Book Recommendations

I love www.BetterWorldBooks.com because they donate a huge percentage of their profits to literacy programs.
This book was the catalyst to my waking up. I'll probably never know if it was Gangaji's words, or just the timing in my life, or a combination of the two, but this book set me on a path of spiritual seeking that truly changed my life. I actually listened to the audiobook - she reads it herself and has a soothing, almost angelic voice.
She describes our never-ending search as human beings to find fulfillment―which, paradoxically, already exists if only we will stop long enough to experience it. She teaches how to let go of the need to control, and activate instead the choice of where we put our mind’s attention; how to cultivate the courage to be vulnerable, so we can meet―and deeply merge with―the unknown; how to unearth the roots of suffering―learn to stop replaying our life’s dramatic stories over and over; how to stop the endless activity of the mind, and experience the brilliance and radiance of who we really are..
“As long as you are searching for it, it cannot be found, ” - Gangaji. 
How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life
by Dalai Lama

This book is one of my favorites. The Dalai Lama teaches that the central method for achieving happiness is to train our mind in a daily practice that weakens negative attitudes and strengthens positive ones. The techniques he teaches show us how to overcome everyday obstacles, from feelings of anger and mistrust to jealousy, insecurity, and worry. Many of our problems stem from attitudes like putting our own needs above all else. To train the mind, we must exercise patience and determination, and keep trying, no matter how many difficulties we encounter. He teaches this with his typical sense of humor and sweetness. I highly recommend that everyone read this.

The Uncharted Journey
by Don Rosenthal

Don is a gifted meditation teacher and couples counselor. I recommend listening to this book on Audible, as Don reads it himself and with his deep voice, it feels as though he is reading it specifically to you. Further information about retreats at Don & Martha's home in rural Vermont and at other locations in the US and abroad can be found on their website: www.awakeningtogether.com .
Healing
by David Elliott
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Healing takes you deeper into the core issues that prevent the flow of balanced energy in the body. David combines personal stories, examples from his work, written exercises, diagrams and meditations to help us along the journey. This is truly a healing handbook for everyone, awakening the healer in each of us.
Learning to Love
by Don and Martha Rosenthal
​Don and Martha have worked with thousands of couples and I attended one of their retreats in Vermont. I can't recommend them enough. This book teaches some of the specific techniques for letting go of fear, blame and judgment, and teaches specific communication skills that are valuable for any relationship. This book not only describes with great insight exactly what goes wrong in most intimate relationships, but gives real hope for meaningful change. Don and Martha lead frequent workshops that teach the art of relationship as "spiritual practice" where they demonstrate these techniques using current content from their own forty year partnership in a way that is revealing and truly inspiring. 
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The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are
by Alan Watts

I am a big fan of this author's work. Here he speaks about the fundamental misunderstanding of who we are being at the root of human conflict. The illusion that we are isolated beings, unconnected to the rest of the universe, has led us to view the “outside” world with hostility, and has fueled our misuse of technology and our violent and hostile subjugation of the natural world. He provides us with a much-needed answer to the problem of personal identity, distilling and adapting the ancient Hindu philosophy of Vedanta to help us understand that the self is in fact the root and ground of the universe. It's a mind-opening and revelatory work, 

Meditations
by Marcus Aurelius

This is a classic book written by stoic, Marcus Aurelius, a Roman emperor. It’s full of principals to keep one grounded, and how to simply live a good life. He discusses how one can deal with illness, death of loved ones, and even dealing with one’s own imminent death. This is his private diary, where he talks about the emotional difficulty he dealt with and how he coped with it.
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The 5 Love Languages
by Gary Chapman

I recommend this book to so many couples that I see because it teaches how to bridge the gap between you and your partner. Everyone communicates love and receives love in a particular way, which requires that you know what your partner’s love language is. You may think you are showing love, but may be communicating it in the way you receive love, instead of the way your partner receives love.

