New Books In Spiritual Practice And Mindfulness

Alan Watts (1915-1973) was one of the first to interpret Eastern wisdom for a Western audience. Joan Watts, Alan's eldest daughter, is the co-editor (along with her sister, Anne) of the new volume, The Collected letters of Alan Watts, out now in hardback and paperback from New World Library (2017). This is part one in a two-part series on the life of Alan Watts, featuring Joan and Anne Watts.Greg Soden is the host “Classical Ideas,” a podcast about religion and religious ideas. You can find it on iTunes here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anne Watts is one of the co-editors of the new book, The Collected letters of Alan Watts, released in January 2018 from New World Library. Anne Watts is a facilitator and educator who is committed to creating a world where everyone wins.  She honors each individual for the gift she or he is, and believes that love and nurturance are the most important aspects in human healing. She regularly leads workshops at the Esalen Institute and you can find her upcoming events online at www.annewatts.org.Greg Soden is the host “Classical Ideas,” a podcast about religion and religious ideas. You can find it on iTunes here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andrea Miller is the deputy editor of Lion's Roar magazine (formerly the Shambhala Sun)  and the author of two picture books: The Day the Buddha Woke Up and My First Book of Canadian Birds. She's also the editor of three anthologies, most recently All the Rage: Buddhist Wisdom on Anger and Acceptance. I spoke with Andrea on the heels of her trip to India to attend the International Buddhist Conclave, which afforded her the chance to attend sacred Buddhist sites. She has a brand new piece out in December, 2018 called “The Buddha Was Here.” This conversation discusses the impetus and creative process behind The Day The Buddha Woke Up, out now from Wisdom Publications (2018).Greg Soden is the host “Classical Ideas,” a podcast about religion and religious ideas. You can find it on iTunes here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's podcast, I speak with American professor Ira Helderman about his newly published book, Prescribing the Dharma: Psychotherapists, Buddhist Traditions, and Defining Religion (University of North Carolina Press, 2019) which surveys the diversity of Buddhist practices used in psychotherapy today. Ira shows that psychotherapists approaches to Buddhist traditions are moulded by how they relate to what is and is not religion. This book will be of interest to scholars of psychotherapy, religion, and Buddhism as well as anyone interested in the relationship between psychotherapy and Buddhism in the West today.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the information age, knowledge is power. Hence, facilitating the access to knowledge to wider publics empowers citizens and makes societies more democratic. How can publishers and authors contribute to this process? This podcast addresses this issue. We interview Professor Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick, whose book, The Good Drone: How Social Movements Democratize Surveillance (forthcoming with MIT Press) is undergoing a Massive Online Peer-Review (MOPR) process, where everyone can make comments on his manuscript. Additionally, his book will be Open Access (OA) since the date of publication. We discuss with him how do MOPR and OA work, how he managed to combine both of them and how these initiatives can contribute to the democratization of knowledge. You can participate in the MOPR process of The Good Drone through this link: https://thegooddrone.pubpub.org/ Felipe G. Santos is a PhD candidate at the Central European University. His research is focused on how activists care for each other and how care practices w

Meido Moore Roshi is the abbot of Korinji monastery in Wisconsin. He studied under three Rinzai Zen masters: Tenzan Toyoda Rokoji (under whom he also endured training in traditional martial arts), Dogen Hosokawa Roshi, and So’zan Miller Roshi. All are in the lineage of Omori Sogen Roshi, perhaps the most famous Rinzai Zen master of the 20th century, who was further renowned as a master of calligraphy and swordsmanship.In 2008 Meido Roshi received inka shomei ("mind seal"), designating him an 86th-generation Zen dharma heir and a 48th-generation holder of the lineage descended from Rinzai Gigen. Like many of the teachers in this lineage his instruction stresses the embodied nature of Zen realization, often making use of physical culture and fine arts as complementary disciplines. In particular, he has stressed instruction of the internal energetic practices transmitted in Rinzai Zen.Meido Roshi's book The Rinzai Zen Way: A Guide to Practice (Shambala, 2018) is out from Shambhala Publications in March 2018.Greg

Essentialism is a systematic discipline designed to support making life decisions that help you to make your highest possible contribution towards the things that really matter. In this episode, cross-posted from the podcast Psychologists Off The Clock, Dr. Yael Schonbrun interviews Greg McKeown , author of the best-selling book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. They discuss the importance of distinguishing the essential from the nonessential, how to identify what is most essential, and strategies to support the disciplined pursuit of what is essential to you. Greg McKeown is the author of the best-selling book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. He is also afrequent contributor to Harvard Business Review, a sought after keynote speaker, a repeating guest on the Steve (Harvey) show, and his work on Essentialism is regularly written about in media (see Resources). Greg is also founder/CEO of McKeown, Inc., a strategy design center.Dr. Yael Schonbrun is a clinical psychologist in priva

