With the ancient Tibetan tradition of Natural Mind Meditation, spiritual liberation can be approached directly. Pure Dzogchen: Zhang Zhung Tradition is a practice-oriented collection of essential teachings by Geshe Dangsong Namgyal on how to simply and directly recognize the ultimate nature of consciousness. Using pithy instructions, examples, and analogies, Pure Dzogchen offers teachings that support meditation on the natural state. Using study, contemplation, and meditation, one connects directly with the innate natural mind. From that point on, by means of this one practice, the understanding deepens and stabilizes. The meditator passes beyond mind and encounters the inconceivable vastness of the natural mind and ultimate truth. Geshe Namgyal’s book intends to facilitate and support the process of this radical approach—undermining confusion at its root. This book is not merely an academic overview of spiritual philosophy; it is a practice guide for a person truly wanting ultimate peace and freedom. KunsangGarCenter.org

—J. C.

With conversations around safe alternative methods for pain relief showing no signs of slowing down, I was interested in certified bodywork teacher and yoga therapist Ellen Saltonstall’s latest book, The Bodymind Ballwork Method (North Atlantic Books). It’s a wonderful illustrated guide to what she calls “bodymind ballwork,” a practice in which small rubber balls are applied to different areas of the body as self-massage. It’s a somatic-informed approach to healing that’s great for everything from relaxing tight muscles to working through trauma. I gave the practice a try before my regular asana practice and it proved to be a great way to loosen up!

—JACKIE CASSIDY

While he was building the radio/TV/cable empire that fueled his wealth and enabled him to become sole owner of the Detroit Tigers from 1961 to 1983, few knew that John E. Fetzer was actually quietly and devotedly using spiritual principles—and what would then have been called “occult” practices — to enhance the quality of his life and guide his business growth.

Even if you don’t recall John Fetzer, you will find John E. Fetzer and the Quest for the New Age (Wayne State University Press, 2018) by Brian C. Wilson a fascinating read. A courageous spiritual seeker, not only did Fetzer pursue his lifelong personal spiritual sojourn that focused on direct access to an infinite intelligence and a “oneness” worldview, but he funded some of the seminal research on consciousness in America during the ’70s and ’80s.

Furthermore, this book chronicles the historic birth of the “New Age” movement, along with the seeker’s ever-evolving spiritual pathway as it is mirrored in Fetzer’s life over the span of eight decades.

—JACKIE CASSIDY

Tae Yun Kim, a female martial arts great grandmaster, presents a unique and candid approach to finding your own truth, standing up for yourself, and making the most of the moments in your life. Drawing on lessons she learned in her training and that she now passes on to her students, she shows why it is essential, at any age, to reevaluate and up the ante on what you believe you are capable of achieving. Her seven steps provide a wise blueprint for seeing goals through to completion and acting with intention to make your entire life a moving meditation. In short, Seven Steps to Inner Power is packed with profound truths as well as practical keys for creating deep and meaningful breakthroughs.

—JACKIE CASSIDY

Here in Northern California gut health seems to be the perennial talk of the town. Post-holiday slumps, summer, anti-aging schemes—somehow all roads lead to the gut. With popular diets armed with fierce marketing budgets, I find it quite easy to get sucked into quasi-evangelical promises of health, weight loss, and stress reduction. Consequently I have said no to a delectable carb or two, and yes to steak.

Not long ago I came across a copy of The Gut Wellness Guide by Marin locals Allison Post and Stephen Cavaliere. I’ve grown leery of methods and guides that make a lot of promises, but this book offers a different take. It offers information about eating healthfully and ways to improve digestion and nourish the microbiome. However, the focus is largely on how to use touch and breath to heal the gut, release built-up stress, and improve overall health. This approach makes sense given the pair’s background: Post is a longtime somatic educator and integrative medicine health coach and Cavaliere is an expert fitness coach.

After a few weeks of experimenting with the different breathing and self-massage techniques modeled and a few small diet changes, I’m a believer. Why? I appreciate that I did not have to buy a new blender or a bottle of trademarked probiotics. Also Post and Cavaliere offer a literal manual on how to remove that built-up stress and tension—and who can’t get on board with that?