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A Guide to the Good Life
​by William Irvine

A Guide to the Good Life by William Irvine. A modern philosophy professor's analysis on stoicism. Principles of right action, non-entitlement, living a virtuous life, and living a simple, but fulfilling life. How to be happier with what we have and chase less after shallow and meaningless pursuits. He takes a comprehensive look at how stoicism works. He gives examples from his own life, and gives tools and techniques like visualization that are helpful and pertinent. He discusses ancient but practical wisdom and teaches you how to apply it to a modern life.
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Authentic Happiness
​by Martin Seligman

This is a foundational book from a top positive psychology researcher that talks about what actually produces happiness. Goes into a lot of research and gives a survey that helps you find your top strengths.

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Waking Up
by Sam Harris

Sam Harris, neuroscientist, philosopher, and author of numerous New York Times bestselling books, writes here about spirituality for the skeptic. This is one of my all time favorite books, and I’ve read it at least twice. He describes personal experiences, along with giving scientific, and clearly articulated reasons why someone who is secular can also be spiritual. It is a guide to meditation as a rational practice informed by neuroscience and psychology. He is a brilliant writer and I have read and recommend all of his books, however this one is my favorites.
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The Plantpower Way
by Rich Roll & Julie Piatt

I love this cookbook that has whole food, plant-based recipes, along with beautiful illustrations, and the reasons behind why a plant-based diet makes sense. Renowned ultra-athlete, Rich Roll created this with his chef wife Julie, and it is truly inspirational. I’ve tried most of the recipes and they’re fantastic. My favorite is making cheese sauce from cashews and butternut squash. It even fooled my picky kids!

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Mastery
by George Leonard

Powerful book on how to master any domain of life. Gives a lot of great examples, techniques and ideas about overcoming any challenges, whether a career, a hobby, learning an instrument or mastering a sport.
Talks about the pitfalls that people encounter that keeps them from achieving mastery at whatever it is they do.
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The Road Less Traveled
​by M. Scott Peck

Peck talks here about developing discipline, not avoiding emotional pain, true love, truth, and honesty. He also talks about religion versus science, the unconscious mind, and spiritual concepts. I especially like the way he differentiates between romantic love, infatuation, and authentic love.

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The Righteous Mind
​by Jonathan Haidt

A book about social science, psychology, and anthropology. He discusses what makes people so dogmatic about religion and politics, and why people get so triggered by these issues. He talks about the research he’s done on these topics and how our logic and emotions can play against each other.  It’s a book that will get you to open your mind. He teaches you to see from a larger perspective as to why people cling to their beliefs so much.

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On Being Certain
by Robert Burton

Bringing together cutting-edge neuroscience, experimental data, and fascinating anecdotes, Robert Burton explores the inconsistent and sometimes paradoxical relationship between our thoughts and what we actually know.

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The Enneagram of Passions and Virtues: Finding the Way Home
by Sandra Maitri ​
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I love the enneagram as a tool for inner work. Maitri is masterful at showing how the enneagram is, more than anything else, a tool for inner transformation. She talks a lot about the inner child and how to see that child with compassion and understanding. I have read numerous books on the enneagram and this is probably my all-time favorite.
Facets of Unity: The Enneagram of Holy Ideas
by A.H. Almaas

​Another wonderful book on the enneagram, however, this one is quite deep. I actually had to come back to it after I had a better understanding of the enneagram as a tool for transformation. Here we are not directed toward the psychological types but the higher spiritual realities they reflect. We discover how the disconnection from each Holy Idea leads to the development of its corresponding fixation, thus recognizing each types deeper psychological core. Understanding this core brings each Holy Idea within reach, so its spiritual perspective can serve as a key for unlocking the fixation and freeing us from its limitations

The Universe in a Single Atom
by The Dalai Lama

After forty years of study with some of the greatest scientific minds as well as a lifetime of meditative, spiritual and philosophical study, the Dalai Lama presents a brilliant analysis of why both disciplines must be pursued in order to arrive at a complete picture of the truth. Science shows us ways of interpreting the physical world, while spirituality helps us cope with reality. But the extreme of either is impoverishing. The belief that all is reducible to matter and energy leaves out a huge range of human experience: emotions, yearnings, compassion, culture. At the same time, holding unexamined spiritual beliefs–beliefs that are contradicted by evidence, logic, and experience–can lock us into fundamentalist cages.

