Showing results by publisher "Sounds True" in Spirituality

Who was medieval Italy's Francis of Assisi? Millions knew him as the saint who first received the stigmata of Christ, as a champion of the poor, and as a mystic who possessed a divine rapport with the natural world. But few know that Saint Francis also created an extraordinary system of practices to radiate a joyfulness of spirit inward to the soul and outward to the world. On The Way of Saint Francis, scholar and friar Murray Bodo reveals the life of this celebrated saint and shares specific meditations, prayers, and teachings to cultivate the 5 great keys of Franciscan spirituality: Silence, how to use inner and outer quietude to prepare a sacred dwelling place within; Purification, true forgiveness, the secret to purifying the heart; Openness, how to embrace your deeper suffering and simpler joys in the manner and spirit of Saint Francis; Response, the way of the Poor Christ, a life made rich through prayer, contemplation, and selfless service; Time, how we enter the state of the timeless divine. You will learn how to use each of these miraculous keys to open the door to the cell within - a sacred inner space of stillness and strength available to you at any time and in any situation - and to transform yourself into a true instrument of peace.

Every spiritual tradition teaches that we are all interconnected. Yet when we are faced with the world’s many injustices, we often want to turn away and isolate ourselves rather than feel the full measure of our grief, anger, and fear. “If we allow ourselves the space to fully experience these painful emotions,” says Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, “something amazing happens. We see more clearly how we can make a difference. We invite a deeper spirituality—one that goes beyond our personal experience to a greater communal solidarity.”

With Grounded and Free, you will learn how to use receptivity and tenderness to nurture roots of stability and centeredness that will serve you through your most challenging trials and storms. What we are most afraid of is the gateway to our freedom. Here, you are invited to enter that realm with courage and kindness - to evolve and embrace the full wonder of your life.

We do our best when we're relaxed, confident, and capable. Teenagers and children are no different. Practices for Growing up Mindful offers parents, educators, counselors, and caregivers a series of exercises and meditations for cultivating the skills and attitudes that will empower us - and our children - to handle the increasing stress of modern life in wise and healthy ways.

Like a tightly closed bud that longs to open fully, we live on the verge of an unfathomable beauty that needs only our loving attention to unfold. Meditation gives us a springboard for taking the bold leap into the limitless space of our own being. Dr. Reggie Ray has been immersed in the practice and teaching of meditation for more than 40 years.

Is it our biological destiny to seek the divine? Is faith in a higher power a survival trait? In God and the Brain, Dr. Andrew Newberg presents intriguing evidence that the human brain is a "believing machine" - and that our capacity for self-transcendence and spirituality helps drive our evolution as a species.

What is faith? It is not something we must receive from a religion, nor is it a quality we must abandon in order to be rational. "Faith is not the same as belief," writes best-selling author Roger Housden. "A nonreligious faith allows us to live with uncertainty, change, and mortality - to embrace life in all its sublime beauty." For the many who self-identify as "spiritual but not religious", Housden’s audiobook Keeping the Faith Without a Religion offers us a way to embrace the extraordinary mystery of our lives without resorting to blind dogmatism or nihilistic scientism.

Within the wisdom teachings of Buddhism, there are many stories that refer to its founds as the "Supreme Physiciam"- a healer of all illness- mental, physical, and spiritual. The Buddha understood suffering and its antidote. His prescription and philosophy for right living led directly to a Tibetan meditation practice that is today the medicine our hearts have been searching for.

Five acclaimed teachers and visionaries show us how mindfulness practice can boost our performance and creativity.  

What does it mean to live in a heart-centered way? How do we turn our biggest obstacles into openings for joy, connection, and possibility? These are the questions you will explore through Heart Work. As spiritual director of Denver's Mile Hi Church for more than 30 years, Dr. Roger Teel has brought compassion and quiet illumination to those facing loss, health crises, and many other life challenges.

In Rituals for Conscious Dying, Feinstein combines traditional rituals, guided imagery, and spiritual insights to show how we can turn the fear of death into an affirmation of life. The audio features three guided meditations and covers themes that include: exploring sacred time and accessing your inner guide; finding the meaning of emotionally chaotic states; and the crossing from one stage of life into the next.

Join Shri Anandi Ma, a revered singer-saint and sound healer, as she chants specific mantras intended to help attract abundance in matters of personal relationship, material sustenance, creativity, and spiritual fulfillment.

With Fly Without Fear: Proven Breathing Techniques for In-Flight Relaxation, psychologist Gay Hendricks offers a complete guided session for overcoming airborne anxiety and fear. By heightening your awareness of the body's response to a threatening situation, Dr. Hendricks teaches you to use breathing and visualization techniques to calm the nerves, unlock the diaphragm, and loosen tense muscles. Travelers now have a portable remedy for use on any trip to enjoy a more relaxing flight.

In The Big Picture, Smith draws from his lifetime of scholarship to describe for us the nature of ultimate reality. His description combines the most up-to-date findings of science with the enduring truths of the world's greatest religions, an alignment that offers firm grounds for hope. The vision is mystical and, as supported by the evidence Smith introduces, completely believable.

For over 30 years, Stephen Levine has helped bring the gift of meditation to those most in need. Merciful Awareness: Natural Pain Management is a direct result of Levine's remarkable experience with the use of awareness techniques in hospices and care centers as a treatment for emotional and physical pain.

In Spiritual Gifts of a Painful Childhood, Wayne Muller - author of the national best seller Legacy of the Heart - helps listeners grasp the divine thread that connects sorrow and pain to an awakening of the spirit. This graduate of Harvard Divinity School has devoted almost 20 years to helping the homeless, the sick, and the impoverished.

For thousands of years, these questions - which span all major spiritual traditions - have served as beacons for spiritual seekers: Who am I? What do I love? How shall I live, knowing I will die? What is my gift to the family of the Earth? As he guides us through these questions, Muller weaves poetry with true stories of love, courage, grief, and transformation in order to show how beauty and wisdom come to us at unexpected times.

Health first, then weight. This is part of the liberating new approach to managing our patterns of eating developed by integrative medicine pioneer Dr. Andrew Weil and Dr. Carolyn Ross. The Joy of Eating Well presents their revolutionary program for transforming your relationship with food and fostering harmony in the mind and spirit through greater self-awareness and body acceptance.

Modern research shows that our language creates the fundamental "operating system" of the human mind. Awakening the Global Mind is your key to rewriting that system to find your own access code to Logos and personal flourishing. This deep restructuring of consciousness turns each moment of your life into an opening of awakening.

Would creating a work of art be easier for you if an inspiring spirit were here to guide you? To spark you with endless new ideas? And bless you with the divine energy that is at the heart of all creative endeavors? Here is a map to the joyful place where your partner in creativity resides. Designed for people who create for a living - or who want to - The Marry Your Muse Workshop is the first full-length curriculum devoted to uncovering the art spirit that makes every act of creation possible.