Emotional Intelligence involves self awareness, self control, relationship management and social awareness. Being emotionally intelligent can make you a better leader, parent, friend and partner. In this episode, interview, cross-posted from the podcast Psychologists Off The Clock, Dr. Diana Hill interviews Dr. Goleman, a pioneer in the field of positive psychology, about the neuroscience of emotions and why it is important to foster emotional intelligence in kids and leaders. Dr. Goleman also explores how meditation can result in permanent trait changes so that we are better able to regulate emotions and survive an “amygdala highjack.”Daniel Goleman, best known for his worldwide bestseller Emotional Intelligence, is most recently co-author (with Richard Davidson) of Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain and Body(Avery, 2017). A frequent speaker to businesses of all kinds and sizes, Goleman has worked with leaders around the globe, examining the way social and emotional compe

Increasing self-compassion and compassion for others, may just be the key to your well-being. In this this interview, cross-posted from the podcast Psychologists Off The Clock, Dr. Diana Hill interviews Dr. Christopher Germer, leader in the integration of mindfulness in therapy and co-developer of the international Mindful Self Compassion Program. Germer discusses “Self-Compassion 101” while also exploring how they practice self-compassion on and off the couch.Chris Germer, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist in private practice and lecturer on psychiatry (part-time) at Harvard Medical School. He teaches on the faculty of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy and the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion, both based in Cambridge, MA. He is a co-developer (with Kristin Neff) and popular teacher of the Mindful Self-Compassion program (which has been taught to over 50,000 people around the world), author of The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion, co-author of The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook (which is con

What role does mantra play in the lives of Hindu practitioners? Mani Rao takes us on a journey to three sacred sites across India’s Andhra-Telangana region. The practitioners she engages at these sites offer insight into their transformative embodied experience of mantra. Rao dovetails scholarship and practice to grapple with the captivating, eye-opening, mind-blowing narratives of the practitioners she engages. Living Mantra: Mantra, Deity, and Visionary Experience Today (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018)broaches compelling questions such as: what is the relationship between mantras and deities? Texts? Gurus? Do practitioners relate to mantra as vehicles of meaning, or as aesthetic entities? What is the relationship to sound and visions in mantra practice? What is the role of imagination here? Celebrating lived experience, Living Mantra documents the modern-day existence of seers (rishis), thus underscoring the open, ongoing nature of divine revelation in Hindu traditions.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega

McKenzie Wark’s new book offers 21 focused studies of thinkers working in a wide range of fields who are worth your attention. The chapters of General Intellects: Twenty-One Thinkers for the Twenty-First Century (Verso, 2017) introduce readers to important work in Anglophone cultural studies, psychoanalysis, political theory, media theory, speculative realism, science studies, Italian and French workerist and autonomist thought, two “imaginative readings of Marx,” and two “unique takes on the body politic.” There are significant implications of these ideas for how we live and work at the contemporary university, and we discussed some of those in our conversation. This is a great book to read and to teach with! Carla Nappi is the Andrew W. Mellon Chair in the Department of History at the University of Pittsburgh. You can learn more about her and her work here.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this this interview, cross-posted from the podcast Psychologists Off The Clock, Dr. Diana Hill talks with Dr. Kelly Wilson about kindness and the common humanity of feeling inadequate and broken. Dr. Wilson describes the evolutionary science behind suffering and how “evolutionary mismatch” plays an important role in modern day physical and psychological illness. Dr. Wilson, co-founder of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), demonstrates acceptance and compassion as he describes his personal path to self-care and the regular self-care practices he engages in. On the eve of his retirement, Dr. Wilson shares what’s next for him on his ongoing journey towards kindness and meaning.Kelly G. Wilson, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at the University at Mississippi. He is past and founding President of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS). Dr. Wilson is one of the founders of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and has devoted himself to the development and dissemination of ACT and i

As the practice of mindfulness permeates mainstream Western culture, more and more people are engaging in a traditional form of Buddhist meditation. However, many of these people have little interest in the religious aspects of Buddhism, and the practice occurs within secular contexts such as hospitals, schools, and the workplace. Clinical trials show that practicing Buddhist meditation has benefits regardless of whether or not one subscribes to the religion, raising fundamental questions about the nature of Buddhism itself. Today’s book, Secular Buddhism: Imagining the Dharma in an Uncertain World (Yale University Press, 2017) is a collected volume of Stephen Batchelor’s writings which explore the complex implications of Buddhism’s secularization. He explores questions such as, Is it possible to recover from the Buddhist teachings a vision of human flourishing that is secular rather than religious without compromising the integrity of the tradition? And, Is there an ethical framework that can underpin and co

In this episode, cross-posted from the podcast Psychologists Off The Clock, Dr. Diana Hill interviews Dr. Dan Siegel about his new book, Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence (TarcherPerigree, 2018). Dr. Siegel describes interpersonal neurobiology and how he has learned from mathematics, anthropology, biology, physics, sociology, and neuroscience to understand the mind. He discusses a powerful practice called The Wheel of Awareness, which cultivates focus, interoception and inter-connection. Dr. Siegel dives into quantum physics to describe how thoughts arise as a flow of energy in the mind, and tells listeners how they can grow a healthier, more integrated brain. Dr. Siegel is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and the founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA. He is also the Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute which focuses on the development of mindsight, which teaches insight, empathy, and integration in individuals, families and c