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We: Understanding the Psychology of Romantic Love
​by Robert Johnson

This book is a Jungian interpretation of Tristan and Iseult that focuses on the symbols in the myth as sources of psychological insight. It is skillfully done. Robert Johnson is a Jungian analyst who also wrote He and She. He provides an illuminating explanation of the origins and meaning of romantic love and shows how a proper understanding of its psychological dynamics is useful for all relationships. His explanation of our search for lasting love is explained in such an insightful way. 

10 % Happier
by Dan Harris

After learning about research that suggests meditation can do everything from lower your blood pressure to essentially rewire your brain, Harris spoke with CEOs, scientists, and even marines who are now using it for increased calm, focus, and happiness. I love how he candidly tells the story of his personal struggle with anxiety. He also has a meditation app that he developed along with one of my meditation teachers, Joseph Goldstein. It's one of the best meditation apps I've encountered.
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The Wheel of Time
​by Carlos Castaneda

Carlos Castaneda has written lots of fascinating books, but this is a compilation of snippets from each of them. He studied Native American shamanism and talks about the philosophy of living a powerful life. We have one life and it needs to be lived with purpose and passion. I like how you can just randomly open this book to any page and get a small dose of Carlos.

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The Art of Living Consciously
by Nathaniel Branden

"To live consciously is to be committed to awareness as a way of being in the world and to bring to each activity a level of awareness appropriate to it". Branden takes an abstract concept and explains it beautifully. He teaches us to constantly examine our motives and how we respond to events, taking a fresh look at things. 
This author has done a lot of research on self-esteem. If you like this one, also read The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem, where he discusses his findings and gives exercises and tools that can be used in many areas of life.
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Thoughts Without a Thinker
by Mark Epstein

Epstein uses the Buddhist Wheel of Life as a metaphor for states of psychological suffering. His explanations are both clear and intriguing. He explains that "It's not what we are feeling that's important but how we relate to it that matters". He does a great job clearing up a lot of misconceptions about meditation and the Buddha's teachings. 

Lying
by Sam Harris

In this book neuroscientist Sam Harris argues that we can radically simplify our lives and improve society by merely telling the truth in situations where others often lie. He focuses on "white" lies—those lies we tell for the purpose of sparing people discomfort—for these are the lies that most often tempt us. And they tend to be the only lies that good people tell while imagining that they are being good in the process. In many cases, we might not think of it as a true "lie": perhaps a "white lie" once in a blue moon, the omission of a sensitive detail here and there, false encouragement of others when we see no benefit in dashing someone's hopes, and the list goes on. In Lying, Sam Harris demonstrates how to benefit from being brutally—but pragmatically—honest. It's a compelling little book with a big impact.
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The Four Agreements
​by Don Miguel Ruiz

I love this book because it talks about how we are own worst enemies. There are four sections - each being a fundamental pillar for living a good life. 1) staying in integrity with yourself; 2) the principle of detachment; 3) being less dogmatic & more open minded; 4) the value of excellence - always doing your best. It's short, sweet, and to the point.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
by Marie Kondo

This is a must read. Once you recognize the extent that your living space affects how you feel, you'll want to implement this immediately. Here's a video that shows something as simple as changing the way you fold and store clothes can be huge. The more organized your space is, the more organized your life will be, the more productive you'll feel.
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Make Your Own Rules Diet
by Tara Stiles

I love this book and I love her youtube videos on yoga. In this book she introduces easy and fun ways to bring yoga, meditation, and healthy food into our lives. The photos are great and the food is tasty and easy to make. Tara also shares personal experiences and great insights. It's not just a cookbook, but an interesting read as well!
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The Untethered Soul
by Michael Singer

This is one of my favorite books of all time. He begins by walking you through your relationship with your thoughts and emotions, He then delves into what you can do to free yourself from the habitual thoughts, emotions, and energy patterns that limit your consciousness. He gives specific examples of how to be open to every experience, good or bad, since what is happening in our present moment is our experience. Most of our suffering comes from wanting things to be different than they actually are, so learning to keep ourselves open allows all experience to move through us with greater ease. This book teaches you see things with a perspective of curiosity and interest, with less attachment and judgment. Highly recommend!
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Ashtanga Yoga: The Practice Manual
by David Swenson

I love the way David goes through each pose in the Ashtanga series and shows ways to modify them according to what level you're at. It makes this practice accessible to everyone.

