Local Links we endorse

The Community of Eastern Passage Website
www.easternpassage.ca

Local Artist Anna Wade from Cow Bay, NS
www.annahorsnellwade.ca

Our Favourite Local Reading Material

Satpal Kaur Sodhi is an educator & a motivational Speaker.  After completing 35 yrs of teaching in various educational settings, she retired from the Halifax Regional School Board, Nova Scotia, Canada.  For the past several years, Satpal has conducted numerous workshops & presentations throughout Nova Scotia.  Her workshop topics consist of self-esteem, holistic living, anger management, meditation, brain empowerment & a psycho-spiritual approach to stress management.  In addition, she has been invited to be a keynote speaker to several conferences and events.  "She is a gentle, kind soul as well," says Gail.  Her books are available for only $15.  ALL proceeds go entirely to Feed Nova Scotia!


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Awakening Loving Kindness, by Pema Chodron
A leading exponent of teachings on meditation and how they apply to everyday life, Pema Chödrön is widely known for her insightful, down-to-earth interpretation of Tibetan Buddhism for Western audiences. Chödrön is the resident teacher at Gampo Abbey in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, the first Tibetan monastery for Westerners. An American Buddhist nun, she began studying Buddhism in the early 1970s, working closely with the renowned Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche of the Shambhala Buddhist tradition until his death in 1987. She is currently a student of Dzigar Kontrul Rinpoche. From years of study and monastic training, she addresses complex issues with a clarity that bespeaks the fruits of her practice.  This book is available in most major bookstores or contact www.shambhala.com for details.

Favourite Non-local Material

†The Christian Bible
A great read for anyone wishing to learn about the basis of Christianity


†The Wisdom of Yoga, Stephen Cope
While many Westerners think of yoga as an invigorating series of postures & breathing exercises, these physical practices are only part of a vast & ancient spiritual science recorded in a text called the Yoga Sutras, by Patanjali.  For more than 3 millennia, yogis have systematically explored this path of inner development, discovering precise techniques for functioning at the maximum potential of our minds, bodies & spirits.  Using dramatic personal stories of fellow seekers, as well as insights from modern psychology, neuroscience, religion, & philosophy, Stephen Cope demonstrates how we can apply this timeless science of awakening to radically enlighten every aspect of our daily lives.  This book is available at major book stores or visit www.bantamdell.com to order.


†Kripalu Yoga, A Guide to Practice on & off the Mat
by Richard Faulds
Beginning with step by step experiences that teach essential body and breath awareness, this book features 2 complete, safe, and fully illustrated routines for beginning and intermediate students, including Kripalu's easy to follow 'press point' instructions for correct alignment in each pose.  For advanced students, there is a broad menu of additional poses to increase strength, flexibility & challenge.  Readers are also guided into the remarkable experience of 'meditation in motion' that is a hallmark of Kripalu Yoga. Available at most major bookstores or visit www.bantamdell.com


†Yoga, The Spirit & Practices of Moving into Stillness
by Erich Schiffmann
World renowned Yoga Master Erich Schiffman offers and easy to follow series of practices with instructions & illustrations.  There are more than 100 poses & routines for all levels of ability, a meditation program, the secrets of 'stillness & movement', techniques for mindful breathing.  Available at major bookstores or order through www.simonsays.com


†The Secret Power of Yoga, by Nischala Joy Devi
Yoga expert Nischala interprets Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, the principles at the basis of Yoga practice, from a heart-centered, intuitive, feminine perspective, resulting in the first translation intended for women (but men will like it too).  She has been teaching internationally for over 30 yrs and is the Author of 'The Healing Path of Yoga'.  You can find this book at major bookstores or visit her website www.abundantwellbeing.com



