There have been three books that I've recently become acquainted with, and they have given me lots of awesome thoughts to chew on. The first, The Key Muscles of Hatha Yoga, by Ray Long, details the anatomy of various yoga poses. My mom and dad sent it to me yesterday for my birthday, and I read half the book on the first night. It's an incredible tool for teachers and students of yoga because it gives visuals of what is happening in the body during the asanas. Already, as I practice, I see and feel the muscles differently--more accurately and in more detail than ever before. Also, the website provides incredible 360 degree diagrams of a great number of poses. It's a great tool for teachers and students of yoga. Definitely check it out if you're interested in yoga and/or understanding the body.
The Ayurvedic Cookbook by Amadea Morningstar gives readers a checklist to determine their "dosha" or constitution--it be Kapha, Pitta, or Vata--and then gives fantastic recipes that fit each of the constitutions. This is a way to eat right for your Whole Self. This book is opening up an entirely new world for me: I usually hate cooking and never really learned how to do it. However, in this frame of knowing that I'm creating dishes that are best suited to my body, I'm actually excited about making dinner! It's one way of holistic healing that I'm really getting into, and The Ayruvedic Cookbook is the perfect introduction to this new way of looking at health.
My sister, Katie, gave me Guided by the Moon by Johanna Paungger and Thomas Poppe a number of years ago when she and I went through what we called a "moon phase." I have been looking at it on and off since then, and recently, I've been almost obsessively reading into its folksy and astrological wisdoms. It is a comprehensive guide to living life according to the phases of the moon--with advice on what days to get a haircut, when to soak the feet, when the hips or stomach will be extra sensitive, when to avoid eating salts, to name a few. From what I have noticed, many of its explanations have been correct. I've noticed that my body's rhythms are very much related to the lunar cycle, and the more that I read, the more I am convinced that there are great forces at work on all of our bodies. Even if you are a skeptic, this book is fun to refer to, and helps foster greater self-awareness, if nothing else.
