RECOMMENDATIONS

From my library...

Some of these books changed everything for me, others simply made me feel better. Some gave me practical tools, others brought clarity and made my life easier. Categories: PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, SPIRITUALITY, WELLNESS & NUTRITION (light, easy reads, and deep work.) Body, Mind, Spirit!

"To open a new book is to enter a new world"

Explore the books below 

  • Transformative / mind body science 
  • Nutrition, wellness, weight
  • Spirituality - deep work
  • Shamans - nature medicine
  • Spirituality - light reads
  • Mindset, practical, self-help and inspiration
  • Wellness for Women

transformative & mind/body


"Becoming Supernatural. How common people are doing the uncommon" Dr. Joe Dispenza

How everyone of us can have a more mystical life combining the science with the ancient wisdom. In the author's advanced workshops the participants make profound changes in their lives, healing and their brains (which is measured) This book can serve as a guided journey in healing of the body and mind, becoming free from past conditioning, and to manifest in 5 dimension vs the 3rd. #quantumleap #subconscious  Great as a paper or an audio book.


"Power up Your Brain" - the neuroscience of enlightenment

David Perlmutter, Alberto Villoldo

A book written by a neuroscientist and a shaman about the brain, the historical changes from the original feminine cultures to the masculine and how it relates to our bodies. It talks about the Mitochondria, the feminine life force, the energy factory of the body and how we can optimize them, and our brain, how to calm the nervous system with a diet, and more. Includes the diet plan. 


"The Biology of Belief. Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter & Miracles" Bruce Lipton, PhD

A wonderful audio book on the mind, body, spirit connection / epigenetics.  What happens in the body when we think, what parts and chemical pathways of the body and brain participate and influence out thinking. How is the body influenced by our thoughts on the chemical level. He proposes to change limiting beliefs with hypnosis. 

 


Nutrition, wellness, weight.

"Deep Nutrition. Why your genes need traditional food" - Catherine Shanahan MD

Four pillars of the human diet (not vegetarian) The most important book on nutrition and wellness to have and read over and over - in my opinion.  

Full review below.

"Loving yourself to great health. How to live a nutrient-rich life for health, happiness and longevity. " - Louise Hay, Ahlea Khadro, Heather Dane. 

A holistic guide to wellness, physical, mental, emotional health. Reading it feels like taking care of ourselves. 

For everyone. Includes recipes.

"The Obesity Code. Unlocking the secrets of weight loss" -  Jason Fung 

A classic. Methodical, well organized (easy to read) explanation of the diets, keto, hormones, diabetes, weight. Very important for people who help others with weight loss and to understand your own body. Demystifies metabolism, fasting, ect.

"Wired to eat. Turn Off Cravings, Rewire Your Appetite for Weight Loss, and Determine the Foods That Work for You- Robb Wolf

Biology and disease explained in a light, easy to understand way. Contains recipes. Tips. Actionable steps. 

Addresses Paleo misconceptions, keto, diabetes prevention. 


"The Nutrient-Dense Kitchen: 125 Autoimmune Paleo Recipes for Deep Healing and Vibrant Health" - Mickey Trescott

read more below 

"Breaking free from emotional eating" Geneen Roth.  - a classic. Light read that can help with deep inner work. Describes our thinking patterns and emotions better than we could. Practical tips, opportunities for self-reflection. May help with fulfillment, boundaries, self-worth. 

"Use your brain to change your age. Secrets to look, Feel, and Think Younger every day " - Daniel G. Amen 


"Potatoes, not prozac
A Natural Seven-Step Plan to: Control Your Cravings" - Kathleen DesMaisons

A simple solution for people who have a hard time with breaking sugar addiction. Explains the differences in brain, serotonin, beta endorphin levels and helps to address their low levels using food.

Disclaimer for the nutrition and other books:  The owner of the blog may not agree 100% with all the advice given in the books, or statements expressed by the authors in public. Use the knowledge of your body, conditions, food allergens etc, to follow any recommendations. 

Nutrient Dense Kitchen

125 Autoimmune Paleo Recipes for Deep Healing and Vibrant Health - Mickey Trescott

A cookbook focused on giving your body the very best. No fluff in writing, no fillers in recipes.  The author was barely functioning physically, when she slowly started changing her diet. She decided to eat a piece of meat, as her last resort and expected to feel bad, being a vegan for many years. To her greatest surprise [...]