In this this interview, cross-posted from the podcast Psychologists Off The Clock, Deirdre Fay, LICSW discusses how she integrates yoga, meditation and attachment theory into healing trauma. Ms. Fay discusses the intersection between yoga philosophy and attachment theory. She explores why embodiment is important in the healing of trauma and how she cultivates a “nourishing opposite” when shame accompanies a traumatic response. Ms. Fay leads us through two experiential exercises, Modified Half Archer and Anjali Mudra, to demonstrate these concepts. Deirdre Fay, LICSW has decades of experience exploring the intersection of trauma, attachment, yoga and meditation. Having meditated since the 70’s and lived in a yoga ashram for six years in the 80’s and 90s Deirdre brings a unique perspective to being in the body. In the 90’s Deirdre was asked to teach yoga and meditation to those on the dissociative unit at McLean Hospital. Having amassed skill sets in trauma treatment (as a supervisor under the guida

In this episode, cross posted from the podcast Psychologists Off the Clock, Dr. Diana Hill interviews Dr. Michael Kearney, a palliative care physician who takes an interpersonal, integrative approach to healing. Dr. Kearney shares with us how he has had to learn to “breathe underwater” and allow pain to move through him and he discusses his new book: The Nest in the Stream: Lessons from Nature on Being with Pain (Parallax Press, 2018). Michael Kearney trained at St Christopher’s Hospice in London with Dame Cicely Saunders, pioneer of the modern hospice movement.  He later returned to his Ireland as medical director at Our Lady’s Hospice in Dublin.  In the early 2000’s he moved to North America, and now lives and works in Santa Barbara, California.  Throughout his career, Michael has been interested in whole person care and approaches that combine medical treatment with the innate healing potential of body, soul, and spirit.  He draws on depth psychology, mythology, Buddhist philosophy, indigenous

Our modern culture prompts us to work ever harder. But it turns out the most successful and creative among us don’t just work hard, they actually rest more skillfully. In this this interview, cross-posted from the podcast Psychologists Off The Clock, Dr. Yael Schonbrun interviews Dr. Alex Pang, the author of Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less (Basic Books, 2016) to learn about the science and practice of using rest to get more done more effectively. Dr. Alex Pang is the founder of The Restful Company, a visiting scholar at Stanford, and an author of titles that include The Distraction Addiction and Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less. You can find out more about Dr. Pang’s work at www.deliberate.rest or follow Dr. Pang on twitter at @Rest_Book or @askpang. Dr. Yael Schonbrun is a clinical psychologist in private practice, an assistant professor at Brown University, and a frequent contributor to the Psychologists Off The Clock.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic

Everyone experiences anxiety and worry sometimes. However, when anxiety controls your life, it pulls you away from things that you care about. In this this interview, cross-posted from the podcast Psychologists Off The Clock, Dr. Diana Hill interviews Dr. John Forsyth about his new book Anxiety Happens: 52 Ways to Find Peace of Mind (New Harbinger Publishing, 2018). Dr. Forsyth shares why he was drawn to researching and applying Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for anxiety. He discusses the role of avoidance in anxiety, concrete strategies to respond to anxious thoughts and how to “drop the rope” in the tug of war with worry. John P. Forsyth, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized author, speaker, and trainer in the use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and practices that cultivate mindfulness, loving kindness (Metta), and compassion. For over 20 years, his work has focused on developing ACT and mindfulness practices to alleviate human suffering, awaken the human spirit, and to nurture p

After working clinically with patients for over 25 years, it’s natural that one would learn something about what heals or harms humans. Such is the case with Dr. Eva Ritvo, who discovered through her work and personal life the power of human kindness and put together a book about it entitled Bekindr: The Transformative Power of Kindness (2017, Momosa Publishing). The book contains short stories by people from all walks of life, depicting poignant moments of human vulnerability and kindness. In our interview, we discuss what led her to put together this book and the international movement it has spawned, as well as her conviction that kindness has the power to transform. Eva Ritvo, M.D. is a physician, author, and TV and radio personality, as well as the founder of Bekindr, an international initiative to bring more kindness into the world. She is also co-founder of the Bold Beauty Project, a nonprofit that pairs women with disabilities with award-winning photographers and creates art shows. She is former Chair

In her book, Be Mindful and Stress Less: 50 Ways to Deal with Your (Crazy) Life (Shambhala, 2018), Gina Biegel shows how the demands and pressures of everyday life can really stress you out! She shows how even the little things when stacked one on top of another can eventually build up to much bigger and deeper problems. Using her background in psychology, she crafts an easy to follow format that can help to illustrate some of the bigger points that are missed in a traditional mindfulness book. She helps to show that even the most rough days can be overcome if we have the will and want to be with them as mindfully as we can. Her book helps young adults and teens specifically to be able to overcome the troubles that they face in the modern age and how we can all be more fully engaged with our activities each and everyday. Silas Day is a writer and speaker. His area of expertise includes Buddhism, deeper learning, meditation, and spiritual integration. He can be reached by email at silasday14@gmail.com.Learn m