Join Post and Cavaliere at their book launch celebration at Book Passage in Corte Madera on September 15th at 1pm.

—JACKIE CASSIDY

Whether you’re at odds with your own desires, having difficulty communicating with your partner(s), healing from trauma, or just tired of unsatisfying so-so sex, Jessica Graham’s Good Sex shows you how to use mindfulness and meditation techniques to awaken and explore, while achieving mind-blowing sex. Graham narrates her personal transformation from traumatized and checked out to sexually awake. Her candid sex-positive attitude to everything from nonmonogamy to selflove provides readers a safe space to explore their sexuality. Her healing approach to relationships, body, and soul is an oft-needed reminder that sex and spirituality aren’t mutually exclusive—yay!

—JACKIE CASSIDY

What happens when you fully commit yourself to love? Endless good, insists author Scott Stabile, who found that out by overcoming plenty of bad.

Scott’s parents were murdered when he was 14. Nine years later, his brother died of a heroin overdose. Soon after that, Scott joined a cult that dominated his life for 13 years before he summoned the courage to walk away. Through it all, he became ever more committed to living his life from love.

In Big Love: The Power of Living with a WideOpen Heart, Stabile writes about these things and many other personal milestones in ways that are universally applicable, uplifting—and even laugh-out-loud funny. Whether trying (as we all must) to silence shame, show up for friends, or overcome dreaded what-ifs, Stabile’s personal experiences and personal development takeaways always return to love.

—JACKIE CASSIDY

For 25 years, John Gray’s Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus has helped couples deepen their intimacy and rejuvenate their love lives. It revealed that men and women are so different we might as well be from different planets. Through teaching couples to speak each other’s language, communication improved, and John Gray became the best-known relationship expert in the world.

In the long-awaited sequel Beyond Mars and Venus, Gray creates an updated guide for today’s generation. What it means to be a man or a woman is more nuanced and complex than ever. As the world has changed, men and women are now freer to move beyond the restrictions of traditional gender roles. Although a positive change, this evolution often blurs gender lines. This dramatic shift impacts us both emotionally and physically in surprising ways and makes communication even more complicated.

John Gray explains why gender freedom does not mean gender blindness. No matter how much we may look the same, sharing the same roles in the workplace and at home, we are still different on a hormonal level. These differences mean that we have unique emotional needs and require new insights and skills to fulfill those needs.

With Beyond Mars and Venus, John Gray provides a gender-specific, hormonally based, step-by-step guide to create lasting passion and attraction in our relationships. Whether you’re single, dating, or in a relationship, this book is for you.

—JACKIE CASSIDY

Internationally acclaimed best-selling author, spiritual teacher, and world-renowned medium James Van Praagh has received hundreds of thousands of messages from the other side of life. And all too often, in many of these messages, the deceased have shared with him that they want the living to know how to utilize the power of love while they are still living life in the physical body.

With his mesmerizing new book The Power of Love, James demonstrates the transformative energy and force of love. In nine concise chapters, he reminds you that love knows no limits and can alter a person’s life forever. Sharing vivid personal stories and incredible knowledge from the afterlife, James shows how you can activate the power of love to open your heart to the world.

—JACKIE CASSIDY

From Will Arntz, creator of What the Bleep Do We Know!?, comes The (not so) Little Book of Surprises, a collection of poetry and profound writings by visionary Deirdre Hade. This beautiful coffee table book delivers a journey through transformation, sharing wonder, insight, spiritual awakening, and authentic wisdom. Each page features Hade’s ruminations, accompanied by whimsical yet powerful images from award-winning photographer Endre Balogh. Together they create an experience that dares to awaken with surprises in conscious awareness. Many of Hade’s revelations come from mystical experiences stemming from her realization of the healing power of light. Hade teaches us to connect with our inner wisdom and healing potential, revealing transcendent contemplations as well as tidbits of profound wisdom masked as simple, compact statements. Balogh’s images serve as a powerful visual backdrop and a meditative interlude. These elements help authenticate the surprise that the creators envisioned.

—JACKIE CASSIDY