† The Bhagavad-Gita - Krishna's Counsel in Time of War
There are many English translations of this text which has been an essential text of Hindu culture in India since the time of its' composition in the first century A.D.  As one of the great religious classics of world literature, it has inspired such diverse thinkers as Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, T.S. Eliot, and Thomas Merton.  Set on an ancient battlefield where the armies of rival cousins stand ready to do battle, the GITA recounts the epic tale of the warrior prince Arjuna as he confronts a life or death moral dilemma.  What is the purpose or justice of war?  Where does the right path of action lie when one duty conflicts with another?  Gradually, through the intercessin of his charioteer, the god Krishna, Arjuna is led to a higher understanding of the spiritual nature of man and the world.  Encompassing both the personal and the transcendent, Arjuna's dialogue with Krishna has resonated through the ages with the terrible beauty of ultimate revelation.  You can find versions of the GITA in most major book stores & online as well.



†Autobiography of a Yogi, by Paramahansa Yogananda
Named one of the 100 best spiritual books of the 20th Century, Paramahansa's remarkable life story takes you on an unforgettable exploration of the world of Saints & Yogis, science & miracles, death & resurrection.  With soul-satisfying wisdom & endearing wit, he illumines the deepest secrets of life and the universe - opening our hearts & minds to the joy, beauty, and unlimited spiritual potentials that exist in the lives of every human being.  The original version was completed in 1946.  You can find this book in most major book stores.


†The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
There are hundreds of English translations and the book is available in most major book stores.  A quote from Swami Satchidananda, one translator & Author of the pocket Edition 'Integral Yoga', "I recommend that this book be studied slowly and carefully.  Meditate on each sutra.  If you memorize them they will come into your mind just when you need them most.  Remember that practice is the most important part of all.  Find those sutras which are particularly meaningful to you & practice them to the best of your ability.  You will have success & peace."
'Sutras' translates as 'threads'.  Each thread of knowledge given in this book is woven into the whole of the concept ... finding your samadhi, your bliss.
In the 2nd Chapter, Patanjali talks about the Astanga Yoga, the 8 limbs of Yoga.

†Anatomy of The Spirit
by Caroline Myss

A bold presentation of energy medicine.  Dr. Myss shows how every illness corresponds to a pattern of emotional and psychological stresses, beliefs, and attitudes that have influenced corresponding areas of the human body.  She presents a model of the body's 7 centers of spiritual & physical power in which she synthesizes the ancient wisdom of 3 spiritual traditions: the Hindu chakras, the Christian sacrements, the Jewish Kabbalah's Tree of Life.  With these she demonstrates the 7 stages through which everyone must pass in the search for spiritual maturity and inner peace.
"This is one of my favourite reads ever." Gail


†The Tibetan Book of the Dead
Dr. Evans-Wentz, Dr. Carl Jung, Lama Anagarika Govinda, Sir John Woodroffe

First published in 1927 this is also known as 'The Bardo Thodol' & has since been revised & reprinted in several editions.  Although the Bardo Thodol is used in Tibet as a breviary, & read or recited on the occasion of death, it was originally conceived to serve as a guide not only for the dying & the dead, but for the living as well.  As a contribution to the science of death & of existence after death & of rebirth, the Tibetan Book of the Dead is unique among the sacred books of the world.

†The Tao Teh Chin
Lao Tzu

Written more than 2000 years ago, 'The Classic fo the Way & It's Virtue' is one of the true classics of the world of Spiritual literature.  Traditionally attributed to the near-legendary 'Old master', Lao Tzu, the Tao Teh Ching teaches that the qualities of the enlightened sag eor ideal ruler are identical with those of the perfeceted individual.  Toda, Lao Tzu's words are as useful in mastering the arts of leadership in business and poitics as they are indeveloping a sense of balance and harmony in everyday life.  To follow the Tao or Way of all things and realize their true nature is to embody humility, spontaneity and generosity.

†The Way of Qigong
Kenneth S. Cohen

Qigong is an integrated mind-body healing method that has been practiced with remarkable results in China for thousands of years.  The Chinese have long treasured qigong for its effectiveness both in healing and in preventing disease, and more recently they have used it in conjuction with modern medicine to cure cancer, immune system disorders, and other life-threatening conditions.