Must Reads
The Journey of the Empowered Heart by Katie Gray: A helpful map for identifying and understanding the phases of trauma and how to honor your past in order to live a more fruitful, embodied present. The accompanied 4 month Book Course is an exceptional, powerful, safe, and nurturing heartfelt discussion container to aid with our processing of the learnings received in the book.
Rethink Your Position by Katy Bowman: A simple guide to reconnecting with your body and full movement potential. Includes simple exercises and daily practices as well as easy to understand explanations about biomechanics.
The Myth of Normal by Gabor Mate: A guide to becoming a more curiously compassionate human, stepping into your authenticity, and relating to yourself and others in a healthier way. Understanding how we are shaped deeply by the experiences of our life and how these may empower us moving forward.
Ultra Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn’t Food by Chris van Tulleken: Evidence based investigations into the history and impact of ultra processed foods. The truth about where these “foods” come from is shocking.
Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski: Sexual health and pleasure mapping. Debunking the shame and stigma around sex and why it is so important for humans. Mainly written for women but a very good read for men to improve their understanding of the female body and psyche.
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler: A comprehensive guide about women’s fertility and menstruation. If you are suffering from side effects from birth control or struggling to get pregnant, this is an exceptional resource for a natural approach toward managing your reproductive health.
Slow Sex: The Path to Fulfilling and Sustainable Sexuality by Diana Richardson: Using sex as a meditation and deepening your relationship with pleasure and your partner(s)
The Book of Joy by Douglas Abrams: Interviews with the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu. Sweet stories and helpful tips about how to cultivate joy in everyday living
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk: The link between traumatic experiences and physical illness. A deep dive into psychology and neuroscience studies to explain how trauma shapes our neurology and impacts our biology.
We All Know How This Ends: Lessons about Life and Living from Working with Death and Dying by Anna Lyons and Louise Winter: How to navigate grief and loss. Stories from the work of a death doula and how we can all better prepare for our own eventual demise and cope with the transition from life to death of those around us. Deep diving into a topic that really needs more discussing amongst family and friends as we all will die someday.
Scattered Minds: The Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder by Gabor Mate: As the title suggests, this book delves into the possible causes of attention deficit disorder, how to recognize it, and how to help yourself or someone you love cope holistically with it.
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche: More than a book about the fundamental principles and practices of Tibetan Buddhism, this is a guide for how to reconnect with your inner peace and trust in the universe. For those of you who are drowning in the fast pace of the modern world, Sogyal’s sweet anecdotes and wise words highlight the profound importance of living and dying in peace.