means to live responsibly in challenging times.
With quotes, citations, and a full, original translation of the text, they look at how the Gita’s teachings relate to the turmoil that arises for Arjuna, and any of us in the face of crises of conscience, spirit, and form. By exploring the essential themes such as love, wisdom, and karma and offering embodiment exercises to apply the teachings, When Love Comes to Light guides us in the step-by-step process of waking up to our intelligence and toward living a balanced life.
With quotes, citations, and a full, original translation of the text, they look at how the Gita’s teachings relate to the turmoil that arises for Arjuna, and any of us in the face of crises of conscience, spirit, and form. By exploring the essential themes such as love, wisdom, and karma and offering embodiment exercises to apply the teachings, When Love Comes to Light guides us in the step-by-step process of waking up to our intelligence and toward living a balanced life.
When Love Comes to Light
by Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor
Other languages: Chinese Edition, Spanish Edition
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The Art of Vinyasa: Awakening Body and Mind through the Practice of Ashtanga Yoga takes a look at yoga as a meditation in motion that produces profound inner change. Exploring Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga not as a gymnastic feat but as a meditative form, Richard and Mary reveal that doing the practice—and particularly the vinyasa, or the breath-synchronized movements—in a deep and focused way allows practitioners to experience a profound awakening of the body and mind. It also develops an adaptable, flexible practice that can last a lifetime.
The Art of Vinyasa
by Richard Freeman & Mary Taylor
Other languages: Spanish Edition, Chinese Edition
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The Mirror of Yoga: Awakening the Intelligence of Body and Mind is a welcome resource to all yoga practitioners who wish to better appreciate the profound philosophy underlying their practice. Richard’s wide-ranging discussion includes the Upanishads and Samkhya philosophies, the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, the eight limbs of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga, and much more. He also explores the role of the guru, chanting, meditation, and the yogi imperative of offering service to others.
The Mirror of Yoga
by Richard Freeman
Other languages: Spanish Edition, Chinese Edition
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Women have many secrets. But a woman’s secret relationship with food and her body can overshadow other aspects of her life, filling her with obsession, shame, and fear. Many women waste countless years focusing on food and appearance, rather than spending energy on what holds deepest meaning for them.
What Are You Hungry For?
by Lynn Ginsburg and Mary Taylor
BOOKS WE’VE READ OVER THE YEARS AS WELL AS SOME OF OUR CURRENT FAVORITES.
Books That Inspire Us
Featured Read
Reading List
We hope you enjoy our books!
BOOKS WE’VE READ OVER THE YEARS AS WELL AS SOME OF OUR CURRENT FAVORITES.
Books That Inspire Us
Featured Read
buy now
It began with The Shallows, a bestselling book a friend recommended that asks what the internet is doing to our brains. One book led to another, and soon I was deep into reading about modern communication technology in general—pulled by equal parts dread and fascination. What does it mean for us, for our children, for the evolution (or devolution) of our minds and cultures, that the internet—and now AI—are accelerating into our lives so fast?
Yes, these technologies offer real benefits. But what about the darker side? We’re living in a moment where the President posts an AI-generated image of himself as a king dumping excrement on protesters, and weeks later announces he’ll resume nuclear testing—on a platform called Truth Social, no less. From world leaders to aspiring influencers, the internet, social media, and AI are normalizing self-objectification, distortion, and division, while basic human values like kindness and decency fall by the wayside.
Part of the problem is the constant craving for fast, sensational input—especially when it’s untrue, provocative, or absurd. A video of poop raining down wins more attention than unicorns dropping flower petals. And all the while, the technology pulls us away from the kind of grounded presence required to reflect on consequences, to see others clearly, to remember our interconnectedness. Avoidance didn’t start with the internet, but the internet certainly makes it easier.
So what can we do to ensure these tools benefit all of us rather than enriching a few while harming everyone else? Mindfulness helps—seeing clearly, questioning deeply. Most of all, we need honest communication and a willingness to ask difficult questions about ourselves and the technologies shaping our world.
These three books offer compelling perspectives on the internet, social media, and the rapid rise of AI. Ultimately, our task is to use these tools ethically, intentionally, and with enough awareness to steer them—and ourselves—toward something healthier.
Yes, these technologies offer real benefits. But what about the darker side? We’re living in a moment where the President posts an AI-generated image of himself as a king dumping excrement on protesters, and weeks later announces he’ll resume nuclear testing—on a platform called Truth Social, no less. From world leaders to aspiring influencers, the internet, social media, and AI are normalizing self-objectification, distortion, and division, while basic human values like kindness and decency fall by the wayside.
Part of the problem is the constant craving for fast, sensational input—especially when it’s untrue, provocative, or absurd. A video of poop raining down wins more attention than unicorns dropping flower petals. And all the while, the technology pulls us away from the kind of grounded presence required to reflect on consequences, to see others clearly, to remember our interconnectedness. Avoidance didn’t start with the internet, but the internet certainly makes it easier.
So what can we do to ensure these tools benefit all of us rather than enriching a few while harming everyone else? Mindfulness helps—seeing clearly, questioning deeply. Most of all, we need honest communication and a willingness to ask difficult questions about ourselves and the technologies shaping our world.
These three books offer compelling perspectives on the internet, social media, and the rapid rise of AI. Ultimately, our task is to use these tools ethically, intentionally, and with enough awareness to steer them—and ourselves—toward something healthier.
EMPIRE OF AI :: THE SHALLOWS ::
A BRIEf HISTORY OF INTELLIGENCE
Three books are recommended this month...
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It’s ideal to go directly to the source when studying any topic. In terms
of yoga theory, philosophy, and mythology that would mean that the
best path is to read original versions of traditional texts. Original texts
often have many layers of meaning that unfold over years of practice
and a willingness to read and re-read texts under different
circumstances. However, if you don’t speak Sanskrit that can be a
problem. Some eager students decide to learn Sanskrit, but still the
reading can be slow. So, a reasonable alternative is to read a number
of different translations (and commentaries) on the same text and
compare them. That way you notice biases that may be reflected in the
different versions.
Our list includes:
Our list includes:
- Yoga Sutra
- The Bhagavad Gita
- Contemporary Books about Yoga
- Yoga Practice Books
- Anatomy Books
- Contemporary Buddhist Books