WHO IS IT FOR:  

Good for the beginners: if you just start learning about food and want to eat healthier right away. CONTENTS: Succinct, well organized nutrition info. + A variety of easy, nourishing recipes that help with autoimmune conditions, but will benefit everyone regardless of health (no grains, no flours, no sugar, no bad oils)

no longer a vegetarian, or omnivore, but: nutritarian

Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food

by Catherine Shanahan MD, Eliza Foss, et al.
  • The Overview

  • Who will benefit 

You will never look at food the same way again:

  • The chapter on sugar explains how it makes us age faster, undermines immunity and what exactly sugar does in the body. Impactful! Knowledge helps to choose better. 
  • Brain's worst enemy - vegetable fats. How fats affect weight and mental wellbeing. 
  • Weight chapter that does not talk about calories and Sickness epidemic chapter that demystifies the wrong cholesterol theory. 
  • Preservation of genetic wealth.  Creating beautiful, healthy children
  • The Four pillars of the Human Diet and MORE. 
"Garden of Eating - A Produce-dominated Diet & Cookbook" - Rachel Albert-Matesz

One of my most frequently used cookbooks.  It can serve as the only culinary book. A good balance of theory, culinary techniques for better health and digestion. Educates about healthier eating options. A great number of recipes (also meat recipes.) I personally participated in the holistic cooking classes taught by the author, and many people reported feeling physically better when eating this way. (577 pages. May fall apart)

Spiritual teachings 

Table of contents is descriptive, it is relatively easy to find the topics that interests you. There is no index. 

A Course in Miracles  

A Miracle is a shift in perception. Expect them when reading this book. It will change the perception of the world and your relationships. Initially it seems like we are learning a new language and it's an adventure in itself. And then something shifts. You start speaking this "language." Channeled in the 70's, created as an alternative to the Bible. A spiritual book for these times.

It emphasizes the choice between Love and Fear. It explains the old terms in a new way. If you are resistant to religions, you may still love this book because it is beyond religion. (the few terms like God, Holy Spirit, etc, have a wider meaning)  Perfect for daily spiritual reading, as well as group reading.

 Assists in DEEP, inner work. Helps with love, self-love, forgiveness, self-forgiveness, self-worth, sense of Oneness.  One of the teachers who popularized wisdom from this book is Marianne Williamson.

  • Level:  ADVANCED (and this is where you start)
  • Who is it for?  For someone who wants to make it a regular, spiritual practice. 
  • To be STUDIED preferably in GROUPS (there may be one near you or online)

Radiance Sutras

"The Radiance Sutras: 112 Gateways to the Yoga of Wonder and Delight" -Lorin Roche

  • What: Easy read or a study material 
  • For who:  beginners 
  • Style: Poetic

We belong to both worlds: The human and the divine. The fleeting and the eternal. Physical and spiritual.

Full engagement in both is required – a conclusion from all the sacred books I read, including this one.

Many people say they want to go “home” now. They want to "transition" before they do the Work.

Yet doing “the Work” is essential and leads to freedom. It can lead to the point when we no longer long to leave. (read more)

Are you looking to reignite your spiritual practice?

First, WHAT IS IT? It’s not the original Patanjali Sutras but contemporary rendering by teacher, Lorin Roche, PhD

It’s a conversation between Shiva and Shakti, where they explore: “The divinity permeating our body NOW, the alchemical power of Sanskrit, the depths of our connection to all levels of life.”

[Shakti and Shiva are within everyone of us. Shakti – the Creative Power; also, the entire creation and mother of the Universe. Shiva – Pure Consciousness permeating everything.] 

I made “The Radiance Sutras. 112 Gateways to the Yoga of Wonder and Delight” a part of my daily practice a few years ago. Every morning and evening I’d read just one page before meditation. It was a ritual in itself: candles, incense, door open to my quiet garden… And after days, weeks and months something clicked. Something fell into place.

One evening, when I was on a phone with a friend and she asked a difficult question, I realized, this book offered a perfect answer. I wrote about it in my previous post.

With no goal other than “just” reading a page a day, I absorbed the teachings about the purpose of life, the importance of full engagement in all experiences, the light and the dark, non attachment, the power and the gifts of full presence. All this – underlined with incredible joy that comes from being alive.