I used his modifications for quite a long time and still use some of them now. It helps me to feel accepting of wherever by body happens to be. ​
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The Power of Ashtanga Yoga
by Kino Macgregor

In my view, Ashtanga Yoga is a powerful way to connect to your breath and experience a moving meditation. It is a memorized series of poses, that if practiced daily, will strengthen your body as well as your mind, allowing you to more easily recognize your mind-body connection. Kino is a wonderful teacher and has tons of free youtube videos demonstrating individual poses. This book is a comprehensive view of the Ashtanga practice. This practice is fundamentally a path of spiritual transformation and personal development. Kino exemplifies the essence of Yoga as a spiritual path leading to enlightenment.
When the Body Says No
by Gabor Mate

In this book Dr. Mate explores the connection between our body and mind. Can our mind really cause disease?

I love the way he provides scientific evidence for the role stress plays in heart disease, diabetes, IBS, arthritis, cancer, and more.
The Body Keeps The Score
by Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD

This is a groundbreaking book when it comes to the mind-body connection. Kolk has been working with trauma for years and explains the way the body physically relives even small events over and over. 
He talks about the way our experiences literally shape both our body and brain, affecting our capacity to deal with stress, achieve self-control, and experience pleasure and peace.

He explores the way neurofeedback, meditation, movement, and yoga offer paths to activating the brain's natural neuroplasticity. He explores the ways we have power over our own healing.

​Practice You
by Elena Brower

This is a beautiful journal with a prompt on each page, such as: "This is what I admire most about myself today" and "this is what my body feels like after meditation" and "this is how it feels when I believe in myself".

The colors are great and I like how it gives prompts to encourage deeper introspection.

​Hakomi Mindfulness-Centered Somatic Psychotherapy

The Hakomi method is type of somatic, or body-oriented therapy. It is an integrative method that combines Western psychology and body-centered techniques with mindfulness principles from Eastern psychology.
Self-Therapy: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Wholeness and Healing Your Inner Child Using Internal Family Systems.
by Jay Early, PhD

​Internal Family Systems is a type of therapy developed by Richard Schwartz, proposing that individuals' subpersonalities interact and change in many of the same ways as do families and other human groups. By recognizing and acknowledging all our "parts', we can begin to heal, and become more aligned with our "higher Self". This workbook is a good way to identify and work with "parts".
The Method of Levels
by Timothy Carey
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Based on Perceptual Control Theory, this therapeutic method, called The Method of Levels (MOL) leaves the patient in control with no interference from the therapist. Author Tim Carey shows how you can ask very simple questions about background thoughts to assist a friend in distress. Without offering advice or commentary of any kind, you can help your trusting friend review his or her problem, finding his or her own solution by "going up a level," looking at his or her own internal conflict "from above" and finding ways to resolve it by changing his or her sense of what is important-changing how he or she looks at the internal conflict.
The Star Tarot: Your Path to Self-Discovery through Cosmic Symbolism
by Cathy McClelland

Tarot cards can provide a doorway to the unconscious. Since they function solely through random selection and synchronicity, they have the potential to touch on our blind spots. An image may provide us with a brand new way of seeing something. The symbols and themes depicted in tarot cards represent universal human experiences, including thought processes, personality types, and cognitive styles. They can be interpreted based on what thoughts and emotions are evoked by each card, extracting meanings that are aligned with each person's unique world view, spiritual or religious perspective and belief. This is the most beautiful deck I have ever seen and is my favorite because of the detail and symbolism in the artwork. There is a deep reverence that I feel when I work with it. 
Women Who Run with the Wolves
by Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Folklore, fairy tales and dream symbols are called on to help restore women's neglected intuitive and instinctive abilities in this earthy first book by a Jungian analyst. According to Estes, wolves and women share a psychic bond in their fierceness, grace and devotion to mate and community. This comparison defines the archetype of the Wild Woman, a female in touch with her primitive side and able to rely on gut feelings to make choices. The tales here, from various cultures, are not necessarily about wolves; instead, they illuminate fresh perspectives on relationships, self-image, even addiction.