This week, we give you a peek at our mindful bookshelf by breaking down three reads that will help you cultivate the important connections in your life. From learning how to have a reciprocal relationship with the planet to the importance of showing up & staying present for the people you love, the yogi's bookshelf has something for everyone!
1. "Braiding Sweetgrass" - Robin Wall Kimmerer:
"In some Native languages, the term for plants translates into 'those who take care of us,'" writes author Robin Wall Kimmerer in her book, "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants." Robin is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology and the founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment.
"Braiding Sweetgrass" is a book about changing the way we view native traditions as a thing of the past and finding new ways of moving forward with these teachings with a different view of the world. Robin presents this book as a gift of braided stories "meant to heal our relationship with the world" by weaving together the three strands of "indigenous ways of knowing, scientific knowledge and the story of an Anishinaabekwe scientist trying to bring them together in service to what matters most." The author shares the meaning of becoming indigenous to a place and of how the land is the "real teacher."
A statement on overconsumption and the importance of ceremony, these stories are meditations on indigenous teachings and our interconnectedness with the natural world. This book is a perfect read for those wanting to delve into more on our reciprocal relationships with the planet, with people, and with Spirit.
Purchase Braiding Sweetgrass at Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/books/braiding-sweetgrass-9781571313560/9781571313560
2. "The Art of Showing Up" by Rachel Wilkerson Miller:
"The Art of Showing Up" is a roadmap to knowing yourself more deeply and understanding the people you love more completely. Author Rachel Wilkerson Miller teaches that “showing up” means connecting with others in a way that makes them feel seen and supported. And that begins with showing up for yourself: recognizing your needs, understanding your physical and mental health, and practicing self-compassion. Only then can you better support other people; witness their joy, pain, and true selves; validate their experiences; and help ease their burden.
If you're someone who likes self-help books and/or you are on the long-term journey of self-love, this read gets to the heart of what it means to actually show up in your life and how to form true connections with your friends, your family, and yourself.
Purchase The Art of Showing Up at Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/books/the-art-of-showing-up-how-to-be-there-for-yourself-and-your-people/9781615196616
3. "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau:
"Walden" is for anyone feeling a little disenchanted by the hustle and bustle of life and wondering what it would be like to move to the tiny home of your dreams deep in the woods. In this novel, Thoreau recounts his time living near Walden Pond removed from society. No longer holding a traditional job, Thoreau instead cultivated a modest beanfield and reserved his afternoons and evenings for contemplation, reading, and walking about the countryside.
The values of austerity, simplicity, and solitude permeate the novel, and Thoreau consistently emphasizes the minimalism of his lifestyle and the contentment to be derived from it. A meditation on solitude, simple living, and the nature of human consciousness, this classic is just as relevant today, if not more, than it was when it was first released.
Purchase Walden at Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/books/walden-life-in-the-woods-life-in-the-woods/9781423646792
We hope you enjoy what's on our bookshelf this week, yogis. Comment with your favorite!
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