There are some ideas hard to understand with our logical mind. We assimilate them on a different level. That’s what happened with me and The Radiance Sutras:

through the way of effortless confluence…

Related blog "We belong to both worlds, the human and the divine"

Spiritual / advanced

The Anatomy

of the Spirit 

Caroline Myss, PhD

spiritual / advanced

Sacred

Contracts

Caroline Myss, PhD

Spiritual / advanced

Entering the Castle: 

Finding the Inner Path to God and Your Soul's Purpose

Caroline Myss, PhD

Meant for deep inner exploration, and to be read slowly.

The book may be best for people in background in Catholicism due to the references. 

religion / spirituality

Shamans & Dream Medicine

Change Your Story, Change Your Life: Using Shamanic and Jungian Tools to Achieve Personal Transformation - Carl Greer, PhD, PsyD

Shamanic practices for everyone

A Shaman's Dreamtime: 10 Messages from Spirit You Need to Wake Up & Seize Your Personal Power

Like a good, nourishing meal, this book is packed with wisdom from across several areas of personal growth. The author - a shamans who dreams profound dreams for herself and for people she helps, ties it with her modern knowledge of managing the mind, making it an interesting and captivating read. Unique approach to self-discovery.
  • Both the beginners and the advanced readers will benefit from this book.

11th Hour shaman. dream medicine and mindset

Mending the Past and Healing the Future with Soul Retrieval - Alberto Villoldo

A process for healing outside time and space. Includes a Diary of the author's ayahuasca experiences as an intro to each chapter.  Actionable: includes the scripts for journeying in the upper, middle and lower world on topics like. (self- hypnosis) you can read to someone or record for yourself.



four winds society

Shamanic Visioning - Sandra Ingerman 
I had it as an audiobook and it was a wonderful travel companion. Helps to honor the soul, and heal the heart. Listen or use it for personal transformations. The benefit of the audio book is that the drumming is recorded and you can use it for journeying.

Read by the author.


Human Design

This book is meant to be taken slow and contemplated.  A practice for people interested in their Human Design (especially if they have a lot of time on their hands)

for the students of HUMAN DESIGN


The Gene Keys: 

Embracing Your Higher Purpose - Richard Rudd

Taking the Human Design deeper into personal spiritual practice. For contemplation and spiritual growth. The book describes each of the 64 Gene Keys' shadow, gift, and siddhi (enlightenment). You may find much relief and empowerment that you can evolve beyond the shadows of your design. If you have the shadow you also have a seed of Siddhi - evolved state of each key. 

Spiritual, poetic, leisure reads

The books below describe people's experiences in regression and life between lives.

It can be very therapeutic to read the stories, they are relatable, and refer to all sort of human experiences. 


Mindset, Practical Self-help & Inspiration

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

- Cal Newport.

Newport describes the challenges of distractions, (possible to handle) myths of focus, work and the types of people who get more done, and don't kill themselves doing it. What focus style would be natural for you? This book goes well with 4000 weeks. 

Four Thousand Weeks. Time management for mortals" - by Oliver Burkeman.

Surprising at times. A LOT of references to philosophy. Get's more personal and practical in the end. Opportunity for self-reflection and illumination regarding the time we have left. Perfect as an Audio book

"Tools Of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers" - Tim Ferris and others. 

 Lots of interviews, offers many practical tips we can apply in life.

Divided in sections: Healthy, Wealthy, Wise 

High Performance Habits. How extraordinary people become that way- Brendon Burchard 


"Beyond Positive Thinking. A no- nonsense formula for getting the Results you Want" - Dr Robert Anthony

If you like "The Secret"... but this book has the missing ingredient and takes you thru the details of how to manifest.

"The Ultimate Secret of total Self-Confidence" - Dr. Robert Anthony

The first confidence book I read many years ago, that actually worked for me.

"Spiritual Divorce - 
Divorce as a Catalyst for an Extraordinary Life" Debbie Ford

Very easy read, can help in the transformation. Offers a different perspective, one that can heal resentment and anger. Sometimes it helps to take personal responsibility, sometimes it helps to surrender.
"The Disease to Please. Curing the people-pleasing syndrome" - Harriet B. Braiker PhD

The author is no longer with us, but her important contribution is... this book will help you see the toxic thoughts, realize it is ok to not be nice, stop doing for others, let go of approval, and practice saying no.


In your own words...

The most incredible thing about books is...?
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